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citybites night out MOONLIGHT, CAMERA, ACTION! Summer is here and the nation's parks and gardens come alive during the daylight hours with picnickers, strollers, frisbees, families and big smiles. At sunset, however, these spaces transform into something even more magical: Moonlight Cinema. Cinemagoers can take their love of film outside into the star-studded open air when Moonlight Cinema serves up a brilliant mix of new releases, old favourites and cult classics. This year's program includes Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Ri ngs prequel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, as well as Grease Sing-A-Long, which is bound to sell out early (yes you can and should book online to save time, avoid queues and secure tickets). Picnics are encouraged and there is a great range of food and drinks available on-site, too. If the thought of sitting on a rug for a couple of hours has you reaching for the Tiger Balm, you can hire super-comfy bean beds or BYO beach chairs or cushions. Moonlight Cinema screens throughout summer in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. To view the full program and purchase tickets visit www.moonl ight.com.au. wine & dine 'TIS THE SEASON The Bellevue hotel in Sydney's Paddington has a welcoming surprise housed in a light- filled atrium out the back – a smooth collaboration between renowned executive chef Damien Pignolet and head chef Nathan Lakeman. It's a restaurant with traditional roots and modern, not-too-fancy flair. It's the kind of place you can relax in, knowing the ingredients are fresh and it's all about the flavours you know and love. The pair has recently designed a new bar and canapés menu for the hotel's restaurant, and an exciting Christmas feast menu that ups the ante when it comes to a festive pub dinner. Saying that, the menu offers classics such as lamb cutlets, pork and veal sliders and chicken wings alongside delicious canapés such as prosciutto-wrapped melon and smoked eggplant tartlet with Woodside goat's curd. There's a three-course function menu with all the trimmings. And, yes, turkey is naturally on offer – slow-cooked with a pork, pistachio and sage farce kipfler potato and confit garlic gratin. Pudding is the perfect wrap-up to a Christmas feast, and the Bellevue serves one with a brandy butter or hazelnut panna cotta with fresh berries and a coulis. It's certainly the festive season at the Bellevue. www.bel levuehotel.com.au 6