Paying it forward

With small businesses hit hard by the Government’s coronavirus regulations, many are struggling to survive during these toughest of times. Flinders St cafe Xpresso on Flinders is just one of those affected by the fallout; but, despite their own struggles, the business is continuing to implement a very important tradition – helping out those in need.

“I have a suspended board where I have my customers paying forwards coffees and toasts, and then I have people in need come in and claim it for free,” owner Rima el Banna says. “I’ve had that from the beginning and we get a lot of people coming in on a regular basis.”

But while Rima and her staff are proud to help others wherever possible, they also need others to help them in return.

“I’ve lost about 60-70 per cent of my customers,” Rima says. “I’ve had to cut my staff from 38 hours to maybe 10 each to keep them, and I’m doing all the work myself just to pay my rent, which I’m not able to make.”

The café continues to serve a full breakfast and lunch menu via takeaway, with eggs benedict and bacon and egg toast for breakfast and hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken schnitzels, an open fresh salad bar and vegan options for lunch.

But, for Xpresso on Flinders to survive, Rima needs the support of local workers and residents. “I still appreciate people coming in for the support,” she says. “There are faces I haven’t seen from local offices on the street being told to support us, and I’ve had a few people from ONE Apartments coming in to support us as well.

“In this time of need, we all need to help each other out. You support your local shop so we can keep going.

Xpresso on Flinders, 281 Flinders St, open 7am-3pm Monday to Friday.

Putting the fun into food

From wearing fancy dress to take out the garbage to celebrities performing stay-at-home dances, the whole of Australia is facing the coronavirus pandemic with typical strength and humour – not to mention a bit of creativity.

And joining in the fun is Hutt St fine dining restaurant Bai Long Store, just a five-minute walk away from ONE Apartments where, for those coming in to collect their takeaway dinner orders, there’s also a little surprise in store.

“We turned the store into a ping pong place,” owner Jerry Chua says. “We will be allowing in two people maximum when they come and pick up and they can play some ping pong, write some calligraphy and listen to some music – that’s the fun part.”

With in-house dining off the menu during the past few weeks, Jerry has expanded the businesses into a takeaway service, offering favourites that people can purchase pre-cooked or cook themselves at home. But, with restrictions now easing, customers welcomed the reopening of Bai Long’s popular outdoor eating area on Thursday night, coinciding with the return of some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, including beef ribs and lamb ribs.

“Everyone has been asking for those,” Jerry says. “Mapo chicken is another one of our signature dishes. We’re bringing back all the signature dishes but not the full menu – at this stage we are still expecting a small number of clients for the next few weeks, so we are trying to keep the running costs down.”

The reopening of the outdoor dining area and the promise of the easing of more restrictions in the future is providing relief for Jerry and his staff, many of whom have been on furlough for the past few weeks. “We have brought most of the kitchen staff back – everyone shares shifts but at least everyone is back on their feet now,” Jerry says. “Our waiting staff will very slow to return but, when the next stage opens up, I’m sure we can invite all of them back.”

And Jerry is quick to acknowledge the importance of his customers’ support during these challenging times. “Our customers are the ones who have kept us alive,” he says. “We have had so many faces just come in here and play a bit of ping pong with me, just supporting us and sending us positive messages. It was tough – everyone was a bit wobbly, not sure what was going on but now everyone is a bit more calm and stable and everything is looking so much better.”

Bai Long Store, 80 Hutt St, open for lunch 12pm-2pm Friday to Sunday, and for dinner 5pm-8.30pm Tuesday to Sunday.

Business is still on the menu

The coronavirus regulations have led to the closure of many cafes and restaurants in Adelaide’s CBD but, for residents of ONE Flinders East, there are still plenty of opportunities to support local businesses by getting out and enjoying a coffee, lunch or even dinner.

Just a couple of doors down from the prestigious apartments, The Flinders Street Project has always been a popular eatery with locals, offering a delicious menu featuring home-made pasta, open sandwiches, roast chicken, lamb and more. Still open for business, The Flinders Street Project continues to offer much of their breakfast and lunch favourites, only in a takeaway format.

“We’re still doing all our coffees and drinks that we did before and food-wise we’re doing a couple of menu items such as scrambled eggs and fried eggs,” co-owner Carly Humphreys says. “Mike’s making house-made pasta for lasagne and pasta sauces to take home. We also have pies and sausage rolls, all made in-house, which are proving especially popular.”

But there’s no doubt the business – and its staff – are feeling the effects of the coronavirus. “We’re down about 70-80 per cent on customers,” Carly says. “We’ve had to stand our staff down for now so they’re ready to go as soon as we can.”

For businesses like The Flinders Street Project, ongoing support from regular customers is key to their survival; but Carly and Mike have also welcomed some new faces to their establishment. “We have a few new customers from people in local apartments such as ONE Flinders East who are working from home, which is good,” Carly says. “And a few people who are still in their offices close-by come in as often as they can.”

Carly is hoping that support continues. “It’s about everyone helping each other out – that’s what we’ve been telling our customers,” she says. “It’s supporting each other and supporting all the local businesses where we can.”

The Flinders Street Project, 276 Flinders St, open 7.30am-2pm Monday to Friday, 8am-12.30pm Saturday.

Open the door to Fringe

It’s the world’s second-biggest annual arts festival – and it’s right on your doorstep

Adelaide’s most wonderful time of the year – after Christmas, of course – is here. The Adelaide Fringe is bringing together thousands of performers and millions of visitors from all across the country and the globe to share in the joy of the world’s second-largest annual arts festival, setting the scene for a month filled with colour, joy and vibrancy.

Running until March 15, this year’s Adelaide Fringe truly has something for everyone: 31 days and nights of entertainment spanning genres from comedy to cabaret, music to magic, circus to children’s shows, as well as dance, theatre, visual arts, design and more. It’s the ultimate smorgasbord for the senses for all ages and tastes and, with plenty of free as well as ticketed events, for every budget.

Highlights this year include Amanda Palmer at the RCC, Velvet Rewired starring Marcia Hines at Gluttony, Blanc De Blanc Encore at The Garden, The Nights by Henry Naylor at Holden St Theatre, and Chasing Smoke at The Garden. And running every day of Fringe, with free entry, is the immersive Yabarra – Dreaming in Light at Tandanya, which tells the story of creation and country. For the full program of events, log on to adelaidefringe.com.au

Adelaide’s already bustling East End is home to some of Fringe’s most iconic hubs such as Gluttony and The Garden of Unearthly Delights, where visitors can kick back and relax in open spaces while enjoying delicious local food and beverages, or thrill to the many shows on offer. As the sun goes down and the stars come out, friends gather together under the brightly lit trees to share special moments and build new friendships.

For apartment owners at ONE Flinders East, all this and more is less than a leisurely 15-minute stroll away from home. Located at the east end of Flinders St in Adelaide’s CBD, the prestigious ONE Flinders East building is perfectly located to allow residents to soak up the best of the Fringe and the local area, including the myriad cafes, bars and restaurants of Rundle St and its environs.

But ONE Flinders East residents don’t even need to leave home to immerse themselves in the energy of this exciting environment. Decked out with communal marble-topped tables and wooden benches, an outside entertaining area on level 17 of the 22-storey apartment block creates the ideal community space where residents can come together for a beer and a barbecue while soaking up the sights and sounds of Fringe. It’s also where residents will be treated to exclusive performances by Fringe artists during this exciting time.

For those private Fringe moments, break-out balconies on many of the floors offer a more intimate space for residents to enjoy the atmosphere solo, or with close friends and family.

As well as Fringe, Adelaide’s Mad March season also welcomes internationally acclaimed events such as the Adelaide Festival, Womadelaide and Superloop Adelaide 500. From their private balconies, ONE Flinders East residents can drift away to the sound of strings in Elder Park, feel their hearts beat in time to the drums at the Botanic Gardens, and smell the octane in the air as the V8s roar by just a stone’s throw from their front door.

From culture to cuisine, Adelaide’s Mad March is guaranteed to delight and inspire, bringing people together and creating memories that will last a lifetime. You’d be mad to miss it.

The first home buyer

Having acquired a taste for apartment living following travels to Europe, Finn Galindo, knew what he wanted in his first home purchase.

Finn wanted atmosphere, vibrancy, movement and activity all within easy reach. He definitely didn’t want a quiet location on an expansive block.

When he discovered the plans for One, he knew he’d found the right place for him.

“I’d seen a lot of what I didn’t want in a home in the first few months of looking at other developments in Adelaide,” Finn said.

“There were far too many cookie-cutter approaches to apartment living in Adelaide, but One was instantly, visibly different.

“The design features, including the layout, structure and embellishments, especially the planned use of so much green space in an apartment building made it more like a community than anything else I’d seen.”

Finn, with his background in design, technology and manufacturing education, said he knew it was not a hard task for developers to make big buildings, but he did know it was a massive challenge to make them as beneficial to the residents who were to live within them.

The proximity to the city and Park Lands, the open community green space, and the elements of greenery worked in throughout the building were also particularly appealing.

“It’s going to be a real community feeling within One, rather than just a bunch of boxes, which I’m really excited about,” Finn said.

As a first home buyer, Finn’s parents have been supportive of the decision to invest and live in one of Adelaide’s newest apartment buildings.

“My dad has said that he wished he’d done it!”

“I’m one of the first of my circle of friends to take the plunge into home ownership, but I know I’ve made the right choice with One – it’s hard to go past it.”

City-based professional

Emma-Jane wanted an apartment close to her work in city that was in a quieter location than the central CBD and west end, but maintained a close connection to the Park Lands.

“The location of One is just perfect for me – it’s close to work, the East Park Lands and all the lifestyle options of Hutt Street and Rundle Street,” Emma-Jane said.

But what was most appealing about One was the design.

“It’s a very attractive building with many great features. The ability to talk to Michael (the architect) gave me a much greater insight to the concept of what they were planning and why they were creating so much green open space as part of the development.”

Having lived in the Adelaide Hills for most of her life, connection to green space and the environment in general was an important factor in her decision to buy her one-bedroom apartment in One.

“The sense of community the park-like space in the centre of the apartments will create is just fantastic.”

“I was also impressed that the fit and finish of the apartments was well above what I’d seen in other developments in the city. I’m going to live in my apartment and I wanted it to be the best it could be, so this was very important.”

With a city-based job, Emma knows about the dynamics that make up different parts of the city. “The East End and Flinders Street has always been an appealing location to me, and it has really transformed in the last few years with more street-based activations like cafes and small bars popping up. And the East Park Lands have always been a great place to get out and socialise in.”

Adelaide’s tallest vertical garden arrives at ONE Flinders East apartments

Adelaide, Australia: The City’s tallest vertical garden has arrived, marked today by the last rooftop tree planting by Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor, at Adelaide’s newest apartments, ONE Flinders East.

The ONE building, designed by leading architects Loucas Zahos and developed by Guava Lime Property Solutions, opens for new city residents in August. Two-storey vertical gardens consisting of extensive climbers and planter boxes, with a total height of nearly 63 metres envelope the striking curved façade.

At completion of its public plaza, ONE will have more than 940m2 of greenery with 730 different plants, 21 species and 7 five-metre tall trees across 11 green open spaces, including a rooftop garden retreat. This greenspace allocation is the equivalent of nearly 300% of the building footprint area.

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor saidthe ONE Flinders East vertical garden is a striking addition to a boutique development that brings the ‘park feel’ right into people’s homes.    

“Projects like ONE give people who want a contemporary city lifestyle in a development with plentiful green open spaces yet another reason to choose Adelaide – a city designed for life,” said the Lord Mayor.

“With our beautiful Park Lands and a strong sustainability agenda, the City of Adelaide already has a growing reputation as a green city and developments like ONE only help further these credentials.”

Loucas Zahos’ Principal Architect, Con Zahos, described ONE as “Designed for a quality lifestyle in gardens, in the sky, in the city.”

“Adelaide’s new garden apartments combine architecture with nature to balance urban living with a private escape,” said Mr Zahos.

“Apartments are diverse as the people living in them. ONE is uniquely designed to understand and respond to diversity, with liveability and quality as the principal drivers.

“While many apartments are bespoke, design features in all apartments include glazing that extends beyond high ceiling lines, understated finishes and foliage-framed views to create a naturally inviting atmosphere,” he said.

“The generosity of providing public and green spaces is important for wellbeing. People need to have spaces to retreat and relax, as well as spaces to socialise and interact.”

First home buyer and new city resident, Finn, said ONE was instantly, visibly different.

“The design features, including the layout, structure and embellishments, especially the planned use of so much green space in an apartment building made it more like a community than anything else I’d seen,” said Finn.

As a first home buyer, Finn’s parents have been supportive of the decision to invest and live in one of Adelaide’s newest apartment buildings.

“My dad has said that he wished he’d done it!”

“I’m one of the first of my circle of friends to take the plunge into home ownership, but I know I’ve made the right choice with ONE – it’s hard to go past it.”

ONE is a boutique 24-storey, mixed-use building that comprises 100 contemporary apartments with views across the city, park lands and hills.

As part of the 18-year Flinders East placemaking project, ONE is the tallest of the eight buildings amongst neighbouring apartments, the boutique Clarion Soho hotel, commercial offices and cafes. In 2020-21, the area will see the addition of the Vibe Hotel Adelaide, a public plaza, elevated pool, rooftop restaurant and bars.

Adelaide Innovative Landscaping (AIL) has partnered with Loucas Zahos for the distinctive, carefully-chosen and maintained plantings. The team behind many civic, educational and public spaces around Adelaide, AIL are entrusted with the garden open spaces throughout ONE, as well as the vertical gardens and planters.

In the soaring foyer, local company, Green Cities, has created a five-metre tall vertical garden, creating a naturally inviting welcome for residents and visitors. A selection of two- and three-bedroom apartments are still available for sale, priced from $680,000.