Two Michelin-starred Ikoyi in London just launched its Hainan Style Chicken Rice Feast, a private-dining menu for groups of four to six built around chef Jeremy Chan's take on Hainanese chicken rice. The price: £300 per person.

It's a sign of how far this humble dish has travelled, and the timing is perfect, because Melbourne is in the middle of its own chicken rice moment. Here's the story behind Ikoyi's tribute, and where to get your fix at home.

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The Twelve Apostles has a brand-new front door. The $126 million Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre opens to the public in October 2026, and with it comes the biggest change to visiting Victoria's most famous coastal landmark in decades – including a new booking system you'll need to know about before you hit the Great Ocean Road.

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Melbourne's newest CBD hotel has officially cut the ribbon, and after visiting the top floor rooms we believe this may be the best hotel room views in Melbourne. Brady Hotel Elizabeth Street, a 32-storey, 211-room tower on the corner of Elizabeth and Little Lonsdale streets, celebrated its official opening on a perfect spring evening, with a laneway mural unveiling, a ribbon cutting with Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece, and drinks on the terrace high above the city. What we love about Brady is that they are extremely Melbourne-centric. They imbue the heart of Melbourne and are passionate about this city. Speaking to some of the Execs they are the "real deal". 

Built from the ground up and Melbourne owned, the hotel recently opened its doors to guests. It is the sixth Brady hotel in  Melbourne and lifts the Brady Hotels and Apartments portfolio to around 1,000 rooms, cementing the group's position as Victoria's largest privately owned Australian hotel group. We were thrilled to be invited to the launch, enjoying champagne and canapes. The unveling of the mural in the adjacent laneway was another "Melbourne culture touch".

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Fire, acrobatics, comedy and special effects, all free, all outdoors, and only four nights to see it. From Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October 2026, ZAP CIRCUS brings CIRCUS FIRE Spectacular to Prahran Square. It's one of the easiest and best free things to do in Melbourne this spring. We love a circus, and this exciting show is set to light up Melbourne!

Presented through the Chapel Street partnership with Melbourne Fringe Festival, this 45-minute after-dark show turns Prahran Square into an open-air big top. The internationally awarded circus troupe mixes daredevil acrobatics with flames, laughs and plenty of wow moments. It suits all ages, and there's no booking and no ticket to buy.

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Daniel's Donuts is turning 10, and it's celebrating by going savoury. The Melbourne-born cult donut chain has taken its light, fluffy donut base out of the dessert box and filled it with Chicken Caesar, corned beef and pickles, bacon and scrambled egg, pepperoni and napoli sauce, and the inevitable Vegemite and cheese. Daniel's calls the Savoury Donuts one of the biggest menu changes in its history. They landed in participating stores in September at $5.90 each. We were thrilled to receive a sample pack of the new savoury donuts, and the whole family got stuck in. The verdict at our place? The family loved the flavours, and a couple of them surprised us.

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Melbourne's oldest lawn bowls club is getting a makeover for the Victorian Seniors Festival – and for two sunset sessions it's all about grabbing your favourite grandparent, parent or mate and rolling a few ends on the green. It's free, but places are limited.

There are few sports that a nine-year-old and a ninety-year-old can play on genuinely equal terms. I've played lawn bowls myself in enjoying the odd social game over the years, while my late grandmother played at a high level until a ripe old age, and it was a key to her social life and in keeping fit! So it makes perfect sense that, as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival, Uber is transforming the historic Middle Park Bowls Club into Uber Clubhouse – a social hub where every generation can connect over Australia's favourite multi-generational sport.

Uber Clubhouse – Sunset Lawn Bowls runs over two sessions: Thursday 8 October and Friday 9 October, both from 4pm to 7pm. Entry is free, but you'll need to register via Humanitix – and with limited places, it's worth getting in early. The brief is beautifully simple: bring along your bowls buddy, kick off your shoes and enjoy relaxed music, snacks and refreshments alongside a few friendly rounds on the green as the sun goes down over Albert Park. The World Loves Melbourne will be there on opening night – so if you see us on the green, say hello (and go easy on us).

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Hot, cold, light and sweet – Swiss coffee machine maker JURA has marked International Coffee Day 2026 with the Australian launch of the new JURA E10, a compact automatic machine that pours 36 coffee specialities across four "worlds" of coffee. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to an exclusive launch at Kirsten Tibballs' Yarra Valley farm to put it through its paces over an incredible lunch.

Australians take their coffee seriously – and increasingly, not just hot. Iced lattes, cold brew and lighter, sippable styles have crept onto café menus across Melbourne, and JURA's newest machine is built squarely for that shift, bringing café-style variety to the kitchen bench with a single touch.

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