Triple celebration for MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique this week marked significant milestones for three World Class ships in Saint-Nazaire, France.

The delivery of MSC World America (above), coincided with the coin ceremony - a traditional shipbuilding event - of MSC World Asia and the steel cutting for the newly named MSC World Atlantic.

The importance of the occasion meant attendees included Captain Gianluigi Aponte, founder and group chairman of MSC, and Chantiers de l’Atlantique GM Laurent Castaing.

MSC World America is the 23rd ship in the cruise line’s modern fleet and is set to be officially named on April 9 in the US at the company’s new MSC Miami Cruise Terminal, the largest in the world.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, cruise division, MSC Group, said: “Today is a proud moment for all of us at MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we mark these major milestones in the development of our fleet.

"Our new flagship is a testament to our long-standing, innovative partnership spanning over 20 years, resulting in five ground-breaking prototypes and 19 ships.

"Together, we continue to push boundaries, combining cutting-edge design, the latest technologies, and a richness of experiences to set new standards in cruising and always striving to further improve the environmental performance of each ship. We look forward to raising the bar even higher with the upcoming MSC World Asia and MSC World Atlantic.”

A coin cermeony sees commemorative coins placed inside a ship as a sign of blessing during construction and to bring good fortune to the ship.

The third celebration was a steel cutting ceremony to officially start the construction of the line’s fourth World Class ship, MSC World Atlantic, due to enter service in 2027.

MSC World America's inaugural season from Miami starts on April 12.

She will sail alternating seven-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, San Juan, Puerto Rico and MSC Cruises private island Ocean Cay and seven-night Western Caribbean voyages to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, Isla de Roatan, Honduras, and Ocean Cay.

Paddy's re-imagined: discover Sydney's new gourmet market

Sydney has a new gourmet destination with the launch of Hay St Market at Paddy’s - which opened this week.

The concept is described as "a celebration of food, culture and community, bringing together a dynamic collection of traders under one roof in the heart of Haymarket".

It has to be an improvement on some of the dire recent local offerings.

Spanning 3,000 square metres of Paddy’s Markets, Hay St Market is home to over 48 traders offering more than 25 different cuisines.

At its heart, it’s an open, bustling space that shifts from morning to an after-dark foodie destination. I'm told that "visitors can snack on the go, kick back with a bite, grab something for home or chill out at Cans & Crates or Traders Bar".

The multi-million dollar transformation is designed to revitalise the Haymarket precinct, increase tourism and create more than 300 jobs.

“We’ve left no stone unturned in creating Hay St Market at Paddy’s - an affordable destination that Sydney can be proud of, where visitors can eat, drink, and shop," says says Joseph Murray, group CEO and managing director of Doltone Hospitality Group.

"Inspired by some of the world’s best markets, we’ve built something extraordinary that harnesses Sydney’s cultural diversity, offers a twist on tradition, and taps into our collective love of food and beverage.”

Leading chefs including Luke Nguyen (above) and Mark Olive are involved

Also joining the market is Tim Casey, a specialist butcher with over 50 years of experience, including as former head butcher at Rockpool; cheesemonger Christina Murphy, and The Signorelli Bros greengrocer.

Specialty coffee will be roasted in-house with Genovese’s finest beans at Hay St Roasters.

“While our food offering is phenomenal, we are also excited to bring to life the speciality traders within Hay St Market at Paddy’s,” added Murray.

Image: Esteban La Tessa 

Meet Attunement: a new classic Australian red blend

A new-release from St Hugo is a serious discovery for lovers of aged, and age-worthy, Australian red wines.

It is a very impressive blend of Barossa shiraz and Coonawarra cabernet - a classic Australian blend.

"We’re delighted to welcome a brand new shiraz cabernet blend to the St Hugo portfolio: St Hugo Attunement Barossa Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2018," says St Hugo chief winemaker Peter Munro.

"We’ve made this classic blend driven by a singular ambition: to create a wine that promises complexity, elegance, power and refinement, resulting in a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

"As classic blends go I’d say this is more on the ‘robust end’ but as we know with all blends, it’s about the synergy and why we named this wine Attunement. Precision perfected."

The grapes for the blend, 64% shiraz and 36% cabernet sauvignon, were sourced from two vineyards in the Barossa for shiraz and one for cabernet and one for shiraz in the Coonawarra.

The split between the regions leans towards the Barossa at 52% and 48% Coonawarra.

I liked the immediate drinkability on offer here, the synthesis between the two grape varieties and regions, and the cellaring potential.

"Vintage 2018 was fantastic across South Australia, a little warmer than usual, resulting in pure fruit flavours from both regions," says Munro.

"The fruit was de-stemmed and crushed into static and open fermenters with pumping over regularly to achieve excellent extraction, flavour and tannin.

"The fruit was then drained and pressed followed by malo and ageing for 17 months in new French oak (76%). The team then sat down for the final blending; very much in true St Hugo style: all precision and attention to detail.

Attunement will cost you around $100 a bottle and will be available at selected Dan Murphy stores nationally.

Canberra's arts scene comes alive in April

Despite the presence of some boofheads elected to represent us in Parliament, the national capital of Canberra is also a city of art and culture.

 
Canberra is regarded as one of the nation's creative hubs - just don't tell Barnaby, Sussan and Angus.

 

The sprawling city boasts diverse arts scene, several national attractions and a thriving community of creatives.

This April brings four highly anticipated exhibitions to Canberra: the first solo exhibition for multidisciplinary contemporary Australian artist Thom Roberts at the National Portrait Gallery; a celebration of female artists at the National Gallery of Australia and a showcase of the works of glass maker Katie-Ann Houghton and industrial designer Tom Fereday at the Canberra Glassworks.

The Immersive World of Thom Roberts - National Portrait Gallery
https://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibitions/thom-roberts-2025 

From April 12 to July 20 with free admission 

Australian artist Thom Roberts (below), known for his bold portraits that morph people with trains and buildings, is bringing his first solo exhibition to the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition showcases more than 100 works including paintings, installations, animations and some of his newest works.

Know My Name: Global - National Gallery of Australia
https://nga.gov.au/exhibitions/know-my-name-global/
From April 2025 with free entry, this collection features works of inspiring female artists from around the world who have pushed the limits of artistic practice. Expect to see the works from creative trailblazers such as American feminist artist Judy Chicago, Order of Australia artist Vivienne Binns and American neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer.

Arum + Meander - Canberra Glassworks
https://canberraglassworks.com/2025-exhibition-2/

https://canberraglassworks.com/2025-exhibition-2-kah/
From April 3 to June 8 with free entry Sydney-based designer Tom Fereday's solo show Arum celebrates the transformation of raw material into glass and highlights his interest in the tension that lies between natural materials and contemporary design. Glassmaker Katie-Ann Houghton, meanwhile, explores her fascination with urban landscapes in her newest exhibition Meander.

For more information visit https://visitcanberra.com.au/

Canadians say "no thanks" to flights to the US

Canadians are voting with their wallets when it comes to choosing whether or not to travel to the US.

Donald Trump's continued threats to make Canada "the 51st state" of the US are having a major effect on air travel demand.

ICE arrests at US borders are apparently also hitting hard as air travel demand between Canada and the US has plummeted by more than 70%, aviation analytics company OAG reports. See oag.com/

It could be a long-term issue, too, industry news hub Travel Mole reports.

Major capacity cuts have been made throughout the northern hemisphere summer until October 2025.

Comparing the total number of scheduled one-way seats between the two countries filed on March 3 and those filed on March 24, shows that over 320,000 seats have been removed by airlines operating between the two countries through to the end of October.

The most noticeable cuts are in July and August - the two peak summer season months - where airlines have cut capacity by some 3.5%

Advance bookings are down as much as 76%, OAG says.

Some Canada travel agencies have also noted a lack of demand, and in many cases cancellations of existing bookings, as well as for cruise vacations departing the US.

Canadian airline WestJet has added an additional 114 flights to Europe as it actively places capacity outside of the US with Dublin and Edinburgh are two airports benefiting from changes in capacity.

Moran launches his own range of gourmet stock

 

When you are a big-name chef you need to be careful which products you endorse. Each time you put your reputation on the line. 

Celebrated chef and restaurateur Matt Moran has this week launched a range of gourmet stock preparations to help home cooks create chef quality dishes at home.

There are three products in the My Perfect Stock range (chicken, beef and vegetable), which are now available in some independent supermarkets and at Woolworths, and in Coles stores from late April.

“While not everyone has the time, interest or know-how to make their own stock at home, we all know that a great stock can be the difference between a good dish and an exceptional one," Moran said.

"My Perfect Stock makes it so much easier to maximise depth of flavour and elevate home-cooked meals such as roasts, pastas and curries. 

"I’ve done the hard work for the home cook, using quality ingredients which have been slowly simmered with the right balance of herbs and spices.”

Moran has a plethora of awards to his name, has hosted TV shows, written best-selling cookbooks and owns celebrated dining establishments including Aria, Chiswick and North Bondi Fish.

The three products in the range, all have an RRP of $5.90/500ml. 

Stock is the foundation for countless dishes and is one of the first 

Moran has created several recipes to provide inspiration for the home cook using his chef quality stocks. The recipes, including Matt’s pea risotto, his Asian-style poached chicken and his much-loved  braised lamb shank pappardelle ragu, will be available on the back of the products and via his own website.  

“I have always been passionate about the Australian country and have profound respect for our farmers," he added. 

"My Perfect Stock uses 100% Australian beef and chicken, and these products are made in Australia using top-quality ingredients. Through my work I aim to nurture the bond between the land and the family dinner table and educate Australians about the journey of our food from farm to table."