Telenova
Artfully lit and tastefully soundtracked. That’s what I’m looking for.
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Telenova are an indie-pop trio from Melbourne, Australia. Lead singer Angeline shows us her favourite spots.
Where do you live most of the year?
Melbourne
What do you look for in a restaurant when you walk in?
Amber ambient lighting that makes me feel held and hides the imperfections in one’s visage (both mine and my date’s) in a generally candlelit feel - unless it’s a Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant in which case I want the exact opposite - harsh overhead fluro lighting which comes out with a slight green tinge if photographed on film.
Ick is anywhere blaring loud pop music - and I mean like Top 40 pop music, is that what you call it? Like the pop music you hear in Ubers, tourist trap restaurants, bad mainstream radio and everywhere else. Like the pop music you’re sick of before the first time you’ve heard the end of the song.
Ick x 10 if the EQ in the sound system is too high in the trebles and high-mids. If a restaurant is playing mostly instrumental music or music I don’t recognize and is mostly low-mids and bass so one’s conversational frequencies can be heard without straining ones voice or ears, it usually becomes a favourite. Artfully lit and tastefully soundtracked. That’s what I’m looking for.
What is your final meal?
Hot chips with lots of chicken salt (I think chicken salt is an Australian-only thing?) because it would normalize the looming experience of death and help calm my nerves, it’s also just the snack i most frequently crave when hungry and also because if it has chicken salt it probably means I’m having my final meal in Australia (?) hopefully surrounded by family and friends (with plenty of hot chips to go around).
3 dream guests for dinner? Why?
C.S Lewis - because aside from his popular children’s novels in the Narnia series he is actually a really respected and often-quoted thinker in Christian circles for his hot theological takes and I love how his imagination captures beauty and the longing for (and wrestling with) the idea of the Divine. I love a loooooong stretched out meal with some weighty conversation and I think he’d offer that.
My friend Caleb Mac - I just had this thought now and he’ll be stoked that I wrote his name in here (especially because Clive Staples Lewis is going to be at the dinner also) I see him all the time so bit of an odd pick for a dinner guest, but he always makes me laugh and I think having a funny guest in the mix is a good idea plus if it turns out I don’t much like C.S Lewis’ company in real life (or my third dinner guest) at least I know that Caleb will make me laugh.
David Lynch - because I (like every other ex-film student) like to think (or say?) I’ve been inspired by him even though the truth is that the vast majority of his films terrify me by the trailer alone so I haven’t actually seen most of them. I just loved his cameos in Twin Peaks, loved his cooking quinoa vid and loved his film about the man who rides a lawn mower across America to make peace with his brother - and I love these things all the more for existing within the context of all the other work that David Lynch is actually known for. In every interview I’ve seen of him he genuinely seems like a very kind hearted man.
Angeline’s Taste Maker Guide
Breakfast: SONIDO, Fitzroy, Melbourne
Order: Pulled Beef Arepa with guac and salsa and every mouthful topped with a fresh spoonful of picadillo or chimichurri which exists in infinite amounts in jars on the tables. Oh and add grilled cheese.
The plain cheese arepa is also a nice light snack with a hot drink.
Drink of choice - definitely the dulce de leche milkshake. Your insulin spike will be out of control and the room will start spinning but it’ll be worth it.
Coffee: The Brewman Coffee, Cubao Expo, Manila
Order: I can’t drink coffee, it gives me the shakes. Delicious hojicha latte here though and a small selection of no-fuss, guaranteed delicious pastries to accompany. Great little spot out of the wild hustle and bustle of Manila (rare).
Lunch: Lille Bakery, Copenhagen
Order: I’ve been to Copenhagen like twice in my life (on tour) and may’ve only been to this spot once but I have been dreaming of it ever since and gutted we’re not even going to Copenhagen on our next EU/UK tour (rip).
Order: everything on the lunch menu that comes with their sourdough and butter and organic fresh produce sourced locally. The flavours in your mouth will make you believe in God.
Special dinner: Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca, Melbourne
Order: Some may call this a casual eatery but I’m a musician, we don’t make money. Anything above $60pp is fine dining to me. This is my favourite restaurant. Great lighting, red brick, an artfully pixelated large photograph of some old Italian dudes on the stoop, heaps of timber furnishings and little Italiano-esque (i guess?) drapes, good tunes in low-to-mid frequencies.
Must order: the focaccia entree with burnt honey, the meatball sub if you’re feeling naughty and the soft serve special
Casual dinner: Good Days
Order: Chilli chicken wings to start, beef pho and coconut water. This place has a line outside for a reason - they only make about three dishes and they are all flawless. Favourite Vietnamese in Melbourne.
Special shoutouts
Melbourne Favs:
Gogyo - wagyu spring rolls + kogashi Shoyu (charred broth) ramen + the hojicha cheesecake
Saravanaa Bhavan - Masala Dosa + ginger tea
Pizza Electrica - pepperoni and hot honey, faultless pizzas + ranch sauce + fresh leaves salad with parmesan
Kafeneion - everything on the menu + the orange cake and homemade chocolate ice cream for dessert