What We Love this December – Our Christmas Giveaway and Gift Guide; Breakfast Pasta; and the Silver Screen.

Having trouble viewing this email? [Click to view online.] [Advert] [Advert] A from-the-hip snapshot of what we love this month and why, by Broadsheet in partnership with Stella Artois. The year is ending and Christmas is coming but there’s still a lot to see, do and eat before we close out 2016. SAND BETWEEN YOUR TOES – St Kilda’s Stokehouse is finally back in business, nearly three years after a fire gutted the restaurant. From December 9 you can choose from fine-dining upstairs, the casual grill downstairs, or take away a cone of fish and chips to eat on the beach. [Stokehouse] – A morning drive to Lorne will have you arriving just in time for lunch at HAH, a new health cafe with a beachfront view. Find smoothies, jaffles made with local ingredients, house-made chocolate and vegan slices. It also doubles as a surf- and bike-hire shop. Convenient. [HAH] – It’s time to dig out last year’s bathers. Or get better ones. When he’s not playing football for Melbourne, Jack Watts runs board-short label Skwosh. Pick from avocado, kiwis or flamingo prints. [Skwosh] THE BIG PICTURE – Truly, summer in Melbourne is the season of open-air cinemas – from sprawling on picnic rugs at Moonlight Cinema in the Botanic Gardens to sinking into a deckchair at the Cameo in Belgrave. But watching movies at altitude never gets old, which is why we’ve been poring over the new Rooftop Cinema program. It starts December 3. [Rooftop Cinema] – Speaking of spoilt for choice – in December ACMI launches a season of Studio Ghibli’s best films. Essential Anime Heroines collects the plucky female protagonists the Japanese studio is known for, and will feature Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbour Totoro. [ACMI] – Elsewhere in important film news, Hawthorn gelateria Piccolina has an update on the choc top. Its gelato comes in flavours such as mint, strawberry cream, and salted caramel, and is hand-dipped in tempered dark chocolate and cacao butter. Five stars. [Piccolina] STELLA ARTOIS SUGGESTS – Giving presents is great; choosing presents is hard. Allow us to help. For 12 days in December, we’re giving away a whole swag of excellent gifts including furniture, kitchen accessories, limited-edition sunglasses, sustainably made leather shoes, jewellery, books, knives, headwear, a beach pack and even a bike. Yes, a real, human-sized bike. The prize features a six-pack of Stella Artois and six Stella Artois chalices for the perfect pouring experience at home. Get involved. [12 Days Of Christmas] [Advert] [Advert] ITALIANS DO IT BETTER – SPQR is now open on Liverpool Street in the CBD. While wood-fired pizza might not be what you’re after on a 40-degree day, the low-key Nick Harding-designed interior will be; it’s comfy, with a sunken dining room, high windows and teal piping. It also has a standing-room-only foyer serving pizza by the slice. [SPQR] – Small Axe in Brunswick has found a neat little following for its breakfast pasta (seriously, why has it taken so long for someone to do this?), but it’s also worth checking out the pistachio granita, served with grilled brioche. [Small Axe] – Think brioche also goes well with gelato? Let’s find out. Pidapipo – in Carlton, and now Windsor – lets you chuck a scoop of any flavour you like into a soft, sweet brioche bun. Drizzle hot Nutella on top if you want, too. [Pidapipo] MILLENIAL AUSTRALIA – When one forms a band with an early-’90s corporate theme, one does not simply grow a mullet, put on a pastel suit, buy an “alpine white” limo and stop there. One also designs a beachy clothing line just in time for summer, that sits between Baywatch and Neighbours circa Scott and Charlene. Client Liaison’s summer range will drop online soon. [Client Liaison] – If you like glitter but won’t commit to full-body sequins, the NGV Design store has unveiled a new contemporary jewellery space. One of the highlights is a limited-edition collab between pioneering Australian designer Mary Featherston and contemporary Melbourne jeweller Blanche Tilden. [Wearable Art] RITUALS: WHAT WE’LL LOVE DOING REPEATEDLY THIS MONTH 1 Plucking a flower from Lee Mingwei’s The Moving Garden in the NGV foyer, and giving it to a stranger. 2 Free sunset yoga sessions at MPavilion in the Queen Victoria Gardens. 3 Stopping by Gelateria Primavera for a scoop of ricotta, olive oil and lemon every single time we’re in the city. 4 Perfecting our Christmas hosting skills over a Stella Artois, bread and bon bons. 5 Cooling off in The Astor, and catching It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve (again). 6 Getting in early to order a rare-breed traditional Christmas leg ham from Meatsmith. [Advert] [Advert] Having trouble viewing this email? [Click to view online.] Not interested anymore? [Click to unsubscribe.] ©2016 Broadsheet Media [Design The Company You Keep]