This ‘exquisitely simple' TV show is the perfect antidote to these frantic times
This is Midnight Diner, a Japanese Netflix show that, like the Master's irresistible dishes, is possessed of an exquisite simplicity that brings feelings bubbling up like simmering sauce with a minimum of fuss or action – a stillness and serenity that is almost startling to those of us used to the frantic flailing of stories told by Western filmmakers.
It is about food, in a very deep sense, and about life, in an equally deep sense, and it strongly pushes the philosophy that the two are indivisible.
There is magic in the air at the Midnight Diner: there is always just the faintest hint that something might be going on beyond our ken.
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
KPop Demon Hunters smashes Netflix record and takes over global pop charts
If you want to spot the next big thing in pop, always follow the tween trail. Parents of under 12s knew a month ago the KPop Demon Hunters universe was primed for a pop culture takeover. Their kids are obsessed with the film, the songs, the art, the food, the outfits, the action scenes, the choreography, everything and anything KPop Demon Hunters. The Netflix film has had more than 130 million views globally since launching on June 20, becoming the most-watched animated movie ever on the streamer. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack claimed its fourth week at No.1 on the Australian charts this week and its songs 'Golden', 'Soda Pop', 'Your Idol', 'How It's Done', 'What it Sounds Like', 'Free' and 'Takedown' have taken up residence in the upper echelons of the singles chart. Those songs have generated a billion plays on Spotify alone and the film's fictional bands Huntr/x and Saja Boys have leapfrogged superstars BLACKPINK and BTS as the highest charting KPop groups on the US charts. Korean culture has exerted its influence on the zeigeist over the past five years with K-pop, K-dramas and K-films from BTS and Stray Kids, BLACKPINK and Twice, Squid Games and the Oscar-winning movie Parasite. But Kpop Demon Hunters has taken the phenomenon to the next level. A film not like the other ones KPop Demon Hunters is a truly original animated film - it's not a sequel or a comics adaptation or a washed-out imitation of Disney or Pixar formulas. But after its blockbuster success, you can bet there are already meetings about a sequel, TV series, stage musical and live adaptation treatment. Instead of your princesses or melodramatic animals or misunderstood kid as the main characters, you have two K-pop groups locked in a battle to save souls. The three members of Huntr/x - Rumi, Mira and Zoey - are the demon-hunting pop stars slaying their evil soul-sucking rivals, the Saja Boys led by hot guy Juni, with songs and swords. The film's Canadian-Korean co-director Maggie Kang has cleverly woven cultural touchstones throughout the film from concert glow-stick choreography to visiting the local traditional medicine clinic. Kpop Demon Hunters also pays homage to Korean folklore. Its scene-stealing tiger and magpie characters are inspired by minhwa folk art while the Saja Boys and their supernatural alter egos are loosely modelled on 'jeoseung saja,' Korea's version of the grim reaper. Kang and her co-director Chris Appelhans also wanted to create a new kind of female superhero. 'We've both wanted to see more relatable female characters, ones that are messy, act silly, make stupid faces, and we thought it would be especially refreshing to see that in the superhero space. It felt like a new take on the female superhero,' she said. All killer, no filler soundtrack The filmmakers got their music dream team on board early, wanting to fuse Kpop bangers with the traditions of theatrical musicals - without, thankfully, the characters singing dialogue. The songwriting and production credits are the who's who of Kpop chart-toppers, led by BLACKPINK producer Terry Park and his THEBLACKLABEL hit factory of writers as well as Grammy-nominated and winning producers Lindgren, Stephen Kirk, Jenna Andrews who had worked on music for K-pop artists such as BTS and Twice. The soundtrack's first single was the end credits version of 'Takedown' performed by Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung of girl group Twice, who just announced four arena concerts in Sydney and Melbourne in November. But the film's central song 'Golden' is proving the runaway hit, unseating Justin Bieber from No.1 on the ARIA singles chart this week and amassing more than 215 million Spotify streams over the past six weeks. Demon Hunters' executive music producer Ian Eisendrath said the filmmakers took the opposite approach to film musicals when creating the soundtrack. 'In film musicals, you are often hiring people who specialise in narrative writing,' he told Billboard. 'This was interesting because it was sort of the opposite. It was bringing in people from the pop world to write for the film, as opposed to people from the film world to write in the style of K-pop.' There's already a campaign afoot for an Oscar nomination for Best Song. Something for everyone The film isn't just a godsend for parents seeking family-friendly content. It's got the goods there with the perennial PG narrative of Rumi's struggle for self-acceptance. But it's kid cult following has quickly broadened into other creative communities. The animation style has inspired thousands of fan art and DIY costume posts while TikTok and YouTube are flooded with dance workouts and challenges and cover versions of Demon Hunters' songs. Critics have also hailed the film's comedic thread as it skewers the much-maligned K-pop training system and singing competitions and K-drama tropes.
The Age
16 hours ago
- The Age
Japanese fusion cafes have swept Melbourne, but this suburban sushi spot goes back to basics
Find affordable omakase and comfort food items at Orianna Sushi Cafe in Murrumbeena. Previous SlideNext Slide Japanese$$$$ What does one of Australia's top sushi chefs do when they start thinking about retirement? Apparently, they open a Japanese cafe in the suburbs, serving incredible food at extremely reasonable prices. The only problem is, Dani Liem's offering is so good that he's not getting pensioned off any time soon. Orianna opened in April, south of Hughesdale station in a sleepy little strip. The 22-seat cafe is in a modern shop with apartments above. If I lived here, I'd be running a tab, coming in the morning for well-made espresso and rice balls, mid-morning for matcha strawberry cake, and back at lunch (and two nights a week), alternating between Japanese comfort food and sushi. Liem was born in Indonesia, but he's cooked Japanese food for 25 years, including a period training in Tokyo in the early noughts. More recently, he was in charge of the omakase and kaiseki (seasonal set menu) offerings at South Melbourne's hatted Komeyui. He's still consulting at new city restaurant Sushi Sho, too, where dinner costs $268. The chef's selection at Orianna is just $38. Granted, it's not as lavish, and the nine pieces of seafood-on-rice are presented all at once on a platter, rather than bite-by-bite as with traditional omakase, but the careful sourcing and the skill behind each mouthful is on par. It's outstanding. You might get kingfish that has been wrapped in kombu for a day to infuse it with umami, beautifully cut and topped with lightly cooked, salted spring onion. Simultaneously delicate and intense, it's draped over perfectly seasoned rice, every grain plump and distinct. Salmon is brushed with nikiri, a bonito-infused soy sauce that adds dimension. Prawn is daubed with buttered soy that's then torched, boosting seafood sweetness with smoky wonder. Scallop is expertly cut, fanned out and paired with a little foie gras. The combination of shellfish and liver dates to the chef's time at Komeyui. I remember eating a steamed oyster there in 2022. It was daubed in foie gras butter, demure and luxurious in a mouthful: there's the same finesse here. Nigiri (fish on rice) and sashimi (sliced fish) are available by the piece as well, and you can grab-and-go onigiri (filled rice balls). There are handrolls for breakfast or lunch on the go, plus sushi platters for the home or office. The comfort food items on the one-page menu are Liem's little pushback to the Japanese fusion cafes that have swept Melbourne. Fusion is fine, but what about old school? In this, he thinks back to early work experiences at key restaurant Izakaya Chuji, which was Victoria's first izakaya (casual Japanese bar) when it opened in 1989, running all the way through to the tough days of the pandemic. Orianna's chicken katsu curry is nostalgia in a bowl, the crumbs crisp and golden, the cutlet juicy and springy, the butter-laden mustardy gravy seeping into glistening rice. Surely a dish with 'blanket' in the name is as comforting as it gets: the 'wagyu blanket' is shaved slices of marbled Australian wagyu, lightly cooked, draped over mounds of seasoned rice, and topped with salmon roe cured in sake. It's quirky and surprising – not to mention mind-boggling value at $15 – the meat lightly seasoned with bonito stock and soy, and dissolving in the mouth. Liem's wife, Sintia, is a pastry chef: her chiffon cake melts into creamy air and her chocolate cake is a warm, gooey delight, filled with salted caramel and perfect with coffee or matcha. A liquor license is on the way. Orianna comes from the Latin for 'golden sunlight' or 'dawn'. Liem chose the name because it suggests rebirth, 'something new happening to me', he said. I love the idea of this pseudo-retirement as a beginning, as well as a gesture towards slowing down. Such good sushi, in a casual cafe setting, at super-keen prices, is certainly something new for Melbourne. Three more new sushi spots to try Sushi Takezo The space that was kaiseki restaurant Matsu's first home is now a six-seat sushi restaurant from Takeshi Murakami, previously head sushi chef at The Langham. He's using connections with seafood suppliers to source premium fish for omakase banquets, served with sake or French wine. 157A Barkly Street, Footscray, Kaiten Sushi Train There are two speeds of food delivery at this Chaddy spot. The slow train trundles on its loop with better-than-average sushi dishes: spy and try. There's also a fast train that hurtles down an elevated track to deliver food you've ordered from a touch screen. That might be premium sushi, rice dishes or fried chicken. Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, Doma Eatery New in the east, this daytime cafe has a serious approach to coffee and a Japanese fusion menu – think soy butter spaghetti and a fried chicken burger with teriyaki sauce – as well as a couple of sushi handrolls. The crumbed prawn roll is smooshed with paprika aioli and tempura batter scraps for extra texture.
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Japanese fusion cafes have swept Melbourne, but this suburban sushi spot goes back to basics
Find affordable omakase and comfort food items at Orianna Sushi Cafe in Murrumbeena. Previous SlideNext Slide Japanese$$$$ What does one of Australia's top sushi chefs do when they start thinking about retirement? Apparently, they open a Japanese cafe in the suburbs, serving incredible food at extremely reasonable prices. The only problem is, Dani Liem's offering is so good that he's not getting pensioned off any time soon. Orianna opened in April, south of Hughesdale station in a sleepy little strip. The 22-seat cafe is in a modern shop with apartments above. If I lived here, I'd be running a tab, coming in the morning for well-made espresso and rice balls, mid-morning for matcha strawberry cake, and back at lunch (and two nights a week), alternating between Japanese comfort food and sushi. Liem was born in Indonesia, but he's cooked Japanese food for 25 years, including a period training in Tokyo in the early noughts. More recently, he was in charge of the omakase and kaiseki (seasonal set menu) offerings at South Melbourne's hatted Komeyui. He's still consulting at new city restaurant Sushi Sho, too, where dinner costs $268. The chef's selection at Orianna is just $38. Granted, it's not as lavish, and the nine pieces of seafood-on-rice are presented all at once on a platter, rather than bite-by-bite as with traditional omakase, but the careful sourcing and the skill behind each mouthful is on par. It's outstanding. You might get kingfish that has been wrapped in kombu for a day to infuse it with umami, beautifully cut and topped with lightly cooked, salted spring onion. Simultaneously delicate and intense, it's draped over perfectly seasoned rice, every grain plump and distinct. Salmon is brushed with nikiri, a bonito-infused soy sauce that adds dimension. Prawn is daubed with buttered soy that's then torched, boosting seafood sweetness with smoky wonder. Scallop is expertly cut, fanned out and paired with a little foie gras. The combination of shellfish and liver dates to the chef's time at Komeyui. I remember eating a steamed oyster there in 2022. It was daubed in foie gras butter, demure and luxurious in a mouthful: there's the same finesse here. Nigiri (fish on rice) and sashimi (sliced fish) are available by the piece as well, and you can grab-and-go onigiri (filled rice balls). There are handrolls for breakfast or lunch on the go, plus sushi platters for the home or office. The comfort food items on the one-page menu are Liem's little pushback to the Japanese fusion cafes that have swept Melbourne. Fusion is fine, but what about old school? In this, he thinks back to early work experiences at key restaurant Izakaya Chuji, which was Victoria's first izakaya (casual Japanese bar) when it opened in 1989, running all the way through to the tough days of the pandemic. Orianna's chicken katsu curry is nostalgia in a bowl, the crumbs crisp and golden, the cutlet juicy and springy, the butter-laden mustardy gravy seeping into glistening rice. Surely a dish with 'blanket' in the name is as comforting as it gets: the 'wagyu blanket' is shaved slices of marbled Australian wagyu, lightly cooked, draped over mounds of seasoned rice, and topped with salmon roe cured in sake. It's quirky and surprising – not to mention mind-boggling value at $15 – the meat lightly seasoned with bonito stock and soy, and dissolving in the mouth. Liem's wife, Sintia, is a pastry chef: her chiffon cake melts into creamy air and her chocolate cake is a warm, gooey delight, filled with salted caramel and perfect with coffee or matcha. A liquor license is on the way. Orianna comes from the Latin for 'golden sunlight' or 'dawn'. Liem chose the name because it suggests rebirth, 'something new happening to me', he said. I love the idea of this pseudo-retirement as a beginning, as well as a gesture towards slowing down. Such good sushi, in a casual cafe setting, at super-keen prices, is certainly something new for Melbourne. Three more new sushi spots to try Sushi Takezo The space that was kaiseki restaurant Matsu's first home is now a six-seat sushi restaurant from Takeshi Murakami, previously head sushi chef at The Langham. He's using connections with seafood suppliers to source premium fish for omakase banquets, served with sake or French wine. 157A Barkly Street, Footscray, Kaiten Sushi Train There are two speeds of food delivery at this Chaddy spot. The slow train trundles on its loop with better-than-average sushi dishes: spy and try. There's also a fast train that hurtles down an elevated track to deliver food you've ordered from a touch screen. That might be premium sushi, rice dishes or fried chicken. Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, Doma Eatery New in the east, this daytime cafe has a serious approach to coffee and a Japanese fusion menu – think soy butter spaghetti and a fried chicken burger with teriyaki sauce – as well as a couple of sushi handrolls. The crumbed prawn roll is smooshed with paprika aioli and tempura batter scraps for extra texture.
