URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
URBAN RETREAT

                  URBAN            ESCAPE
                  Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda

              112 {    nourish magazine       www.nourishmag.com.au

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
Not everyone has the luxury of jetting off to an
                                                          exotic locale with the anticipation of luxurious
                                                          spa treatments and prescribed meals on
                                                          hand. That’s why a little adventure in my own
                                                          backyard of Melbourne was a welcome option
                                                          to unwind and debrief after a long week at the
                                                          office, writes anji Bignell.

                                                          I
                                                            remember my first memories               take in the Melbourne skyline. It’s so
                                                            of St Kilda were traipsing the           relaxing and quiet that it is hard to
                                                            foreshore for live music and bars        believe that I am looking out onto the
                                                            along Acland street during the St        cityscape while snuggled up within
                                                          Kilda Festival – the gritty underbelly     the soft, calming interiors of the spa.
                                                          of its little side streets, filled with       Spa director Lyndall Mitchell has
                                                          local sticky-carpet haunts and people      spent years developing the concept,
                                                          spilling out into the summer night.        design and spa treatments of Aurora.
                                                            The St Kilda Festival is still a         The idea and logistics behind running
                                                          yearly tradition, yet the scene has        a luxurious spa retreat within the city is
                                                          changed over the years in this seaside     somewhat of an anomaly in Australia
                                                          playground only six kilometres from        – especially to such a high standard of
                                                          the city centre of Melbourne –             service and tailored treatments.
                                                          burgeoning spa, food, local community         “Seven years ago there were no such
                                                          markets, music, art and lawn bowls         things as urban retreats in Australia;
                                                          have intermingled to make this the         however, they have been quite
                                                          perfect place for an urban escape.         prevalent in the global spa world for
                                                                                                     quite some time, especially in the US
                                                          reLaX                                      and Europe,” Mitchell says.
                                                          Nestled within the heart of The               It’s about achieving maximum
                                                          Prince hotel, I had no idea this urban     results in a short period of time. And
                                                          sanctuary even existed. Above the          it works.
                                                          lofty staircase and greeted by the
                                                          tranquil sound of water trickling
                                                          down the sides of its entranceway,          Try: Signature Kitya Karnu
                                                          I’m instantly charmed by Aurora Spa
                                                          Retreat and the myriad of delicious-         This is a unique, deeply relaxing
                                                          smelling lotions and potions (that           massage in a private steam
                                                          are made locally and of all-natural          room. The treatment uses
                                                          ingredients) that surround me.               aromatic body oils to massage
                                                            The first tier of my spa journey is to     the body, pure mineral salts for
                                                          get changed into my robe and settle          a full body exfoliation followed
                                                          in to drink a unique, blended tea and        by a creamy walnut wattleseed
                                                                                                       exfoliant to completely detoxify
                                                                                                       and lift dead skin. along with
                                                                   “BURGEONING                         a nourishing hair treatment
                                                                 SPA, FOOD, LOCAL                      and face cleanse and masque,
                                                              COMMUNITY MARKETS,                       the body is then softly stroked
                                                                                                       with cool river stones in a ritual
                                           DownloaD
                                            your free
                                           DownloaD
                                                              MUSIC, ART AND LAWN                      that centres and revives the
                                            in-site
                                           &in-site
                                                    app
                                            your free
                                             scan page
                                                    app        BOWLS INTERMINGLE                       energy chakras – this one-hour
                                           for& gallery
                                                scan
                                             page for            TO MAKE THIS THE                      treatment will guarantee to
                                              sT KilDa                                                 have you revitalised for the
                                               image
                                             gallery
                                                                PERFECT PLACE FOR                      week ahead.
                                                               AN URBAN ESCAPE.”                       aurorasparetreat.com.au

               www.nourishmag.com.au                                                                                 nourish magazine }   113

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
URBAN RETREAT

                                                                                                    Chefs Ashly Hicks and
                                                                                   Circa lounge
                                                                                                  Lyndon Tyres are advocates for
                                                                                                  sustainable, organic produce used
                                                                                                  within the menu, where possible.
                                                                                                  The dishes reveal characteristic
                                                                                                  earthy undertones from the
                   DownloaD
                    your free                                                                     clean, fresh ingredients utilised.
                    in-site app
                   & scan  page
                      & scan                                                                      Minimal fancy embellishments
                   for  gallery
                     page  for
                   circa image                                                                    are needed to bring out the
                     gallery                                                                      natural flavours of the produce.

                                                                                                   Try: Sher Wagyu rump
                                                                                                   with burnt onions and
                                                                                                   truffle mustard and a glass
                                                                                                   of Victorian shiraz.

                                                                                                    The perfect romantic, winter
                                                                                                    interlude at:
                                                                                                    circa.com.au

                                                                                                  UnwinD
                                                                                                  The integrative, relaxing experience
              Dine                                       and some freshly shucked oysters         of my day is completed with a short
              There are so many options for eating       with cucumber and whey, I’m              stroll to the lift, which takes me
              out in St Kilda, it could well be a        not going to lie to you, I felt like,    straight to my room for the night.
              matter of what kind of experience          quite possibly, the luckiest woman          The Prince hotel is a sleek, sexy-
              you are after.                             alive. Oysters were followed             looking building with minimalist
                 Located below Aurora, within The        up with the smoky flavours of            style that doesn’t compromise on the
              Prince Hotel building, Circa seemed        roasted duck, kohlrabi, lovage           usual mod cons. My double room
              like the obvious choice after floating     and green plum and, afterwards,          has a queen-size bed, luxurious
              away from my spa treatment (laden          a dessert of coconut with malted         bathroom and bathroom products
              with delicious spa goodies like the rose   milk, honeyed fig and ginger             and some South American chocolate
              and shea hand cream and rosemary and       served with Ron Zacapa rum               as a welcoming gift upon arrival.
              clove mentholated scrub, to continue       on ice – the recommendation              Unpretentious and accessible in
              my spa experience at home).                from my wonderful sommelier              pricing, The Prince is still stylish and
                 Whisked to my table and                 – the perfect choice for this            allows me to unwind from my week,
              served a glass of Moet to sip on           standout dish of the night.              knowing that I’m just minutes away

                Aurora Spa                                                                         Spa director Lyndall Mitchell

              114 {    nourish magazine                                                                             www.nourishmag.com.au

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
The Prince hotel

                 Acland St. Cantina

                                                                                                          • Walk the solar system along the
                                                                                                            waterfront – a council collaborative
                                                                                                            with artists and scientists who have
                                                                                                            designed and constructed a model
                                                                                                            of the solar system, where every
                                                                                                            metre walked represents 1,000,000
                                                                                                            kilometres within a 5.9km distance.
                                                                                                          • Barefoot bowls at St Kilda
                                                                                                            Bowls Club is a Melbourne
                                                                                                            institution and induction into
                                                                                                            the relaxed atmosphere of St
                                                                                                            Kilda. Grab a cold beer on a
                                                                                                            sunny day and join in for a bowl
                                                                                                            with young and old alike.
                                                                                                          • Lunch at Captain Baxter serves up
                from the city. Breakfast at Acland          entertainment                                   the best local produce with a view
                St. Cantina the next morning was a          Well known for attractions like Luna            of the St Kilda waterfront. A tasty
                great South American single-origin          Park, the St Kilda Sea Baths and the            mix of Asian street-style tapas
                coffee and fresh tortilla, all set within   rock ‘n’ roll hall of Melbourne fame,           and main meals to share (with
                a cheerful, diner-style interior.           The Espy, there are countless other             gluten-free and vegan options) and
                                                            activities available for the local day-         a cheeky cocktail list. Standout
                                                            tripper or visiting tourist including:          dishes are the yellowfin tuna,
                 Try: The Prince Winter Short               • The first Saturday of each month,             coconut, tamari almonds, mojama
                 Escape for two package.                       the Veg Out St Klida Farmers’                and nashi; and the pork hock
                                                               Market includes an incredible array          croquettes with truffled gribiche.
                  stay at the four-star hotel for              of market stalls selling organic vegies,     (See chef Matt Dawson’s
                  just $175 a night and enjoy a                herbs, juices, free-range meat and           recipe on the next page).
                  welcome drink upon arrival,
                                                               wine – directly from the growers             captainbaxter.com.au
                  breakfast at circa, standard
                  double room with queen-size                  and producers. (St Kilda also has a
                  bed, wi-fi and late checkout at              community garden that houses over           For more information on St
                  one-pm.                                      145 individual plots that locals tend       Kilda and its attractions visit:
                  theprince.com.au                             to, and the list to own one is long).       stkildamelbourne.com.au
                                                               vegout.asn.au

               www.nourishmag.com.au                                                                                     nourish magazine }   115

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
URBAN RETREAT

                 Q&A: Matt Dawson
                 Nourish chats to
                 Captain Baxter’s
                 executive chef
                 who shares one
                 of his recipes.
                 Where or
                 what is your
                 inspiration
                 behind the versatile
                 Captain Baxter menu?
                 We really liked the idea of
                 social eating and fun while also
                 trying new dishes and kicking           Captain Baxter’s DIY Shawarma!
                 back with a cocktail. Dishes                                                    • sumac, dried Turkish chilli flakes to
                                                         ingreDienTs
                 are designed to surprise and                                                      garnish the yoghurt and breads.
                 make eating ‘entertaining’.             Lamb
                 Inspiration comes from local            • 200g boneless lamb shoulder           meTHoD
                 country background merged               • olive oil (to create paste)           Lamb
                 with culinary travels to                • salt (to taste)                       Bash olive oil, salt, pepper, fennel
                 experience the exotic cuisines          • pepper (to taste)                     seed and garlic in a mortar and
                 from around the globe.                  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
                                                                                                 pestle and rub into lamb.
                                                                                                 leave for four to six hours.
                                                         • whole garlic pod (each clove
                 Where do you source your                  separated and peeled)                 preheat fan forced over to 250°C.
                 produce from and is your                                                        when oven is hot, place lamb in
                 menu seasonal?                          Pickles                                 roasting tray with 200ml water.
                 The menu is seasonal and takes          • 750ml water
                                                                                                 put lamb in oven and reduce
                 advantage of produce such as tuna,      • 150g sugar                            temperature to 100ºC and
                 oysters and other produce that          • 60 g salt                             cook for six hours.
                 is optimal at certain times of the      • 1 bay leaf                            (in the time it takes for the oven
                 year. I am a big believer in ‘great     • 250ml white vinegar
                                                                                                 to reduce from 250ºc to 100ºc, a
                 food comes from great ingredients’.                                             crust will form on the meat while
                                                         • 10 cardamom pods                      the inside remains juicy.)
                 Our produce is sourced from the
                                                         • 1 cinnamon stick
                 best providers to deliver fresh and                                             Pickles
                 sometimes surprising dishes.            • 10 juniper berries
                                                                                                 fill saucepan with water.
                                                         • 6 star anise
                                                                                                 place sugar, salt, bay leaf, white
                                                         • 3 cloves garlic, bashed               vinegar, cardamom pods, cinnamon
                                                         • 1 bunch pickled turnips               sticks, juniper berries, star anise
                                                                                                 and bashed garlic in water.
                                                         • 1 bunch baby beetroots
                                                                                                 Bring to the boil. in the meantime,
                                                         Soused onions                           cut up turnips and beetroots.
                                                         • 1 red onion, cut 1 cm thick           once boiled, pour over cut turnips
                                                         • 1 tsp salt                            and beets and leave for two days.
                                                         • 1 tsp sugar                           Soused onions
                                                         • 1 tsp sumac                           mix all ingredients together and
                                                         • 200ml white wine vinegar              place in a zip-lock bag overnight.
                         Ocean views at Captain Baxter
                                                         Tahini yoghurt                          when ready, mix together
                                                                                                 with picked parsley.
                                                         • 200g greek yoghurt (hung overnight)
                                                         • 1 tbsp tahini                         Tahini yoghurt
                                                                                                 Hang greek yoghurt overnight
                                                         • lemon juice to taste
                                                                                                 in muslin cloth.
                                                         • 1 clove garlic
                                                                                                 mix all ingredients (including
                                                         • salt and pepper                       hung yoghurt) together.
                                                         To garnish                              To serve
                                                         • ¼ bunch picked parsley                Drizzle lebanese flat bread with olive
                                                         • 1 lemon, quartered                    oil and char in frypan or over bbq. fill
                                                         • 4 small lebanese flat                  with lamb, pickles, onions and yoghurt.
                Captain Baxter                             bread, oil and bbq                    sprinkle with sumac and chilli flakes.

              116 {    nourish magazine                                                                              www.nourishmag.com.au

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URBAN ESCAPE Relax, dine and unwind in St Kilda - URBAN RETREAT
Certified Organic
             Gluten Free
             Cane Sugar Free

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