Local East 2019 August

INSIDE BONDI’S BLOCK BOYS MAHON POOL SHOP SMALL AT SHUK THE EVEREST BANKING ON MRS BANKS NEW LUXE LIFE: HOMES, STYLE & INTERIOR TRENDS

WIN A STAYCATION AT ONE OF SYDNEY’S BEST HOTELS

LETUSEATCAKE

EDITOR’S LETTER

A YEAR AGO THIS MONTH I VERY NERVOUSLY

PRESSED THE SEND BUTTON ON THE FIRST EDITION OF LOCAL EAST Since then, readers have often asked if we worked on preparing the magazine for years before the launch. But the truth is, the magazine came together relatively quickly. It was probably six months in planning, designing and conceptualising before it launched. It was one of those things that in the end happened quite serendipitously … and quickly gained a life force of its own. Thank you to all the readers, advertisers and professionals in media who have picked up the magazine, advertised with us and worked on the publication. To learn the full story of how Local East came into being, read all about it on page 24.

In celebration of our birthday, this month we have asked some leading local brands how their businesses were built. In our story, Empire State of Mind (page 20) we ask three local leaders — Maurice Terzini of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Christopher Thé of Black Star Pastry, and Bryce Alton of Nudie Jeans Australia, how their local businesses went from concept to market leader. Their answers are insightful: set out to serve your customers, strive for excellence, be guided by strong principles and weather the storms when they come. We applaud them for their successes.

As a birthday gift to our readers we have a fabulous prize to give to one lucky reader — a night for two at one of Sydney’s most luxe hotels, the stylish West Hotel in Sydney’s CBD. West is part of the Hilton Hotel’s Curio Collection and is one of the most gorgeous recent arrivals in the booming Sydney hotel scene. For details on how to win, see our competition on page 28.

And finally, this month sees the launch of our new homes and style section, Luxe Life. This gorgeous new lifestyle hub brings together our regular homes columns with stories about the East’s most luxurious homes. We also chat to lifestyle leaders, from interior designers and architects to real estate agents in the know. At Local East we love beauty, style and luxury so it’s perfect to wrap all these elements into one place. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Have a good month.

ELIZABETH MERYMENT

PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

Elizabeth Meryment lizzie@ localpublishingco.com.au 0412 151 845

ART DIRECTOR

Trevor Timms trevor@ localpublishingco.com.au

SUBEDITOR

Frances Hibbard

STAFF WRITER

Charlie Hale charlie@ localpublishingco.com.au

STYLE WRITER

Alexia Biggs alexia@alexiabiggs.com CONTRIBUTORS

Neil Breen

Caroline Clements

Jillian Dinkel

Lara Picone

Dillon Seichik-Reardon

Trent van der Jagt

Emma-Kate Wilson RECIPE BY

Frankie Lipman frankie@

Francesca Mackay francesca@

want to build something that you would go to yourself, and build a community yourself. Building a business is really about your local.”

SYDNEY 269 MILITARY ROAD CREMORNE T 02 9908 2660 MELBOURN E 681 CHAPEL STREET SOUTH YARRA T 03 9826 8777

BOSS EXECUTIVE TABLE & MIA CHAIRS

12 THIS MONTH

North Bondi Fish goes local

13 FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

Mitch and Mark from The Block

14 RECIPE

Mark Holland’s luxurious mushrooms with celeriac

16 TUBULAR BELLES

Lara Picone gets to grips with making cannoli

PLACES WE SWIM Mahon pool, Maroubra

20 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

Three local businesses reveal the secrets to their success

“Yep, Dad got jammed, as he knew he would be from the moment he first spotted the embryonic bottle collection” NEIL BREEN, RITUALS PAGE 50

35 LUXE LIFE

Our

24 THE LOCAL PROJECT

How Local East was born

28 WIN A NIGHT AT THE WEST HOTEL

29 THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

The Everest’s 2019 challenge

42 HOME HUNTER Beautiful bathrooms

44 INTERIOR LIFE ACME's Caroline Choker and Vince Alafaci

44 GROUND RULES

Rug up for winter

46 STAYCATION Paddington’s s moneyed Mrs Banks hotel

LETTERS

localeastmagazine.com.au

localeastmagazine

@local_east

This month we had a large amount of warm feedback about our story on Laraine Russo from Paddington Alimentari. The story was a part of our American Express Shop Small collaboration. Here's some of the correspondence:

If I’m not in my shoe shop you’ll most likely find me at Alimentari. It’s my other favourite place I frequently visit. Where would we all be without Laraine, Alimentari and her tireless staff who know what you like and want before you do. I often wonder and shudder at the thought. This corner deli keeps us together as a local community, wanting to go back over and over again. I even get occasional Italian lessons and best of all get to met people from all corners of the globe. Grazie tutti!

Monica Schnieper, Pelle Shoes, via instagram

We all love her and Alimentari. Fabulous lady running a fabulous cafe!

@bidinisbags via instagram

My daily lunch spot, never disappoints @livelovelifechiro via instagram

Send us your thoughts about the East, tips on shops, people or restaurants you would like to see featured, or comments on Local East letters@localpublishingco.com.au

Want to see your dog featured in Local East? Send us their image or tag us on instagram #localeastmag #easterndog

Eastern Dog

ALL SHUK UP

This bustling cafe is like an Israeli marketplace in North Bondi, writes

Elizabeth Meryment

THERE WERE SEVERAL THINGS THAT FELL IN YONI KALFUS’S FAVOUR AS HE PLANNED THE OPENING HIS NOW-BELOVED ISRAELI CAFE, SHUK. The first was that the corner store location on Mitchell Street, North Bondi he had been eyeing off suddenly became free. The second was that the world began catching on to the delicious but also healthy nature of Israeli cuisine.

This confluence of good fortune coupled with Kalfus’s ambition of making a friendly, customer-focused and just plain excellent local cafe has led to six years of successful trade and, early this year, the opening of new Shuks at Elizabeth Bay and Chatswood.

“I would say that 80 per cent of our customers, if not more, are locals,” Kalfus says. “We see the same familiar faces every day and the customers become like family. We have started to build the same thing in our new venues, too.”

Kalfus says it certainly helps that Israeli food dovetails nicely into the modern-day focus on health thanks to its reliance on legumes and vegetables.

“It would be easy to be vegan or vegetarian if you were Israeli,” he says. “It’s fresh food, it doesn’t have to be meat or carb heavy. It’s also very family orientated. People come together and they can order a bunch of dishes to share.”

Kalfus, who runs Shuk with business partners Ariel Hefner and Erez Beker, says Israeli food draws upon on the flavours of the Middle East, including neighbouring countries Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey, for inspiration and then adds global elements into the mix.

“Like Australia, Israel is a very young county, it’s only 70 years old,” he says. “And the majority of the people in Israel come from foreign countries including France, Spain, Ethiopia and Yemen. It’s a big mix of cultures and a big mix of flavours. Our chef here is Argentinian of Italian descent and has worked a lot in Japanese restaurants.”

Shuk is now famed across Sydney for its fresh and punchy dishes including the Israeli breakfast of eggs, olives, labne, hummus, jam, avocado, tahini, granola and yoghut, or the teff pancakes with ricotta, sweet dukkah, maple syrup, berries and banana.

Kalfus says the Shuk way is to modernise the food of his parents’ generation by making it fresher and lighter. And it seems to be woking.

“Shuk means ‘marketplace’,” he says. “In Israel it’s a place where everyone comes together to eat the best food and get the freshest produce.” Much like at Shuk Bondi.

SHUK

2 Mitchell St, North Bondi shuk.com.au

SHUK

Proudly Backed by

PHOTOS: TRENT VAN DER JAGT

Sundays are all about families at the SCG

Welcome to Family Friendly Sundays at the SCG where footy favourite food and drink prices have been slashed to less than $5.

The SCG, caterers Delaware North and our home teams, the Roosters, Dragons and Swans have partnered to subsidise prices for Sunday NRL and AFL matches for the rest of the 2019 season.

August 4 Roosters v Titians

August 18 Roosters v Warriors

September 18 Dragons v West Tigers

Hotdog, Meat Pie or Hot Chips

Sausage Roll

Beef or Chicken Burger $12.90

Tempura Fish and Chips $11.90

House Wine 150ml

this month

Compiled by Charlie Hale

BEST IN GROW

North Bondi Fish, the restaurant perched above North Bondi beach, has partnered with Grow It Local — an organisation promoting harvesting of local gardens — to create a signature dish for August. NBF’s fish pie, made of snapper, potato and leek, comes with a herb salad using greens pulled from gardens in the local neighbourhood. The salad will be full of coriander, oregano, marjoram, chilli and more grown in Bondi backyards. Grow It Local is a body that encourages people to grow, share and eat locally grown foods. The pie is $50 for two, or comes as part of a pinot and pie special with a carafe of pinot for $70, also for sharing. growitlocal.com; northbondifish.com.au

The Paddo Inn is hosting its third Inn Talks event on August 13. This excellent evening of conversation and debate will this month focus on sustainable fashion — what it is and how to be a part of this growing movement. This month's panellists are Vogue Australia’s sustainability editor-at-large, Clare Press; Arnsdorf founder, Jade Sarita Arnott; and responsible fashion and retail strategist, Melinda Tually, with fashion journalist Rosie Dalton chairing the discussions. The $55 ticket includes entry, canapés and a glass of Veuve Clicquot. The Paddo Talks series is in support of Dressed for Success, a charity that helps dress unemployed women for job interviews. paddoinn.com.au

5 minutes with... MITCH & MARK

FROM THE BLOCK

These Bondi granddads are set to be audience favourites when the new series begins on Channel 9 on Sunday, August 4

Mitch and Mark, what motivated you to go from flipping houses to flipping houses on television?

Mitch & Mark: We’ve never done such a large project. We always focused on inner-city apartments and this was an opportunity to work on something big, and wow was this one big! This gave us an

opportunity, under pressure, to test ourselves — what was most inspiring was to challenge ourselves. Why not get out of our comfort zones?

How did your relationship navigate the highs and lows of the renovation and show?

Mitch & Mark: We are going in with a strong relationship, and will be there 100 per cent for each other through the journey — we never disrespect each other, and remember our relationship is the most important thing. We are sure we will come out with the same wonderfully strong relationship.

Did your life experience help you bring something to the competition that others lacked?

Mark: Our life experience means we knew how to plan and work with a team of builders. Creating a good team who support you is so important when you work under this much pressure. We knew how to work together and take up certain roles to complement each other. Mitch’s natural eye for design will

set us apart from the others. Age equating to more life experience will be an advantage, and we will surprise the younger contestants by holding our own physically.

Can we expect to see any hissy fits this season (yours or others)?

Mitch & Mark: Hell yes … plenty of battles and frustrations within couples, between couples and not even Keith, Dan or Scotty will be safe. The houses are so big, and so we won’t have much time to rest, which will lead to frustrations.

What are you looking forward to most about being on The Block?

Mitch & Mark: We’re looking forward to working hard and giving it our all. We didn’t expect to get on The Block, so we’re looking forward to it becoming a reality. We have renovating experience, but nothing on this scale so we’re looking forward to finding out which house we get and start the planning and work.

9now.com.au/the-block

RECIPE

Mushrooms, celeriac, egg yolk, truffle pecorino

GARLIC BUTTER

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fresh tarragon , finely chopped

• 1 lemon, zested

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 200g butter, softened

In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, all herbs, zest, salt and pepper and combine with a spatula. Roll out a sheet of cling film and roll the softened butter into a sausage shape. Leave in the fridge to set.

CELERIAC PURÉE

• 1 whole celeriac, peeled and cut into thumbnail sized pieces

• 500ml milk

• 120ml pouring cream

• salt and pepper to taste

• lemon juice

Place the diced celeriac into a heavy based pan, pour over the milk to cover: use water if you need to top up. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until the celeriac is soft. Drain the celeriac of all the milk and pour back into the pan with the cream, bringing back up to the boil. Then remove from the heat. Use a blender/ food processor to blend the celeriac and cream until super smooth and glossy. Add salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.

MUSHROOM MIX

(The secret is to slice the mushrooms nice and thick so they absorb all the garlic butter when being sautéed)

• 100g Australian shiitakes, stalks removed, sliced into quarters

• 100g Swiss browns, sliced into halves

• 100g oysters, sliced into halves

• 100g king browns, sliced into large disks

• 50ml canola oil

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

• 1 lemon

In a large frying pan, fry the mushrooms in canola oil in batches until caramelised. When all the mushrooms are golden and nicely cooked, add a couple of discs of the chilled garlic butter into the pan, allow to melt and start to bubble with the mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste and little squeeze of half a lemon. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley and you're ready to serve.

TO SERVE

• 100g truffle pecorino (parmesan will do)

• 4 large eggs at room temperature

• A few rocket leaves

Warm up the celeriac purée and spoon a heaped tablespoon in the centre of a hot plate. With the back of your spoon create a little well, separate the egg yolk from the egg white and gently place the egg yolk into the celeriac well. When the mushrooms are sautéed, seasoned and piping hot, scatter them around the celeriac and egg yolk. Place a few rocket leaves over the mushrooms, grate over the pecorino and serve. Make sure you stir all the ingredients together on the plate to finish the dish.

PHOTO: STEVEN WOODBURN

READY TO ROLL

HAVING A SICILIAN FATHER WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE AN EXCELLENT COOK MEANS I’VE BEEN EATING CANNOLI (WITH COFFEE) SINCE I WAS DEXTROUS ENOUGH TO HOLD ONE. THIS MAKES ME AN EXPERT, OBVIOUSLY. Hence, I’ve grown up judging everyone else’s versions of this classic Italian sweet. And, if I’m honest, probably a little too harshly. So when I saw the Essential Ingredient Cooking School was hosting a Dolce Italia cooking class on the top five Italian pastries, I thought it was high time to stop lecturing my dining companions on how cannoli should taste and learn how to make them myself, if only to give my lectures more gravitas.

So, here we are in Surry Hills. Ten or so eager pastry pupils awaiting instruction from Jeffrey Simonetta, or Chef Jeff, on how to actually make those golden, blistered tubes, along with their dough-based bedfellow crostoli, plus sfogliatelle, amaretti and

tiramisu. Jeff, also an ItalianAustralian, has grown up eating these treats, too, but unlike me, has the authority to talk about how they should be made.

Once we are aproned and ready to roll (out dough), Chef Jeff divides us into groups and sets us to work. With five sweets to master in a three-hour class, I despair we won’t get through it all. But Chef Jeff keeps us on track, peppering his clear instruction with lively banter and anecdotes as we feed dough through the pasta maker until it’s a three-metre-long, unwieldy gossamer ribbon.

While cannoli is where it’s at for me, Chef Jeff tells us that most people sign up to this class to unlock the secrets of the tightly layered sfogliatelle. This lardenriched dough is a labour-intensive undertaking, so it’s just as well there are 10 hands to help roll, stretch, and re-roll this semolina-filled delight. The result is a pipi shellshaped confection, all flaky and

delicate. We all coo over these little parcels as if they’re newborns when they finally emerge snug and golden from the ovens.

Next, cannoli. Jovial Jeff gets us shaping the dough around metal tubes before gently lowering them into the hot oil to colour and crisp. Our laughs and general merriment at learning such a beautiful skill attracts Saturday shoppers, who pop their heads over shelves and peer through the glass wall that separates the students from the beautiful store full of gourmet produce and wonderful cooking implements. No doubt they covet our sugar-dusted delights, but only we will be leaving with a boxful of dolci. Are the cannoli like my Dad’s? No. Are they good? Yes. Let’s not get into which is better and just enjoy their shattering crunch and creamy ricotta filling.

When the hard work is done, lunch is served with a glass of vino and we congratulate ourselves on our newly forged pastry talents. Chef Jeff tells us of his Essentially Italian class with its focus on rustic savoury Italian dishes, such as homemade pasta. I’d better get along, because I’m a bit of an expert, you know?

The Essential Ingredient Cooking School in Surry Hills runs classes weekly, such as Italian pastry, food styling and photography, sausage making and more. Visit essentialingredient.com.au

Lara Picone decides it’s time to put her money where her (Italian) mouth is and master the art of making cannoli

PHOTO: CAUE ZANELLA

Enter your garden for the chance to win a great prize.

We’re looking for the best:

• Community or school garden

• Sustainable garden

• Small garden

• Large garden

• Overall garden

Lodge your free entry before 13 September 2019.

For more information or to enter visit: woollahra.nsw.gov.au/gardenawards

Subscribe, snap and win

Win a Sydney Seaplanes flight and take in our beautiful local area from the sky!

To enter:

• Subscribe to Woollahra Council’s new monthly e-newsletter

• Share a photo showing what you love about Woollahra.

places we swim MAHON POOL

MAROUBRA

Brisk winter weather offers ideal saltwater hydrotherapy, writes Caroline Clements.

FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE WATER, THERE IS TRULY NO BETTER CITY TO LIVE THAN SYDNEY. For people who love AFL, the same cannot be said.

We are originally from Melbourne, and throughout winter (footy season) the gentle sound of the match siren calls us. We have the quiet rumblings of commentary on while driving, and we’re watching games even if our beloved Cats are not playing (i.e. winning). We often spend Friday nights searching for a pub that will play an AFL match (the sound on is a very rare bonus).

During the winter months, our increased AFL viewing means we

are admittedly less dedicated to our search for new waterholes, despite it being arguably the best time to swim in Sydney: the tourists have left and locals get the beaches and pools all to ourselves.

When we arrive at Mahon Pool in Maroubra on a perfect sunny, windless Sunday morning, a good sprinkling of swimmers are there in the brisk, unheated water. There are older men doing laps, young kids who don’t feel the cold and a single lady floating around in a colourful swimsuit and cap. And there are the Sydney Swans, completing a recovery session after a big win against the Gold Coast Suns at the

SCG the previous afternoon.

Water plays a big role in recovery for mobility and loosening up the muscles. Water — both warm and cold — remains one of the best treatments available to footy players. Some have been known to take an ice bath hours before the game to freshen up. An ocean pool in winter is certainly a good choice for a cold saltwater session.

Mahon Pool is positioned on the north end of Maroubra Beach, at the base of Jack Vanny Reserve. You can’t see this one from the road because, like many ocean pools along this coast, it’s built into the reef below. Waves crash over the

outer rock shelf but rarely spill into the pool itself. It’s very protected here and also rather shallow (hence no diving). That said, small fish do still make their way in, and you can chase them round the uneven bottom while you do your 33-metre laps.

Whether you’re chasing waves, a cold plunge, or just a sighting of a footy player off the field, Mahon Point is the right kind of hydrotherapy for us.

15R Marine Parade, Maroubra

Dillon Seitchik-Reardon and Caroline Clements are Places We Swim. Follow them @placesweswim Buy the book placesweswim.com

nearby

POOL CAFE

94 MARINE PARADE, MAROUBRA

Right on the corner of Marine Parade and The Corso, just up on the main road from the pool is Pool Cafe. On Sundays this place is humming with patrons, so choose your timing. They do have one of the best locations in the area, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

THE LION AND BUFFALO

203 MALABAR ROAD, SOUTH COOGEE

You might need to get back in the car to get to the Lion and Buffalo as it’s a few blocks from the water and back in South Coogee. But coffee here is by Single O and bread is Iggy’s. Food is refined and nourishing with a seasonal approach. A good one for lunch.

BAKEHOUSE SOUTH COOGEE

140-144 MALABAR ROAD, SOUTH COOGEE

A small, corner bakery back on Malabar Road. They bake everything on site daily, from the cinnamon scrolls and croissants to the pies and loaves of bread. Sit out the front in the sun with a coffee and a pastry doing the quiz on a Sunday after your swim. Heaven.

PHOTOS: DILLON SEITCHIK-REARDON

EM PI RE STATE OF MIND

brand?Whatdoesittaketomakea ElizabethMerymenttalentsasksthreeleadinglocal howtheycreatedtheirbusinesses

ICEBERGS

ICEBERGS DINING ROOM AND BAR MAESTRO

MAURICE TERZINI has weathered many storms since his now legendary restaurant opened in 2002.

“Icebergs has been a complete work in progress, forever changing, but with the original goal to be great,” Terzini says, adding that certainly some times have been better than others.

During its lifetime, the venue has won and lost big-name chefs, including Karen Martini, endured poor reviews (as well as stellar ones) and had thin periods as well as thick. For all that, it remains one of the seminal and most-loved venues in Sydney. The restaurant now is part of the Icebergs Group, a band of exceptional restaurants and hotels that range from The Dolphin and Hotel Harry, both in Surry Hills, to Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta and Bondi Beach Public Bar in Bondi.

Terzini says the achievement has been principally about serving the customer and always pursuing highend goals.

“For us our values have been ethics in business, wanting the customer to be king, being relevant in all aspects of today, be longterm and offer good manners,” he says. “It’s taken determination and [a sense of] never wanting to give up. It’s an Italian pride thing. We [embody] a love of sharing, serving, the arts, music and fashion … and most importantly us being Sydney.”

We’ll say cheers (and congratulations) to that.

“A love of sharing, serving, the arts, music and fashion … and most importantly us being Sydney”

NUDIE JEANS

FOR NUDIE JEANS BOSS

BRYCE ALTON, building the famed Swedish-born jeans label in Australia has been an ongoing pleasure and challenge since he opened the world’s first Nudie boutique on Paddington’s William Street 15 years ago.

“Opening that boutique gave us the opportunity to tell the brand’s story and that combined with passion is the driving force behind the business,” says Alton, who has kept the Paddington boutique open even as other retail outlets fled the suburb. “Telling that story is easy when you’re passionate about it.”

Nudie has become an industry leader in sustainable fashion, with the brand using organic cotton, paying fair wages for workers and offering a recycling program for old jeans, among a number of other ethical and environmental practices that put it ahead of the rag-trade pack.

There are now seven Nudie stores in Australia, 30 internationally, and the brand is sold through other retail stores including David Jones, and a large number of speciality fashion outlets.

“We have had slow and steady growth and never exploited that,” he says. “We have long-term relationships with our suppliers and our customers.”

Alton agrees that the Paddington store has had particular challenges, but says as a local himself, he is dedicated to keeping the space open.

“Paddington has been extremely turbulent since 2008 when consumers shifted to Westfield Bondi Junction,” he says. “Finally rents are starting to come down [in Paddington] but the area has really slowed down. But we feel it’s important to continue to support the area.”

“Telling that story is easy when you’re passionate about it.”

BLACK STAR PASTRY

CHRISTOPHER THÉ WAS A STRUGGLING PÂTISSIER with a young baby and another on the way when he opened his first Black Star Pastry 12 years ago.

“I remember when we opened it we were living off the baby bonus,” laughs Thé, whose pastry empire has now grown to include four venues across Sydney including the flagship location at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, and next month a new venue in Melbourne’s St Kilda.

“We had no money to start, but I honestly think that what we were doing, unbeknownst to us, was we were going about it the right way,” he says.

“You want to build something that you would go to yourself, and build a community around that. I know it’s sounds cliched but building a business is really about your local.

“The best thing that can happen is for people to say, ‘That’s my local shop’. Once they

have ownership of it, you have something. People really took to us, so it worked out.”

Thé’s is one of the great success stories of the Sydney hospitality industry. All those years after starting Black Star, he is now in the exit stage off the business, having sold his share of his empire to an investor, and having created some of Sydney’s most loved and recognisable desserts.

Black Star’s strawberry watermelon cake — featured on this month’s cover — has long been described as “Australia’s most instagrammed cake”.

Not that it has always been easy building Black Star.

“There have been months when I have lost $200,000 in a month,” Thé says candidly. “When you have to pay bills and pay staff, it becomes a bit like gambling. There is a line that you know you won’t cross. You have to take educated guesses about how far you can go.”

“The best thing that can happen is for people to say, ‘That’s my local shop’ ”

PHOTO: TRENT VAN DER JAGT

The projectLocal

What does it take to create a magazine? As Local East celebrates its first birthday, publisher Elizabeth Meryment recounts the months leading to its launch

IN THE AUTUMN OF 2018, EVERY NIGHT AFTER DINNER I SAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE CUTTING UP MAGAZINES. Two implements were on hand to assist – a Stanley knife and a ruler – plus a pile of magazines, mostly the sort that come free with newspapers, some of which I had worked at during the previous decade.

I was trying to figure out the perfect size for a magazine in today’s world. The ideal would be something that was neither too big and cumbersome, nor too small and insignificant. I was chopping up the magazines to try out various paper sizes — A5, A4, B5, B4, C5, C4, Berliner, tabloid and so on.

After destroying a lot of magazines and spending many cold nights in the company of shredded paper, it became obvious there was one standout choice: B5, a shape halfway between A4 (the size that typically goes into a home or office printer), and A5 (the shape

of many community magazines, such as The Beast). At 176mm wide by 250mm high, it was small enough to slide comfortably into a letterbox but big enough to look elegant and glossy.

I rang Murray, my contact at the printing press, to talk over the choice. “That would be a waste of money,” he immediately advised. “You should just go with A5. It works better on the presses.”

As had happened many times before, and after, on the road to creating Local East, his words left me deflated. Yet the decision had already been made, at least in my mind. Local would be a B5, the size of the magazine you are reading today.

The practicalities of creating a magazine from scratch were not something I had ever imagined needing to consider. For all the years of my unremarkable career as a newspaper journalist and writer, the thought of

creating a publication had never occurred to me. Why would it? The world was already full of magazines and newspapers, most of them slowly dying, strangled by free news and writing broadcast on the internet. I couldn’t — and still can’t — see a future for paid media outlets.

I myself had been made redundant in 2016 from News Corporation. Like so many journalists, I thought the chapter had closed on my time in the media. So instead of looking for another media job, I started making content for friends with small businesses who needed help.

People often ask what content is, incidentally. I think of it as the noise that has moved into the space that journalism used to occupy. It can mean anything from the photography that businesses create to hand out to media who can’t afford to make it themselves any more, to any piece of written material, from words on websites to promotional items such as brochures, custom magazines, e-newsletters and more. Our content business has grown into Local Creative, a busy agency we run alongside Local East that produces all these things and more.

But back in 2017, when setting out, two things quickly became clear.

The first was that although social media was a cheap and controllable source of promotion for businesses, it was not the golden bullet for which many businesspeople hoped. While businesses could slowly increase their follower counts and promote, promote, promote themselves on Instagram and Facebook, they were always talking to the same people, not new people. Opportunities for growth via social media were tedious and expensive.

The second was that very few, if any, businesses had a meaningful relationship with any media any longer. Journalists who still had jobs tended to be so overworked and frazzled (I can attest to that), that if you called them, you received no or minimal response. Even if you tried to advertise with media outlets, you would be hard pressed to reach the right person.

So content clients were begging for fresh ideas. I promised to think about it.

About this time, I spent holidays in Queensland, where I found a proliferation of local newspapers and magazines. On the Gold Coast I picked up three or four different local publications, in Brisbane another couple and in Noosa alone there were maybe four or five. To be honest I found them by and large poorly designed and tacky. Most had abandoned any pretence of objectivity, and were collections of local ads printed on quality paper.

But they were universally full of ads.

When I returned from holidays, I called graphicdesigner colleague Trevor Timms and asked if he would

consider designing a local magazine. I didn’t have a name or much of a concept, but I figured if others could do it, so could we. The brief was Gourmet Traveller meets Belle

A few weeks later he returned with a collection of designs for the magazine that were frankly stunning. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the pages were. I printed them out, we worked on them some more, and I spent more nights at the table slicing and cutting them to shape and size.

Then I began presenting the concept, now called Local, to business contacts and colleagues. Suddenly people became interested in buying ads in the magazine. Big businesses and small committed to supporting the project. I commissioned journalism and photography for the first edition, slowly filled the ad pages and had a crash, on-the-job course in balancing the books and dealing with practicalities including finding enough people to distribute the copies. In late July 2018, we went to press with our first edition, which was delivered to 50,000 homes, cafes and shops in the Eastern Suburbs on August 1, 2018.

The first day the magazine went out my inbox exploded. That day I had about 800 emails, and another 700 or so in the following days, from journalists, friends, media, publicists, advertisers and residents who were receiving the magazine. I was absolutely overcome, sick with nerves about the magazine’s reception. After about a week of broken sleeps I was finally confident enough to feel Local East – as it had come to be called, after legal advice – was well received, especially by readers.

The road since then has been both challenging and exciting. The media landscape is relentlessly difficult. Selling ads can be hard. Delivering large quantities of magazines is tricky and expensive. Making sure that every word printed in the magazine is spot on is not easy. Hitting the mark with readers can be tough.

But at the same time we have managed to have great highs, create a lovely product, work with wonderful artists, form great friendships, learn an extraordinary amount and create a new little brand.

And we have been amazed by the support we have received from both the public and business. We are especially grateful for the support of our incredible advertisers, big and small. And we have expanded, now publishing Local North across the bridge.

Trevor is now Local ’s art director and our team includes journalists of national standing. Then there are our advertising reps, our contributing writers, photographers, printers and distributors, all of whom help piece together the jigsaw puzzle that is creating a monthly magazine.

Thank you for reading Local East and supporting our endeavours.

Walking meditation

IF YOU SEE A FRIENDLY FACE DOWN IN BONDI at the beginning of each month carrying copies of Local East, it’s more than likely to be Jennifer Pas.

Jen found a copy of the magazine in her local cafe one day last year and noticed our advertisement looking for delivery staff. She got in touch and the next month started delivering Local East around the streets of Bondi. Each month Jen delivers 7000 copies of the magazine into her zone in the beachside suburb, which stretches from Ben Buckler to Francis Street. She has favourite streets, favourite letterboxes, and is now a well-known face among the cafe owners and shop assistants from Gould Street to Hall Street.

In her day job, Jen is a highly regarded human resources management consultant and has run her own successful consultancy business for 20 years. She contracts mostly to a range of government organisations, large and small.

Delivering Local East offers her an opportunity to meet new people, fit in some exercise and get paid for doing a different kind of work.

“You can’t sit in an office all day doing interviews,” Jen says. “I was looking for something else to fit into my life and this works. It fits into the first week of the month and I get a lot of exercise and get to talk to a lot of people.”

Jen, who often delivers the magazine with the help of her husband and son, says she loves being the face of Local East, introducing the magazine to new people and chatting to familiar faces.

Jen is one of a large number of delivery staff who work for Local East, including our other key regulars David, Tom, Phil, Molly, Evie, Leah and Tony, who has a number of his own staff who look after the bayside suburbs from Double Bay to Watsons Bay.

So when you get your copy of Local East in your cafe or letterbox, you now know who put it there. To join the delivery team, email us at letters@ localpublishingco.com.au

WIN A STAYCATION

With thanks to West Hotel, Australia’s first Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, we are giving away a Sydney getaway at one of Sydney's brightest new hotel destinations. West Hotel features a stunning Barangaroo-side location and the beautiful Solander Dining and Bar, overseen by executive chef David Vandenabeele.

THE PRIZE INCLUDES

• One night’s accommodation in a Waratah Room, for two

• A three-course dinner and bottle of wine at Solander Dining and Bar, for two

• Complimentary mini bar

• Breakfast Bar at Solander Dining and Bar, for two

To enter, simply email us at letters@localpublishingco.com.au. Tell us anything you like about our neighbourhood, our magazine, or why you deserve to win the staycation. The winner will be announced in the September issue. westhotel.com.au

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Subject to availability. Black-out dates apply. Not

THE EVEREST The hunt for Red October

It’s only in its third year but The Everest is already a household name. Neil Breen looks at the race that captivates a nation, the $15 million horse that could win it again and why the buzz is already building for October

“It’s already got a household name —

The Everest ...

It’s quite extraordinary that it has done that in two years”

ITCAN TAKE GENERATIONS TO BUILD A BRAND. IT USUALLY DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. BUT ASK ANYONE “WHAT’S THE EVEREST?” AND NEARLY EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU IT’S A HORSE RACE.

It’s a horse race that has run only twice, yet already it is one of the biggest sporting events on the national sporting calendar.

If the Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation, The Everest is the race that captivates a nation.

“It’s already got a household name — The Everest,” says racehorse syndicator Michael Ward. “It’s quite extraordinary that it has done that in two years.

“I can’t think of another example where a race, or sporting event, has established itself like this in such a short period of time.”

He’s 100 per cent correct — there is nothing like it. Even the first NFL Superbowl in 1967 wasn’t a sellout. Sporting events grow in significance. But not The Everest: it was big from day dot. The question is why?

The explanation is that that it’s a timely (and winning) combination of two factors.

First, racing is a sport dominated by history and tradition, but The Everest has attracted a new generation

of fans from the information-rich digital age who can handle — and in fact, demand — things thick and fast, new and exciting.

Secondly, Sydney was crying out for a massive horse race at Randwick in the sweet spring weather.

For more than a century, a “gentleman’s agreement” between Victoria and New South Wales governed racing in Australia.

New South Wales would run its big races including the Golden Slipper, the Doncaster Handicap and the Derby in the autumn, and Victoria would run the likes of the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup in spring.

This agreement gave a distinct advantage to Melbourne. Their major races are run in October and early November in a five- to six-week block that fits neatly in the sporting sweet spot between the end of the football season and the proper start to the cricket season.

As the weather heated up, racing had a clear shot at the sporting calendar with no real rivals. This generated enormous publicity and interest. It also meant there was no competition for the sporting dollar.

In Sydney, the race clubs were staging their big races at Easter in direct competition with the start of the

football season. That’s a nightmare, with competition for attention and the dollar at its heaviest.

RACING NSW CHIEF EXECUTIVE PETER V’LANDYS IS A TRAILBLAZER.

He launched a successful court case against corporate bookmakers, who were ordered to pay royalties to racing. He also lobbied the state government heavily for a fairer tax deal. He won big both times and established an enormous war chest for his sport.

V’landys immediately raised prize-money levels for racing across the state and revolutionised the way the sport was run.

But it wasn’t enough. V’landys wanted more. He wanted to win and he wanted to win convincingly.

V'landys — always an ideas man — then set out to execute the biggest idea in racing in more than 100 years: a new race where individuals or companies pay big cash for “slots” in the race and negotiate with the owners of the best horses to run for them.

The race would be run at the sprint distance of 1200 metres at Royal Randwick on Caulfield Guineas or Caulfield Cup day. In Victoria this was considered a sacrilegious move.

The “slots” were sold for $600,000 each in the

12-horse field and they went like hotcakes. The wealthy bought the slots, and the owners of fast horses shared in the enormous rewards.

The race had prize money of $10 million in its first year, and $13 million in 2018, and again this year.

It dwarfed the $6.25 million on offer in the Melbourne Cup.

Randwick was full to overflowing both years. Record amounts were bet. The hype was off the charts.

V’landys and racing itself had an instant hit on their hands and the sport’s long-held conventions were thrown out the window.

MICHAEL WARD AND HIS BROTHER CHRIS ARE AMONG THE BEST-KNOWN AND MOST SUCCESSFUL HORSE SYNDICATORS IN AUSTRALIA.

Their company, Triple Crown, purchases dozens of yearlings and sells them in small shares to the everyday person. The horses are trained by noted horsemen Peter Snowden and his son Paul at Randwick.

At the Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast in 2014, they spent $120,000 on a colt by the champion sire Snitzel out of a well-performed mare by the name of Millrich.

PHOTO: PAUL M c MILLAN

That sounds like a lot of money, but for a Snitzel colt it wasn’t over the top: Snitzel was making his mark as the next big thing in breeding and the Wards bought a few yearlings by him in the belief they would run.

That colt they bought could sure run. They named him Redzel and a ragtag bunch of people bought shares, including a police officer, a teacher and a plumber.

Redzel began winning big races and was soughtafter by slot holders for the first Everest in 2017.

Bloodstock expert James Harron purchased a slot and, without a horse good enough to run himself, negotiated with the Wards for Redzel to run.

Redzel ran and won, with $6 million in prize money there to be shared by the plumber, the copper, the teacher and Harron.

The next year, Yuesheng Zhang, a billionaire Chinese businessman with a passion for racing, snapped up Redzel to run in his slot. Redzel won again, and his owners shared $7 million this time with the billionaire from China who loves racing so much he spends millions on horses and breeding in Australia every year.

“The Everest brings racing to the masses,” says Michael Ward. “Every man or woman out there can participate and make it to the top ... The spring is

a great time of year in racing. There is a great window of opportunity. The Everest capitalised on it. It’s captured the imagination, it’s encouraged people to get into racing.”

Redzel has now won $15,560,000 in prize money — $13 million from one race alone. Zhang will again run Redzel in this year’s Everest.

“The race propelled him to be the second-highest money winner in history [behind Winx],” Ward says. This year’s instalment in The Everest story will be even bigger than the first two.

The $600,000 slots bought two years ago have been on-sold by some who purchased them for amounts of more than $800,000. So popular is the race that people who bought slots have made more than 30 per cent on their money for nothing.

The Victorian Racing Club, which stages the Melbourne Cup at its Flemington base, remains howling mad about the interruption to tradition. Its chairperson, Amanda Elliott, got personal about the changes this year, labelling V’landys a “silly little man with silly little ideas”.

It was a low blow and it backfired. Counter to the VRC’s stance, the Melbourne Racing Club, which stages the Caulfield Guineas and Caulfield Cup at Caulfield, has

“It’s captured the imagination, it’s encouraged people to get into racing’’

this year embraced The Everest. The race is their direct competitor, but they partnered with the Australian Turf Club to run a horse in The Everest in the ATC’s slot.

So, this year, on Caulfield Cup Day, the MRC will hold their biggest meeting of the year and run a horse at Randwick in the rival Everest meeting. Astonishing stuff.

The MRC will enter the winner of the Schillaci Stakes in the race. It is a brilliant piece of cross promotion, and racing will dominate the sporting landscape up and down the Eastern seaboard.

That was V’landys’ vision all along — to get a piece of the action when the sport of kings is at its most visible.

The Everest, Royal Randwick, Saturday, October 19. First-release tickets available now from $33 theeverest.com.au

PHOTOS: FELIPE NEVES, PAUL M c MILLAN, OSCAR COLMAN

tigga_natoli

Sydney, New South Wales

Luxelife FINDERS, KEEPERS

This convict-era beauty at Macquarie Lighthouse, Vaucluse is a true one-in-a-million PAGE 36

IT WAS GOVERNOR MACQUARIE WHO FIRST IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR A LIGHTHOUSE AT THE FAR END OF SOUTH HEAD and asked English architect turned convict Francis Greenway to design a structure at Vaucluse. More than two centuries later, one of the lighthouse keeper’s cottages at that same location is for sale, a slice of maritime history in an unrivalled location.

The lighthouse is no longer the original, but a close replica constructed between 1881-1883 on account of wear and tear.

Colonial NSW architect James Barnet rebuilt the lighthouse and added two keeper’s residences — the Head Keeper’s Cottage to the south of the lighthouse and a second building known as the Assistant Keeper’s Quarters, which is now for sale, and known generally as The Keeper's Cottage.

“What we have for sale is a fantastic pice of maritime history,” says selling agent Robert Alfeldi of CBRE Residential. “It is so unique. You just won’t find another property like it.”

The “quarters” are in fact a four-bedroom Victorian sandstone residence on 2600 squaremetres of fenced grounds with unparalleled ocean views. The property, being marketed at $8.5 million, was fully renovated in the 1990s to link what was originally two semi-detached dwellings and interiors strike a balance between history and modernity courtesy of a CaesarStone kitchen,

Smeg appliances and beautiful finishes. Further major works were completed in 2008 by leading heritage architect firm Lucas Stapleton Johnson & Partners (now LSJ Heritage Planning and Architecture), including the addition of a new breakfast pavilion in the rear walled garden.

It is on a 125-year leasehold, with 100 years still remaining on the holding.

Mr Alfeldi says a global hunt is on for the right buyer for the property, although it is just as likely that a local family will desire the home. “We want to expose the property to the world but it’s more than likely it will be a local buyer,” he says.

“It is on 2600 square metres of oceanfront land, has expansive lawns, is a four-bedroom Victorian homestead and is very private. There are no neighbours and it is genuine piece of history. And it is in Vaucluse. We feel the price for it is not ambitious.”

As well as four bedrooms, there are two bathrooms, working stables, an aviary and room for six cars. The property also retains bountiful period features including fireplaces, convict-hewn sandstone walls and there is an original lighthouse globe. It will be offered through private treaty.

THE KEEPER'S COTTAGE

181 Old South Head Rd, Vaucluse Contact: Robert Alfeldi, CBRE Residential

0418 982 688

HOUSE OF THE MONTH

marketplace august

The Sydney housing market is poised to gently rebound this spring, especially in the luxury market, says a leading property expert

BUYERS ARE RETURNING TO THE HOUSING MARKET

with newfound confidence following the past year’s debilitating property slump, says CBRE Residential director Caroline Fagerlund.

Stability following the reelection of the Coalition Federal Government, along with the Reserve Bank slashing interest rates to their lowest ever levels, has seen the property market downturn slow down and the return of buyer morale.

“We’re seeing a pickup in enquiries and starting to have more serious conversations with buyers,” says Fagerlund. “Those who have been sitting on their hands for the past six months are now feeling more confident to step into the property market and make a decision.”

Re-engaging with buyers is proof the market has seen the end of its sustained slump, especially in higher-priced areas, according to Fagerlund.

“It’s the best market we’ve seen since the beginning of the year,” she says. “There has been such a lack of stock on the market, but now it’s starting to gain momentum.”

Fagerlund attributes the previous crisis of confidence to the continuous conveyer belt of negative media.

“The reality is, the fundamentals of the market have always been quite steady, but the press has scared buyers,” she says.

Charlie Hale

Clontarf

Clontarf

7 Gordon Street

7 Gordon Street

7 Bed | 7 Bath | 8 Car

7 Bed | 7 Bath | 8 Car

Price on Request

Price on Request

View by appointment

View by appointment

For Sale

For Sale

cunninghamsre.com.au

cunninghamsre.com.au

James Haywood 0402 897 660

James Haywood 0402 897 660

Anita Wildash 0411 147 796

Anita Wildash 0411 147 796

Andrew Lutze 0412 568 058

Andrew Lutze 0412 568 058

FIND. One of Sydney’s finest and most private harbourside homes, resting on 2319sqm of remarkable estate-like grounds.

FIND. One of Sydney’s finest and most private harbourside homes, resting on 2319sqm of remarkable estate-like grounds.

LOVE. Spectacular indoor/outdoor entertaining with Middle Harbour views, infinity pool, billiards and media rooms, lavish state-of-the-art appointments.

LOVE. Spectacular indoor/outdoor entertaining with Middle Harbour views, infinity pool, billiards and media rooms, lavish state-of-the-art appointments.

LIVE. This exclusive and protected setting is footsteps from Clontarf Beach and a short drive to the city or Manly.

LIVE. This exclusive and protected setting is footsteps from Clontarf Beach and a short drive to the city or Manly.

future living

A STAR PERFORMER

A exclusive development in Rose Bay will offer an unparalleled level of apartment luxury

Inspired by charming Rose Bay and its exclusive surrounds, no detail has been overlooked in the design of the landmark development, The Stella. Bespoke interior detailing in each of the 12 spacious residences and an elegant palette offer an unsurpassed level of luxury living.

All 12 expansive apartments offer a seamless transition between the open-plan living and outdoor areas. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the leafy outlook and the fairways of neighbouring Royal Sydney Golf Club.

The development includes a rare offering of three security sideby-side car spaces for the larger apartments and large wraparound balconies for entertaining.

There is an effortless sense of opulence to this development with bespoke Italian finishes throughout. European oak timber flooring and

thoughtful attention to detail typify the finesse on offer and create an immediate sense of home in each residence.

At the heart of The Stella is the commitment to high-quality, timeless design. The Windesea Group has carefully assembled an award-winning team of architects, designers and engineers to bring the project to life and ensure The Stella contributes to the Rose Bay streetscape and community.

Selling agent Peter Anderson of Christie’s International says the apartments offer a rare opportunity for buyers to purchase a level living space. Each apartment, which has its own unique layout and design, has lift access from the basement carpark, and each residence is contained on a single floor.

Mr Anderson says the apartments were ideal for couples looking to downsize from large trophy homes into graceful apartment-style living.

The apartments are priced from $2.8 million for a two-bedroom apartment. Other residences

comprise three- and four-bedroom spaces and already one buyer has purchased two residences and joined them together to make one large, opulent property.

The residences also offer maximise opportunity for outside living, with each apartment featuring large verandas for entertaining. There is also one ground-level residence with garden.

Mr Anderson says interest in The Stella, which is set for completion by mid- to late-2020, has been strong.

“The market for this kind of property is always steady because people are coming from bigger properties and scaling down,” he says. “These are apartments for people who have made it in life. They want to step away from the big house, put the car downstairs and enjoy their life.”

THE STELLA

58-60 Newcastle St, Rose Bay

Contact: Peter Anderson

Christie's International 0412 281 133

Editorial partnership

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Bland bathrooms begone. The simplest updates — think coloured storage and bold bathmats — can transform this most functional space into a stylish sanctuary

ALEXIA BIGGS INTERIOR STYLIST

Adairs Rah Rah slippers in Dusty Pink

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Sage X Claire Nudie Rudie bathmat in Terra $79, sageandclaire.com

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Normann Copenhagen Ballo toilet brush in black

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interior life

CAROLINE CHOKER & VINCE ALAFACI

ACME & CO

This interior design/architect duo is behind some of Sydney’s most beautiful spaces, including Fred’s, The Grounds and Babetta. Their latest project is Potts Point coworking space, Example House

How do you describe your design aesthetic?

Our approach is a continually evolving process that responds to a detailed analysis of the environment, site and the client's brief.

When did you decide to open your design studio, and what were the key aims of starting your own practice?

Our practice formed organically in 2013 from an interior/architecture project collaboration. The vision

was to create holistic design solutions resulting in patrons being immersed in sensory experiences.

What has been your favourite venue to design, and why?

We find it impossible to label any particular project as a favourite. Each of our projects has been a fundamental part of the Acme DNA, although the most celebrated projects to date are The Grounds of Alexandria and The City, Archie Rose Distilling Co., Merivale's Fred’s and Charlie Parker’s ,and Barbetta.

How did you come up with the name, Acme?

As Acme is a collaboration between our design studio and clients, we thought of an acronym that best surmises this. So, Acme comes from our surnames, Alafaci and Choker, and then landing on the ME to represent the client. Acme is defined as the point at which someone or something is best, perfect or most successful.

You are currently working on an Example House, a new coworking space for hospitality creatives by the Example brandexperience studio. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Example House transforms an existing industrial space into a

creative hub. Analysis of Example’s identity, culture and process has delivered an innovative platform where the program has been blurred into social, creative, work and entertainment zones. The result is a dynamic environment which departs from the traditional workspace … and places it within the realm of the hospitality industry.

How do you factor sustainability into your projects?

Sustainability is a fundamental pillar of our practice. It is imperative as designers that we create spaces that respond to a site, respect and protect its place, create occupant comfort, and overall have longevity to reduce the impact on our environment.

Tell us one thing that has inspired you lately?

Travel! Our recent European trip was filled with great friends, food, drink, sun, beaches, culture, music, art and life.

What are some designs themes that you have spotted recently? Relaxed luxe, paired-back sophistication combining a warm, natural tonal palette.

acme-co.com.au

As told to Emma-Kate Wilson

GROUND RULES

One-time New Yorker Jillian Dinkel looks to floor coverings for warming up cold Sydney homes

WINTER IS WELL AND TRULY UPON US, AND I HAVE

A CONFESSION TO MAKE: despite all my years living through New York’s snow seasons, I’ve never been colder than my very first Australian winter. I spent the better part of our brief winter months in cashmere layers, cradling my hot water bottle and the gas heater turned on full blast. Australian homes are just not equipped for the blissfully few months of cold we must endure between sunny beach days.

There are myriad solutions for battling the cold in our homes, and with varying degrees of permanency. But the quickest and perhaps most aesthetically pleasing way is to adorn your bare floors with rugs. A quality woollen rug serves as an insulating layer between bare feet and chilly floorboards or tiles and can be used in every room of the house.

Aside from choosing a rug that works beautifully within your home’s decor, I always recommend considering these three key factors when selecting the right piece for your space.

Scale

A rug should ground a zone of your room, whether that be your lounge-room furniture or your dining table and chairs. I prefer rugs that are large enough for furniture to sit on the perimeter of the rug at a minimum. High-end designer showrooms will often allow clients to purchase rugs “on approval”, meaning you can bring the rugs home and try them in your space before fully committing.

Materiality

Beware those large-scale rugs at rock bottom prices: they are made of cheap synthetic materials that are harder to clean, wear faster and are terrible for our environment. I always recommend wool and silk rugs for their longevity and natural beauty. Vintage rugs are uniquely beautiful and an eco-friendly choice.

Use and maintenance

Make sure you are aware of the care instructions of the rug you’ve chosen before purchasing High-traffic areas and homes with children and pets are better served by more durable fibres. Formal lounge rooms, studies and bedrooms can often suit more delicate constructions. Ensure you’ve requested care instructions for your new rug, as methods of cleaning up spills will vary greatly from rug to rug. Most rugs will need to be professionally cleaned at regular intervals.

MY GUIDE TO RUG SHOPPING

Armadillo & Co

Beautiful quality rugs with a focus on philanthropy and fair work practices.

ARMADILLO-CO.COM

Tigmi Trading

One-of-a-kind vintage rugs sourced direct from Morocco and displayed in beautiful Byron Bay.

TIGMITRADING.COM

Halcyon Lake

An endless assortment of rugs of every kind and make. I spent hours in their Melbourne showroom and only saw a fraction of their offering.

HALCYONLAKE.COM

Designer Rugs

This high-end showroom offers customisation on a wide range of their rugs. It’s the perfect place to set your creativity free and create a unique piece.

DESIGNERRUGS.COM.AU

Jillian Dinkel is The Terrace House Designer, jilliandinkel.com

PHOTOS: PABLO VEIGA

INVESTMENT PIECE

The transformation of a heritage former Paddington bank branch into a boutique hotel is part of the neighbourhood’s revitalisation, writes Lara Picone

PADDINGTON’S OXFORD STREET HAS BEEN THROUGH A BIT OF AN AWKWARD PHASE IN RECENT YEARS. Fifteen years ago, on any given day, it was the place to be seen for an amble through the boutiques, a coffee catch-up, and come evening, debuting new outfits at the many gastro pubs and restaurants.

For a time, though, there were more For Lease signs in empty shopfronts than there were amblers of any sort. Then the signs came down and designer flagships were replaced by an odd jumble of cheap clothing stores and nail salons, mixed uncomfortably among the faithful stayers of the street’s halcyon days.

Slowly this stretch of road has begun to find itself again. Some great restaurants, some reinvigoration of the old, and a rethinking of the new have made 2021’s stretch of Oxford Street a destination once more.

Case in point: Mrs Banks Hotel, housed in a 1914 heritage bank building that, until 2013, still operated as the Commonwealth Bank’s Paddington branch. This elegant boutique hotel is proof that people have a reason to come back, and linger. Sure, it’s handy for football- and cricket-loving out-of-towners, but there’s more than enough going on in Paddo’s high street to justify tacking an extra

night onto your stay. In fact, the hotel is often full of Sydneysiders, from nearby or the Northside here for a night of Paddington dining at Fred’s or 10 William Street and not wanting to bother with the Uber home.

We check into the hotel on a wintry night, and the bright welcome from the front desk is as warming as the stylish lobby, where a soaring gold, pressed metal ceiling presides over cool blue-grey hues with brass accents and luxe touches. While not exactly a destination in itself, rather more of a refined city

crash pad, everything to ensure Mrs Banks fulfils the best version of that brief is present and accounted for. A relaxed 11am check-out (always appreciated); a complimentary light breakfast served to one side of the yawning lobby (much obliged); a 24-hour front desk (ever helpful), and in-room pod coffee on the house (perfect for those lazy lie-ins).

Although on the petit side, rooms are perfectly kitted out to provide a sleek home base from which to explore Paddington and beyond. The lobby’s soothing tones are repeated with handsome soft furnishings and artwork you’d actually want to hang in your home. It all comes together with a betterthan-your-own-bedroom vibe. Apart from spending your mornings languishing in the large, inviting bed, you’re not going to spend an inordinate amount of time here, but when you are in residence, a rainshower, lovely Molton Brown toiletries and considerate details make it a place to which you’ll return contentedly.

Back on the street, every licensed establishment is splitting at the seams with overcoated, red-and-white-scarfed fans preloading before heading downhill for the Swans game at the SCG. The atmosphere is full of buzz and brio; it seems the amblers have returned to Oxford Street once more.

rituals august RECYCLING

“What’s going on here?” I asked the family as I eyed off the giant plastic bag half full of bottles.

Daughter, 12: “You can get 10 cents a bottle for them, Dad.”

Me: “I know that, but it's not happening, lovey.”

Daughter: “But there’s a collection station in the car park at Bondi Junction.”

This was news to me. It was also bad news to me.

I said: “Yes, well I know what’s going to happen. More and more bags will appear filled with more and more bottles and I know who’ll be carting them off to BJ. Me. Why would I want to be doing that when there’s a perfectly good bin with a yellow lid out the front which takes those bottles and is emptied every Monday morning?”

Daughter: “Because I can get 10 cents a bottle.”

Fast forward three weeks, and there were four bags filled to overflowing, stuffed with two-litre plastic milk bottles, wine bottles, juice bottles, empty jam jars, salmon tins ... you name it, they were in there. All the recyclable refuse you’d expect from a family of five with a dog.

Meanwhile, the yellowtopped bin was getting lonely with just a few old newspapers and a Wentworth Courier still in its plastic.

It was a Sunday afternoon and I said to the three kids: “Right, that’s it. We’re carting that crap to BJ. I knew it would fall back on me.”

So off we schlepped and did countless laps of the carpark area, stuck behind slow drivers waiting for even slower drivers to back out of car spaces.

Finally we spotted it: the NSW Government’s elusive Return and Earn machine.

We get out and sort the glass bottles from the plastic bottles for the two different machines.

First setback: the glass-bottle machine doesn't take wine bottles.

Second setback: It hardly takes any bottles. From our bootful, it took one bottle — a small mineralwater bottle — for which it spat out to us a 10-cent Woolworths voucher. The other bottles were stuffed back into the boot.

Third setback: the plastic and

William,what,foryou,equals perfectioninapizza? IthastobeaNeopolitan-stylepizza whichoriginatedinNaplesandis madeusingthenaturalsourdough process,aswedoatFratelliFresh. Ialwaysjudgeapizzabyitscrust: thecrustneverlies.Ittellsifthe fermentation,tocreatesourdough, hasbeendoneproperly.AtFratelli ourfermentationtakes36to48 hours,whichcreatesaverylight base.Thewaterweaddtothe doughisbetween20°Cand25°C intemperature,neverhigher,as wewantthefermentationtogo slowly,whichhelpscreatethosebig bubblesinthecrust.Awell-made, Napolipizzashouldbeverylight andthinwithaverybig,outercrust thathasathinlayerofcrispnesstoit andacushiony,chewyinterior.My preferredtoppingisSanMarzano tomatosauce,buffalomozzarella, freshbasilandextravirginoliveoil. ThecombinationofaNeopolitanstylebaseandmargheritatoppings arethecomponentsofaperfect pizza.Butcreatingtheperfectpizza istheHolyGrailformostpizzaioli: we’realwaysstrivingtobebetter.

Doesthesortofflouryouuse makeadifference? AtFratelliFreshweuse00flour becauseitcontainscarbohydrates andsugar,whichfeedthenatural yeastduringthefermentation process.Wehaveafermented starter,whichweusealittleofevery daytocreateourpizzadough.We refreshthestartermixturewithmore 00flourandwaterdailytokeepthe fermentationgoingandourstarter alive.00flourisanimportantpartof thisprocess. Wheredidyoulearnyourpizzamakingskills? I’vebeenmakingpizzasinceIwas a13-year-oldlivinginthetownof PortoSant’ElpidioincentralItaly. Iworkedforanold-schoolpizza chefontheweekendsandduring summerholidaysandhetaughtme hissecretsandtechniques.Wewere makingRoman-stylepizza. When leftculinaryschool,ImovedtoLondon where learntabout Neapolitan-stylepizza andthefermented sourdoughprocess.

Haveyouseenamarked improvementinpizzain Australiainthepastfewyears? Therehasbeenamassive improvementinSydney,especially inNeapolitan-stylepizza.Thereisso muchmorecompetitionnowthana fewyearsagoaseveryoneistrying tomakethebestpizza.Thisisgood forcustomersanditkeepsmeonmy toesas continuallytrytoimprove thepizzaexperienceforourguests. Isthereanysortofpizzayou reallycan’tstandandrefuse to make? IguessI’mapizzapurist. believe someingredientsarenotsupposed tobeusedonpizzas:barbecue sauce,pineapple,chicken.I’ve bannedthematFratelliFresh. fratellifresh.com.au

tin machine had an electronic sign on it which read “Sorry, we’re full. Come back another time”.

Full? You’re kidding, right? I don’t want to come back another time. It’s Sunday. That’s the day you do these things.

It also had a sign which said it didn’t take plastic milk bottles. Like, what the? What bottles does it actually take then?

So we stuffed it all back in the bags and shoved the bags back in the boot. Our haul had netted us a grand total of one 10-cent voucher.

Then I had to take the kids upstairs and buy $18.90 worth of Boost Juices and spend $7 on another pack of Pokémon cards from Target for the five-year-old.

Yep, Dad got jammed, as he knew he would be from the moment he first spotted the embryonic bottle collection.

The rest were emptied into the yellow bin when we got home, but we had too many to fit so the leftovers were jammed into the neighbours’ bins.

Footnote: eligible Return and Earn containers include glass, plastic, aluminium, steel, liquid paperboard (cartons). Containers need to be empty, uncrushed, unbroken and have the original label attached. Wine, spirits, cordial and plain milk containers are not eligible.

I SPOTTED THE BAG ON THE FLOOR NEAR THE COAT RACK.

Neil Breen on the recycling merry-go-round

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