Aussie restaurant tops in Manhattan

Noffs with Julia Gillard & Matty Bennett

Former Sydneysiders Rupert Noffs and his partner Matty Bennett are cleaning up in New York with the success of their restaurant The Lucky Bee . The pair have received rave reviews in US publications for their trendy Soho eatery which is attracting the likes of locals and celebrities from Martha Stewart, fashion designer Valentino, LL Cool J to former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.
Noffs is the grandson of Wayside Chapel founder the Rev Tedd Noffs and moved to New York  four years ago to promote his unique brand of Gideon Shoes, Bennett was the sous chef at Sydney's Longrain restaurant. The pair married late last year in a  civil ceremony.

Apart from New York A-listers it's  the food media the pair have won over including positive reviews in the Manhattan's lifestyle bible The Village Voice with the influential New York Eater website naming The Lucky Bee as the best new comer on the block :
"The Lucky Bee is the new farm-to-table Southeast Asian cafe from restaurateur Rupert Noffs and former Fat Radish sous chef Matty Bennett. The menu includes coconut-braised short ribs, grilled whole shrimp, salt & pepper wings, and green curry with vegetables. The dining room has a kooky vibe, with 60s-style lamps, hanging ferns, and pink & black stripes all over the place."

The Lucky Bee which also sells NYC-produced honey from rooftop hives is located at 252 Broome Street in lower Manhattan. Whispers many moons ago lived for 2 years in a Broome Street loft almost opposite where The Lucky Bee is now located. At the time the area was only warehouses, deserted at night, and even lofts were illegal dwellings. They now sell for many millions of dollars. How times change.

Martha Stewart is a fan of The Lucky Bee

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Whisper's best wishes go out to two of our favourite locals Kerri-Anne Kennerley and her husband John Kennerley after John's recent tragic accident when he broke his neck after a balcony fall.

We've encountered the pair numerous times over the years and a more loving couple is hard to find. The pair are devoted to each other and this must be particularly trying time for Kerri-Anne.

 The last time we saw them at a party John told us about his favourite hobby - he has constructed a fantastic miniature train system that snakes throughout the pair's living room. John constructs everything himself including building a miniature model the magnificent Shrewbury train station in Shropshire

A Boy & His Toys

Successful businessman John Kennerley is married to one of Australia's most endearing television personalities Kerri Anne Kennerley  a favourite on the red carpet. John often joins Kerri-Anne, or KAK as she referred to. It's one of the most successful local show business  marriages that has lasted almost 31 years.

So what does John do while Kerri is out competing on Dancing With The Stars and partaking in her show-biz activities ? . John, originally from Cheshire in the UK is building in  perfect detail in his house, a replica of a train line that runs through the north of England and to date has re-created a non-too small replica of one of Britain's oldest and grandest listed buildings, Shewsbury Station along with outlying tracks and trains.

He'll proudly show you some pics from his iphone of the amazing train set that snakes throughout the living room of the pair's Rose Bay mansion.

And he builds every single piece himself in a special workroom, including the replica trains that puff around the track and is now working on the local scenery to go with it.
 So it's true- a man and his shed could be the secret to a succesful marriage!

Kerri-Anne Lashes Out

Kerri-Anne

Jo Cassamento & Ronan Keating

It was fairly gloomy day yesterday- grey skies and intermittent rain. The atmosphere outside perhaps reflected that inside at the chic Darlinghurst restaurant Spic I Am where around 40 friends and production staff gathered for a farewell lunch for TV's daytime queen Kerri Anne Kennerley who has been dumped after a nine year run at Channel Nine.

Spice I Am owners Padet Nagsalab and Sujet Saenkham are pals of Kerri-Anne and the restaurant's chef had appeared many times on her programme. They laid on a sumptuous Thai banquet and champagne for the crew to drown their sorrows.

But things took are a dramatic turn when Kerri-Anne heard of one guest who had been invited-the top columnist from the Sunday Telegraph Jo Cassaamento. It seems Jo had a written a piece about Kennerely in the past which she didn't like.

A hapless publicist was dispatched to telephone Cassamento and rescind the invitation to lunch. The Shuttle gathers the publicist received a right royal roasting from Jo. I'm sure we'll read all about this Sunday !

As for Kerri-Anne, rumours are that there is already an offer in the pipeline from another network. Not that she needs the work. Hubby John Kennerley, who with partners started Littlewoods Pools in the UK is loaded.