Parramatta's Restaurant 317 welcomes new head chef

Parramatta's favourite dining destination, Restaurant 317 is thrilled to welcome new Head Chef Brian Campbell to the team. To mark his arrival, Brian has launched a number of new dishes on both the main menu and dessert menu.

Brian has created a number of new beautiful trattoria-style dishes using the very best seasonal produce and perfect for the cooler months.

Some of the new dishes include: Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks, with fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme; Slow Roasted Pork Belly with crispy crackling finished with caramelised pear & glazed balsamic; Linguini Slipper Lobster with fresh garlic, sage & roast pumpkin in a butter sauce; Baked Sea Perch with herb, lime aioli and served with sweet potato mash & seasonal vegetables; and Roast Pumpkin & Beetroot Pizza with buffalo and mozzarella cheese, topped with fresh baby spinach & crumbled fetta.

"Our new menu has stayed true to good combinations of flavours. We have ensured we use premium cuts of meat and the freshest seafood. I've also focused on using locally sourced fresh produce and introduced some new slow cooked items which are perfect for winter," Brian said.

The new dessert menu features Apple & Rhubarb Crumble, Baked Passion fruit Cheesecake and Rocky Road Nutella Crepes. Restaurant 317 has also ensured that they have kept a selection of their most popular menu items.

With nearly 20 years experience in top Australian restaurants including Bilsons, Park Royal, Gunya, Dry Dock Hotel and Hayman Island's Yeppoon Sailing Club, Brian brings a wealth of experience and passion to the Restaurant 317 kitchen.

Restaurant 317 will be celebrating 10 years of service this year and is regarded as Sydney's premier gluten free restaurant with over 90% of its meals suitable for those with coeliac disease or those who avoid eating gluten for health reasons.

"Our new menu adheres to our restaurant's food philosophy of using fresh, beautiful produce with Mediterranean influences," Restaurant 317's Owner, Pierre Sande said.

Located in the heart of Parramatta's entertainment and dining district, Restaurant 317 is renowned for its distinctive atmosphere, quality service, award-winning menu and its ability to continually innovate.

Restaurant 317 has a range of dining and entertaining options from their stylish designer bar and popular restaurant to their exclusive Oyster Bar and alfresco and private dining areas.

Sourcing wines from the finest producers across the country and keeping the menu in mind, Restaurant 317 features a hand-selected wine and innovative cocktail menu.

Restaurant 317 is located at 317 Church Street, Parramatta and is open Monday- Sunday from 11.30am until late.

Restaurant 317 is committed to their local community and is proud sponsors of the Western Sydney Wanderers, Parramatta City Titans and is a supporter of Coeliac NSW & ACT and Make a Wish Foundation.

To find out more information on Restaurant 317 CLICK HERE

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Restaurant 317
www.317.com.au
A: 317 Church Street, Parramatta
P: 1300 317 317
E: enquiries@317.com.au
   

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Panel At San Diego Comic Con - Comic-Con International 2015

Following the `Star Wars` Hall H presentation at Comic-Con International 2015 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif., 501st Legion member, Kevin Doyle and the audience of more than 6000 fans walked to a surprise `Star Wars` Fan Concert performed by the San Diego Symphony, featuring the classic `Star Wars` music of composer John Williams, at the Embarcadero Marina Park South on July 10, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Doyle

Byline: Michael Buckner

Copyright: 2015 Getty Images

WATERFRONT by Duncan McNab: graft, corruption and violence on Australia's crime frontier

In August, Hachette Australia is excited to publish WATERFRONT: Australia's Crime Frontier from 1788 to Now by investigative journalist and former police detective Duncan McNab.

 

Ever since the First Fleet dropped anchor, Australia's ports have been our opening to the world. They are also the breeding ground for many of Australia's most notorious criminals, and a magnet for local and overseas criminal syndicates. WATERFRONT is the exciting story of the crimes, the politics, and the larger-than-life characters of our nation's ports.

 

Duncan McNab is a former police detective, private investigator, investigative journalist and media adviser to government and the private sector. An expert on organised crime, he is the author of several books, including Outlaw Bikers in Australia and The Dodger: Inside the World of Roger Rogerson. His first-hand experience in Australian law enforcement is evident in this fascinating and compelling analysis of the ways in which criminal elements have always found ways to thrive and profit on the waterfront, despite more than a century of Royal Commissions, reports and crackdowns.

 

From Phillip and Bligh to Michael Hurley, from the gold rushes to the modern-day ice trade, Duncan McNab lifts the lid on the intriguing and chequered history of Australia's waterfront.

www.hachette.com.au

 

        

 

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World's richest woman, Christy Walton

IN his continuing search for the more weird and wondrous in this world, David Ellis says that to keep it all in the family, two of the world's three wealthiest women are sisters-in-law, and between them worth a cool US$81.1-billion (AU$106-billion) from their links with discount retail giant Walmart.

The just-released Forbes Magazine's list of World Billionaires says that Christy Walton, widow of John Walton whose father Sam founded Walmart in 1962, has been the world's richest woman for five of the last six years, with a current worth of US$41.7b (that's AU$54.5 000,000,000.)

And her sister-in-law Alice Walton is worth just slightly less – US$39.4b or AU$51.55b, even though she is the daughter of the late Sam, whose empire now embraces 11,000 stores in 27 countries and with some 200,000,000 customers a week.

Between these ladies is Liliane Bettencourt who as the main heiress to the L'Oreal cosmetics fortune is the world's second wealthiest woman with a worth of US$40.1b (AU$52.6b.) However at 92 years of age she has nothing to do today with the running of the French company that her father founded, having been replaced on the board by her son Jean-Victor Meyers in 2012.

Forbes Magazine says there are 1,826 billionaires in the world today, of whom just 187 are women, and with only 26 of these self-made. The rest gained their billions through marriage or inheritance.

                                                                  ………………..

PHOTO CAPTION:

[] FIFTY-FOUR billion reasons to smile: the world's wealthiest woman for five of the past six years.

(Images: Forbes Magazine)

1998 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK GTR Roadster - snap this up

When Mercedes-Benz first unveiled its CLK GTR Roadster in 1998 it sold for an astonishing $1.5 million dollars, making it the most expensive production car ever, a figure only recently exceeded by the Ferrari FXX.
 
Bonhams Festival of Speed sale will offer the very first example of the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster ever built, estimated at £1,400,000-1,800,000.
James Knight, Bonhams Group Motoring Director, said: "The car was retained by the Mercedes-Benz company until 2014 when it was acquired by the current owner. It is effectively a new car with just eight kilometres on the odometer, and it is the only one of the six roadsters to be finished in black. We rarely see a car with these credentials come to market."
 
An open topped variant of the already super-exclusive CLK GTR Coupe – only 25 road going cars were ever produced – the Roadster was made in a very limited edition indeed. The company had the simple but effective idea of removing the roof and installing two roll-over bars and additional strengthening, plus the Roadster engine boasted an engine increased to 640bhp (40 horsepower more than the Coupé) and a Formula 1-style, sequential six-speed transmission controlled by paddles on the steering wheel.
 
At the end of the 1996 racing season, Mercedes-Benz switched from racing touring cars to sports cars, a decision that left precious little time to develop a challenger for the FIA's (International Automobile Federation) new GT Championship. The latter's regulations stipulated that 'GT1' category cars had to be production based, so development was entrusted to Mercedes-Benz's official performance division, AMG. Amazingly, just 128 days after design work had commenced in December 1996, the first Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR took to the track at Jarama in April 1997 for its initial test.
 
The CLK GTR first won at the challenging Nurburgring in June 1997, going on to win five more of the 11 rounds to take the GT Championship in its debut year. With a new CLK LM (Le Mans) waiting in the wings, the CLK GTR raced just twice in 1998, before being retired from active duty after little more than a season's racing, but with an impeccable record.

During 1998 and 1999, Mercedes-Benz duly completed 25 road going CLK GTRs. These closely resembled the racing version but had 'only' 550bhp and dispensed with the racer's separate rear wing in favour of a body-integral design. They were also better equipped and kitted out with more creature comforts than the racer. With a headline-grabbing price tag of over $1,000,000, the CLK GTR's exclusivity was surpassed only by its incredible performance.
 
Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale takes place on 26 June in Goodwood, Chichester. For more information visit https://www.bonhams.com/departments/MOT-CAR/.
 

Lamborghini presents the 1968 Miura Roadster and the 2013 Veneno Roadster

Lamborghini's One-Off Roadsters at Techno Classica 2015 in Essen

On the occasion of this year’s Techno Classica in Essen, Automobili Lamborghini presents two truly special cars in Pavilion 7 under the theme "One-Off Roadsters by Lamborghini".

1968 Miura Roadster

Lamborghini’s 1968 Miura Roadster, an open-top version of the legendary Lamborghini Miura, is the only one of its kind in the world. The car on display, privately owned, can be admired in its original color and equipment.

Lamborghini’s 2013 Veneno Roadster

Lamborghini’s 2013 Veneno Roadster is an open-top racing prototype fully homologated for road use, captivating in its extreme design and breathtaking performance. The car on display comes from a large collection of classic Lamborghini models preserved in the Lamborghini Museum at the company headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

Lamborghini Miura Roadster 1968 Lamborghini Miura Roadster 1968 The Lamborghini Miura Roadster, as a concept car carrying chassis number 3498, made its first appearance at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968.

An evolution of the Miura P 400, it confirms the ambition of Ferruccio Lamborghini, who just five years after establishing the company continued to propose innovative new models. Despite the public’s enthusiasm, the Miura Roadster never went into production. It remains one of a kind in the world and is thus counted among the most significant classic Lamborghini models.

The aerodynamic body of the Miura Roadster was designed by Nuccio Bertone along with young designer Marcello Gandini following in-depth aerodynamic and aesthetic research. It differed from the design of the Coupé in a number of ways. The larger side air intakes ensured optimized inflow of outside air to the 4.0 liter 350 HP V12 mid-engine, for the first time mounted transversally. The lower roll bar, re-shaped rear bodywork, and total absence of the roof and side windows make the Miura Roadster perfect for savoring the exhilaration of high speed driving in fair weather.

In 1969 the Miura Roadster was purchased by the New York-based International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO). Then coated with a zinc-based paint and equipped with other zinc elements, it was presented with the name Zn 75 at a variety of expositions around the world with the aim to convince public opinion on the versatile and modern nature of zinc use in the automotive industry. After changing hands a number of times, the Miura Roadster is now privately owned. Faithfully restored with the utmost attention to detail, the car on display was returned to its original condition, including the luminous light blue metallic paint and the white interior with red carpeting.

Lamborghini Veneno Roadster 2013 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster 2013 The Veneno Roadster is consistent with the design philosophy of all the super sports cars that come out of Sant’Agata Bolognese: optimum aerodynamics and cornering stability, giving the Roadster the dynamic experience of a racing car prototype, though it is fully homologated for the road.

The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster is equipped with a 6.5 liter 12-cylinder powertrain. With maximum power of 750 HP, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and top speed is 355 km/h. The lightweight structure in carbon fiber assures a dry weight of just 1490 kg, a determining factor in its extraordinary performance features. The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster is one of the most exclusive automobiles in the world: in 2014 no more than nine examples were sold, each with a price tag of 3.3 million euros (excluding tax).

Visitors to the Essen show can admire the Veneno Roadster in the special color "Rosso Efesto" developed expressly for this car.

Spy - New movie with Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law and Rose Byrne

SPY

Release: 21 May 2015

Directed by: Paul Feig

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Miranda Hart

Genre: Comedy / Action

Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung hero behind the Agency's most dangerous missions. But when her partner (Jude Law) falls off the grid and another top agent (Jason Statham) is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster.