The secret 'underground' Aussie hotspots with top-tier food and wine - and the edgy new Sydney hotel paying you to leave your room: THE DETOUR

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Welcome to The Detour: Your food and travel guide to the best flavours, hidden haunts, insider tips and unforgettable new experiences that reward those who wander off course. 

I don't know if it's the weather, the post-spring chaos or pure coincidence, but the east coast is absolutely buzzing right now.

New openings, secret bars, luxe wellness spaces... you name it.

After a strange few months, it feels like the country has finally woken up.

So let's dive in.

Your next must-visit: Osteria Luna

Hidden under Sydney CBD's Charles Brasserie & Bar in a 1938 Art Deco building, Osteria Luna is a sultry Italian hideaway made for late nights and slow drinking.

And it opens today! 

Hidden under Sydney CBD's Charles Brasserie & Bar in a 1938 Art Deco building, Osteria Luna is a sultry Italian hideaway made for late nights and slow drinking

If I were you I'd be opting for the single-sheet ravioli stuffed with funghi in brown butter. Drool. 

From today until December 11, the first 50 diners each day will receive a complimentary pasta bowl from 12 to 2pm with a drink purchase

This little gem is dim, velvet-draped and cinematic - think Rat Pack spirit, old-school swagger and an elegant, simple menu. 

Executive Chef Billy Hannigan and Head Chef Peter Fiander have set out to deliver 'soulful dishes with theatre' - which is evident in how this opening week will play out.

From today until December 11, the first 50 diners each day will receive a complimentary pasta bowl from 12 to 2pm with a drink purchase. 

If I were you I'd be opting for the single-sheet ravioli stuffed with funghi in brown butter. Drool.

Meanwhile, throughout the day a silver bell rings to signal trays of frozen limoncello coupes and after dark, staff slip into burgundy velvet jackets, the DJ swings between Italo disco and lounge classics, and the room becomes an underground world of its own.

As Hannigan puts it: 'Osteria Luna captures the warmth and playfulness of classic Italian dining where old school hospitality is revived.

'It has a moody charm - the kind of place where you feel encouraged to settle in, linger over food, laughter and just a touch of chaos.'

Stay tuned for my thoughts on this one in the next couple of weeks. 

Executive Chef Billy Hannigan and Head Chef Peter Fiander have set out to deliver 'soulful dishes with theatre' - which is evident in how this opening week will play out

From today until December 11, the first 50 diners each day will receive a complimentary pasta bowl from 12 to 2pm with a drink purchase

One Playground North Sydney is here

I never thought I'd be writing about a gym here, but One Playground's new North Sydney club barely qualifies as one.

Instead, you are treated to four levels of fitness, recovery, saunas, curated lighting, perfume, art installations and design-led studios.

It sits right beside the Victoria Cross Metro and is more like a wellbeing hideaway than anything you'd find in your typical fitness precinct.

'North Sydney just felt right. It's full of energy, ambition, and people who genuinely care about their health,' Head of Member Experience Billy Waters tells me. 

'We never want to just open another gym, we wanted to create something that feels like a true third space.'

I never thought I'd be writing about a gym here, but One Playground's new North Sydney club barely qualifies as one

It sits right beside the Victoria Cross Metro and is more like a wellbeing hideaway than anything you'd find in your typical fitness precinct

Five purpose-built concepts run the show: Pulse, Force, Surge, Space and Reformer.

Each studio is designed for how people actually train, not what's trending. I've been quietly road-testing it and the Pulse classes are addictive. Neon, frantic, fast. You're in and out before your brain catches up. 

But ooooft do you feel it the next day.  

The Beat Box spin classes are a hoot too - like dance parties on wheels. The energy the instructors bring is infectious and somehow makes working out feel like a breeze.

This is the kind of place where you can tell the staff genuinely want to be there. And if they don’t, they hide it very well.

They’re high energy without being cheesy, super knowledgeable, unbelievably friendly and just the right amount of cheeky. It’s impressive stuff, and it turns the space into the ultimate destination for anyone winding down after a long ((or tough) day. 

'It's that combination of designated serene wellness spaces and heart racing high intensity fitness areas that really shine through,' Billy says. 

'A personal favourite would be the gym floor performance lighting, it's on another level.'

See you there. 

'North Sydney just felt right. It's full of energy, ambition, and people who genuinely care about their health,' Head of Member Experience Billy Waters tells me

I've been quietly road-testing it and the Pulse classes are addictive. Neon, frantic, fast. You're in and out before your brain catches up

Hinchcliff House x Principe Prosciutto: A match made in heaven

If you needed an excuse for Aperitivo Hour (as if), Sydney's Hinchcliff House just handed you a delicious one.

To celebrate the arrival of Prosciutto di San Daniele in Australia, Principe has teamed up with the four venues inside the CBD dining institution. 

What can you expect? Cocktails with a savoury twist and a run of prosciutto-forward snacks that go far beyond a cheese board.

The star: the Principe Negroni, where Widge's Gin is fat-washed with prosciutto for a silky, savoury depth. 

If you needed an excuse for Aperitivo Hour (as if), Sydney's Hinchcliff House just handed you a delicious one

To celebrate the arrival of Prosciutto di San Daniele in Australia, Principe has teamed up with the four venues inside the CBD dining institution

Melone Spritz and Monte Highball are also must-tries, all designed to complement the original San Daniele style.

On the snacks front, Lana is rolling out a theatrical Principe Prosciutto Trolley, Bar Mammoni is leaning into cult Italian street eats, while Grana and Apollonia are serving raviolo fritto with truffle honey and prosciutto.

'Introducing Principe Prosciutto di San Daniele to Australia through Aperitivo Hour feels like the perfect beginning… a delicate, savoury taste best enjoyed the Italian way: with friends, good drinks and pure pleasure. From San Daniele, with love,' General Manager Susanna Polycarpou says.

Consider me sold. 

On the snacks front, Lana is rolling out a theatrical Principe Prosciutto Trolley

Caption by Hyatt is changing the game

Hotels usually want you to stay inside. This one will literally pay you to leave.

The uber-cool new Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney has launched The Haymarket Hundred, a program that rewards you for completing 100 hyper-local experiences - think dumplings, late-night karaoke, and visits to neighbourhood bars.

Every time you tick one off, you earn a $20 credit to spend at Talk Shop, the hotel's café-bar-hangout.

'We didn't just want guests to stay with us - we wanted them to explore,' Sales & Marketing Director, Peter Roach, said.

'You're not just visiting Sydney; you're becoming part of the neighbourhood.'

Say less! 

The uber-cool new Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney has launched The Haymarket Hundred, a program that rewards you for completing 100 hyper-local experiences - think dumplings, late-night karaoke, and visits to neighbourhood bars

'We didn't just want guests to stay with us - we wanted them to explore,' Sales & Marketing Director, Peter Roach, said

From 98 Lygon Street to the Med

Melbourne's answer to a mini Mediterranean holiday now lives on Brunswick East's quieter end.

98 Lygon St has opened a refreshed courtyard that feels more Amalfi than Melbourne. 

White-washed walls, linen-draped tables, oysters on ice and a 50-year-old olive tree all make up what is set to be a 'must' for summer dining.

Melbourne's answer to a mini Mediterranean holiday now lives on Brunswick East's quieter end

White-washed walls, linen-draped tables, oysters on ice and a 50-year-old olive tree all make up what is set to be a 'must' for summer dining

Aperitivo Hour runs 4 to 6pm daily, with complimentary snacks when you order two cocktails.

Head Chef Brian Macalister brings a Michelin pedigree to a laid-back bistro menu with wild garlic scallops, crudités with 98 Bagnet Verde, Shallot Tart Tatin and a silky leek beurre blanc over Market Fish.

'We want the experience to feel like a long afternoon in any cosy European town - generous, sunny and relaxed, with simple things done really well,' he says.

Sounds like he's nailed it.

Head Chef Brian Macalister brings a Michelin pedigree to a laid-back bistro menu with wild garlic scallops, crudités with 98 Bagnet Verde, Shallot Tart Tatin and a silky leek beurre blanc over Market Fish

'We want the experience to feel like a long afternoon in any cosy European town - generous, sunny and relaxed, with simple things done really well,' he says