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Emma Breheny, digital writer;

Hong Kong

Thickets of skyscrapers, pastel-coloured

buildings, hills and mountains. These are a

few of my favourite things and, in Hong

Kong, they’re found in abundance. My first

trip delivered on all expectations – it

certainly won’t be the last.@breheny

Follow

@SARAHALICEOAKES

Fll

Where we’ve been

indoors, including our Hibernation

Guide, whichfeaturesbooks, music

andpodcaststosavour–andthe

whiskies to wash them down with.

We’ve also included the best

kinds of wintertime comfort food:

toasted sandwiches, soups, roasts

and baked goods. And for those of

you intent on making an escape from

the chill, our Bali guide will help you

map out an easy island getaway.

Until next month.

Enjoy,

[email protected] // FOLLOW@GOURMETTRAVELLER //ONLINEGOURMETTRAVELLER.COM.AU

S

ydney’s restaurants are quieter

in winter. For a city that prides

itself on being active, outgoing

and fabulous, we’re pretty fond

of rolling down the shutters and firing

up Netflix, June through to August.

Of course our draconian lockout laws

don’t help cold-averse citizens to get

motivated to go out and stay out.

Melburnians are different.

Unafraid of inclement weather

and with a wardrobe of sharp black

coats, they populate the city’s cosiest

restaurants, often making them

even busier as the mercury drops.

The conventional wisdom is, no matter

how elasticised and comfortable your

loungewear, a bottle of Beaujolais

split between two at Marion is a

much better alternative than being

cooped up at home.

In this issue we give you the

best of both worlds. There are plenty

of excuses to venture out at night:

Merivale’s luxe new offering, Bert’s,

in Sydney; modern Korean at

Restaurant Shik in Melbourne; and

local Adelaide favourite, Parwana.

Plus, lots of convincing reasons to stay

Harriet Davidson, editorial

coordinator; Bermagui, NSW

Rolling green paddocks, deserted

beaches, a killer wine shop and seaside

oyster shacks. Even in winter, it’s the

perfect city [email protected]

Lee Tran Lam, news editor;

Kumamoto, Japan

This city in Japan’s south-west has lots

of appeal: a 17th-century castle, great

hidden eateries, and you can even fly

over a volcano that was once the site of a

villain’s lair in a Bond movie.@leetranlam

p 123

Pork chops

with hazelnut

and sage

PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS CHEN (PORK CHOPS) & ALANA LANDSBERRY (PORTRAIT)

14 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Editor’s letter