An evening at The Australian Ballet with 'RUSSH' in Melbourne

WORDS Lucienne Bambridge PHOTOGRAPHY Lucienne Bambridge PUBLISHED Thu, 29 Sep 2022 - 3:30 pm

Last Thursday we were delighted to entertain an intimate number of the RUSSH community for a very special preview – the dress rehearsal of The Australian Ballet's Instruments of Dance at the Arts Centre Melbourne. Content Director, Elyssa Kostopoulos and I, stayed at the dazzling W Melbourne for this quick flash of a trip – but as the age old adage goes "quality over quantity" – and we truly did aim to squeeze in as much food, fun and culture as we could in this 24 hour trip.

STAY

Fresh off a bright and early flight we headed to playfully designed, W Melbourne. Whilst it was still a work trip, emails from a bubble bath seriously added a luxurious 'can't get at home' experience.

It's the little touches at W Melbourne that truly make the stay special. Davines shower supplies, whimsical wall fixtures and a 'W MixBar' – a bespoke and gorgeous bar cart for all your beverage and snack needs.

Neither Elyssa nor I remembered to pack our swimmers, but that was definitely a mistake. I would have loved a morning swim at W's indoor pool. A top floor haven with windows that seem to stretch to the sky and back, creating a blissful spa-like oasis within the concrete jungle that is Melbourne.

DO

The Australian Ballet's Instruments of Dance is a must-see event. Three choreographers, from three of the world's top companies responding to modern-day composers working in divergent musical fields. It's ballet like I've personally never seen before.

Justin Peck, resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet shares Everywhere We Go, his Australian debut, bringing Hollywood and Broadway to the classical stage.

Wayne McCregor, of The Royal Ballet, took us on a cerebral journey with Obsidian Tear.

The third choreographer, is The Australian Ballet's very own, Alice Topp. A favourite of the RUSSH team, we are particular fans of her beautiful style both in movement and in set and costume design.

Three distinctly different stories, all stunning in their own styles.

EAT

Where to start here? This really could fit into 'DO' as we really did spend a lot of this trip trying to eat as much as we could in 24 hours.

Let's start with lunch – a trip to Society's newest venue, Lillian Brasserie. A contemporary take on European classics, from caviar pretzels, to freshly shucked oysters, parmesan gnocchi and spanner crab fusilloni with lobster oil and tarragon. A personal favourite – the Berkshire Pork Belly, cooked to crunch and delectable perfection. I'm hungry just thinking about it all again.

But the food at Lillian wasn't the only feast; monochrome pieces and art scattered across the venue peaked our intrigue. The interiors were modern and suave, the perfect setting for a late lunch in Melbourne.

Post Ballet, we took a trip to W Melbourne's very own Curious a dimly lit blend of cocktail concoctions, delicious bites and music programming. Whether you could call this dinner, or a late night snack at 11pm is up to you. But the Glinda cocktail was a gastronomical delight – a smoke show of bubbles that added a bit of wonder to an already curious night. Late night sliders were a must, as was the Moreton Bay bug tempura and of course, who could resist a grand raw bar platter?

The final meal we squeezed in – breakfast at Lollo – was my favourite of the two meals at W Melbourne. Eggs Benedict with crab, need I say more?