Plots & Fine Dining

 THE ANNOUNCEMENT today that Canadian born hamburger salesman Jack Cowin has been granted a seat on the board of Fairfax Media signals another shot across the bow of the recalcitrant Fairfax board from the World's Richest Woman ( and soon to be the world's richest person according to Chase Manhattan Bank) Gina Rinehart.

A relative pauper with just a $620M fortune compared to Gina's $29Billion, the former insurance salesman turned Burger King and Hungry Jacks entrepreneur is being described as an 'independent' board member and has agreed to maintain Fairfax's editorial independence. He also sits on the board of the Ten Network in which Rinehart holds a swag of shares along with Lachlan Murdoch.

Just last week Cowin celebrated his 69th birthday in the South of France on board his super yacht Slipstream (left). Fellow guests included Gina Rinehart and John Singleton. Whatever plans were hatched sailing the Med, they seem to have paid off. Gina had demanded 3 board seats after buying nearly 20% of Fairfax shares. She's scored one -for now.

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SADLY there is just two more days left before the pop-up restaurant Masterchef closes but the experiment has been such a huge success, another is on the way.

St Marys

Masterchef is a joint venture of the Ten Network which screens the popular Masterchef series, and the media production company Shine. Located on the forecourt and in the shadow of the elegant St Mary's Cathedral and opposite Hyde Park it's a million dollar location but it's the size of the restaurant that amazes. Housed in an enormous marquee, it's 2 floors of culinary delights with a large but comfortable bar upstairs for pre-dinner drinks.

Chefs include Masterchef stars Julie Goodwin and Marion Grasby with some of Sydney's most experienced food stars assisting, like Justin North and Kylie Kwong, who is rated in the top five Chinese chefs in the world.

The Shuttle dined there last Wednesday and the food - well sadly as this current venue will vanish on Sunday there isn't much point describing it - apart to say it was sensational. Never fear, we hear another pop-up is in the works for the coming Summer and in an equally fabulous Sydney location.
                                      

Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Gets Coy With Poster !

Just a week after the Shuttle published the cover of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras program guide (left) which is now available from hundreds of outlets around inner Sydney,  a similar poster has begun appearing in the streets.

Today a reader snapped one on Crown Street outside Billy  Kwongs world famous Chinese restaurant where dozens of customers queue each evening.

The program guide cover is often re-produced in posters and flags that fly along Sydney boulevards during the current Mardi Gras season which lasts until the first week of March and culminates in the colourful parade that snakes up Oxford Street for several hours before finishing in a party at Fox Studios attended by tens of thousands of party-goers.

Perhaps it was our imagination but we pointed out what seems to be a  pornographic image on the programme cover (feast your eyes on the right hand top corner next to the red flames !).

The guide is left in streets all over Sydney stacked in piles for anyone (kids included) to pick up. We pondered on the fact the same may appear fluttering from flag poles all over Sydney and lo and behold, today they began to appear.

But note the subtle difference !. Or is it all in the mind ?
(and has the anti-Mardi Gras Reverend Fred Nile noticed yet ?)