The Feed | Melbourne Food News You Don’t Want To Miss

The food news has been coming in thick and fast in Melbourne, and to make sure that you're across all of the food and bev movements, we've wrapped up everything that you need to know in a handful of digestible servings. 

And if you're chasing Melbourne's best cheap eats right now, best restaurants, best cafes, best bars or basically anything else you need a rec for, we've got you covered. 

Keep up to date with all of Melbourne's food and drink news right here, hot and fresh out the kitchen as of August, 2026:

Canai Is Coming To Prahran, With A 40-Year-Old Family Roti Recipe

Image: Canai | Supplied

From the team behind Collins Street’s famous Roti Bar comes Canai: a refined new Malaysian restaurant that’s built on forty years of its owners’ combined experience, and a family roti recipe that dates back to 1986. 

Pronounced ‘cha-nai’, the restaurant is set to open in Prahran on 19 August with a fully halal menu. Highlights include kampung arancini, duck with rendang sauce, and a teh tarik burnt Basque cheesecake, but the showstopper is (as always) the golden, flaky roti that’s stretched and flipped in the open kitchen. The ambience matches the food, too, with a multi-million dollar fitout paying homage to Malay street culture with woven screens and nostalgic tiles. 

Keep up to date via Canai’s Instagram.

Little Rose Makes A Permanent Home In Fitzroy 

Image: Little Rose | Supplied

After a sold-out three-month residency that became one of Melbourne’s most talked-about dining experiences, Little Rose is staying put in Fitzroy. Rosheen Kaul’s French-Asian bistro will reopen permanently on 20 August with a refreshed fitout that blends Belle Époque Parisian cafe with 1920s Shanghai salon. The vibe is a nostalgic ‘Bistrot Chinoiserie’ viewed through, as Kaul puts it, a “slightly surreal lens”. 

All the fan favourites from the menu that won Melburnians over are back, namely the pomme purée with crab roe and Chaozhou-style vin jaune. There are some newcomers, too: whole fish à la meunière, rotating Kampot pepper snails with lemongrass, a caviar service with crispy chicken skin and battered spring onions, and large-scale desserts like baba au rhum displayed on the bar. 

We have a sneaking suspicion this is going to be one of the hottest dinner reservations in town, so book your table now. 

Two Ex-Cam's Kiosk Workers To Take Over The Site With Euro-Leaning Bar Familiar 

Image: Bar Familiar | Supplied

When Cam's Kiosk closed its doors in June, Melbourne mourned the loss of a local favourite and true standout in the city's hospo scene. Now, the Abbotsford site is set to enter a new chapter, as two ex-Cam's team members have announced they're taking over the space and opening their very own Euro-leaning restaurant Bar Familiar. 

Stepping out on their own for the very first time, Alessia Augello and Stephanie Lane will open the doors to Bar Familiar later this August, creating a space that's entirely their own, while holding on to the warmth of the existing site. 

They're also bringing on ex-Cam's chef Alisha Grant to lead the kitchen, with both familiar favourites and fresh additions to the menu. 

“We feel so energised to create something special for the community and are uniquely placed to
understand exactly what that should be,” Augello says.

“It means so much to be able to build Bar Familiar together as former colleagues and good
friends. We’re excited to carry forward the warmth and hospitality the space is known for, while
bringing our own ideas and vision for the future,” adds Lane.

While further details on the opening are currently limited, we'll continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. 

Andrew McConnell Opens Côte Basque, Dishing Up Lesser-Known Regional Flavours With Wood-Fired Flair 

Image: Côte Basque | supplied

Next date night, you're heading to Basque country. Côte Basque is the newest venue by Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann, and it's now open on Crossley Street. Inspired by traditional Basque cuisine (think: French-meets-Spanish) from McConnell’s trips since the 90s, ‘rustic simplicity’ is the brief, executed with signature Trader House elegance. It centres on a European-style wood grill and a wood oven, dishing up calamari a la brut (squid in its own ink), a rich fisherman’s stew of ttoro, and cuts of a special Wagyu hybrid beef aged in-house and cooked over flame and embers. The team have also hinted at a Monday veal cotoletta special.

If you're someone who always looks at the desserts first, you'll be very happy, with old-school Euro dishes like a fluffy chocolate soufflé and Gâteau Basque with prunes soaked in Armagnac. Formerly the site of Becco, the Côte Basque space brings back the mid-century Italian dream with 1950s green terrazzo floors and cherry wood panelling.

Two New Reasons To Get Down To Mya Tiger

Image: Mya Tiger | Supplied

It’s not like we needed another reason to head to the Espy, but Mya Tiger has kindly gifted us two this August. 

They’ve just introduced Dumpling Disco, where from 8pm every Friday you can enjoy Hong Kong 80s Cantopop and disco-ball ambience alongside a curated Cantonese dumpling menu. A cool $50 per person covers everything from pan-fried chicken dumplings, spicy pork wontons, and prawn dumplings to truffle pork and prawn sui mai. Dangling red envelopes also give away the chance for a free cocktail, dessert, or snack—or, if you’re really lucky, a covered bill. 

Speaking of good fortune, Mya Tiger is also hosting Lucky Hour every evening of the week. Nab $3 oysters and $15 cocktails between 5–6pm, with every order earning a dice roll; if you land snake eyes, you win a free cocktail.

Three New Beers In Brunswick 

Image: Welcome to Brunswick | Supplied

Beer lovers, listen up. Three of Brunswick's most iconic businesses have turned their stories and signature flavours into limited-edition beers, launching on Saturday 29 August at Welcome to Brunswick. 

In collaboration with the expert brewers at 4 Pines, Billy Van Creamy, A1 Bakery, and Wide Open Road have all crafted their own beers. Think a smooth vanilla stout from Billy Van Creamy (inspired by their soft serve), a pomegranate and rosewater lager inspired by A1 Bakery’s Middle Eastern heritage, and a coffee, macadamia and wattleseed brown ale based on Wide Open Road’s local coffee-roasting culture. 

And what better reason to throw a party than to celebrate brand-new beer? The launch party at Welcome to Brunswick will feature pop-up stalls from each business, as well as live music and the brewers themselves on-site. Find out more here. 

HoMie And HIFI Team Up For Homelessness Awareness Week 

Image: HIFI | Supplied

Inner-north neighbours HIFI and HoMie are teaming up to launch a toastie for a cause this August. From 3–16 August, the HoMie Toastie will be available on the HIFI menu: a three-cheese toastie on light rye with Dijon butter, caramelised onion, mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, and a parmesan crust, all served alongside a French onion soup for dipping. 

For each $19 HoMie Toastie sold, $2 will go directly to HoMie’s programs that support young people experiencing homelessness or hardship across Melbourne. For two weeks, make sure you grab a very good toastie for a very good cause.

ST. ALi Launches Limited-Edition Star Wars Coffee Collection

Image: St ALi | Supplied

So, will it be the light side or the dark side? One of Melbourne’s favourite roasteries, ST. ALi, has officially collabed with Star Wars—yep, the literal Star Wars franchise—on a limited-edition coffee collection.

There are two blends to choose from. ‘I Am Your Father’ is dark, with a velvety finish, and notes of stone fruit and toasted spice, while ‘Way of the Jedi’ is light with its citrus blossom notes and a long, silky finish. Both are available in 225g, 500g, and 1kg bags, or in gift sets with bespoke mugs for the caffeine-loving Jedi in your life. 

At ST. ALi’s South Melbourne cafe, you can exclusively try the new roasts in the Galaxy Cold Brew or the Binary Sunset, then grab your own beans to take home. Find out more about the collaboration or make a purchase online here.

A Considered Revamp For A Windsor Wine Bar

Image: Ines | Supplied

Stokehouse Enters A New Era

Image: Stokehouse | Supplied

Iconic St Kilda foreshore restaurant Stokehouse is entering a new era, as owners Frank, Sharon and Hugh van Haandel prepare to hand over the reins to chef Andrew McConnell and partner and photographer Jo McGann. 

“St Kilda Beach is one of Melbourne’s greatest assets, and going to the beach each day for the past 36 years has been a gift,” Frank says.

“Over this time we’ve formed lifelong friendships with staff, customers and suppliers, and I’ve taken tremendous pride in watching talented young people develop and go on to thrive in their own ventures. We’ve built a venue that is truly cross-generational. Everyone has a story at Stokehouse.”

McConnell is currently chef and owner of some of Melbourne's most renowned restaurants, including Gimlet, Marion, Supernormal and Builders Arms Hotel. Come October, he'll add Stokehouse to that list, working with McGann and the existing Stokehouse team on a carefully considered transition, before undertaking a refresh in 2027. 

“Our intention is not to change what makes Stokehouse special,” McConnell says.

“We have enormous respect for its history and for the team that has helped shape it. We’re inheriting strong foundations, and we’re committed to investing in its future while preserving the qualities and the people that have made it so well loved.”

Italian Boozy Brunch Lands On Chapel Street

Image: Stella | Supplied

Supernormal Is Rolling Out A Six-Week Showcase Of Creative Noodle Dishes 

Image: Supernormal | Supplied

Until 6 September, you’ll find Supernormal deep in a noodle obsession. Six weeks means six brand-new dishes where each noodle is hand-rolled, steamed, or boiled to perfection. Each dish runs exclusively for one week only alongside the regular Asian-inspired menu. 

The specials range from Shaanxi-style noodles with braised oxtail to tiger prawn egg noodles with smoked roe, and knife-cut wheat noodles with spiced cumin lamb to Dan Dan noodles with Szechuan sesame sauce. The final dish finishes the six-week run with Fujian-style wok-fried crab noodles, and this is the one worth scheduling in. And we can’t forget that every dish also comes with a paired drinks suggestion to ensure you’re dining in style—book via the Supernormal website here.

Stroll Through Paris Then Share Steak Frites at Heide's New Photography Exhibition

Image: Photo from Brassaï: Secret Paris exhibition | Supplied

Paris has come to Melbourne with a new photography exhibition showing the city of lights (and love) through the eyes of a visionary. Brassaï: Secret Paris (25 July–15 November 2026) features 150 original, iconic vintage prints from the legendary Hungarian-born, French photographer Brassaï. Black and white images encapsulate the interwar spirit of Paris, from lovers in cafes, to glitzy nightlife, unseen underbellies and street art, collaborations with Picasso and portraits of friends like Dalí. Then pair art with a taste of France at Heide Kitchen, with wintery beef bourguignon, cassoulet, steak frites and buttermilk blancmange. A très chic little day date or solo indulgence. 

Market Lane’s Lands In Fitzroy North 

Image: Market Lane | Supplied

One of the city’s most beloved specialty coffee roasters now has a new home on St Georges Road. Market Lane Coffee’s new Fitzroy North digs draw on the building’s original 1960s façade with mosaic tiles and chrome-framed windows, then adds warm nods of terrazzo floors, spotted-gum timber, and chocolate-toned cork to create a cosy space that feels rooted in the area’s post-war history. 

When you visit, make beeline for the back room; it’s quieter, with built-in bookshelves (a nod to previous tenants, Little Book Room), a record player, and soft lighting that makes it the perfect place to savour your coffee with a morning read. 

Market Lane’s complete filter and espresso program is here, joined by pastries from Wild Life Bakery and cakes from Red Door Corner Store. The 220 St Georges Road location is open seven days from 7am.

Lokanta Brings Mezza, Raki And Turkish Wines To Collingwood—But Not For Long 

Image: Lokanta | supplied

Take a trip to Turkey and book at Lokanta, a five-week popup serving a taste of the old taverns of Istanbul in the former Toddy Shop space in Collingwood. Sunday and Monday from 12 July-7 September, Chef Ali Besener (Wally's in Albert Park, Rumi, Nomad, Lilac Wine) and venue manager Tugay Görgülü (Mama Manoush) combine their heritage with Melbourne's appetite for wine bars. In this mezze-centred set menu you’ll mop up fava bean dip and cacik (labne with braised leaves) with a Tulum cheese and walnut butter pide, share bulgur wheat pilav, olive oil-braised celeriac (Besener’s mum’s recipe) and kuza BBQ lamb cuts with sumac onions, and finish with a seasonal sweet like ayva (candied quince), served with silky, stretchy maras ice cream from Turkish ice cream shop, Cuppa Turca. The fully Turkish wine list highlights indigenous grapes, accompanied by the tavern classic raki spirits. Bookings are essential, and filling up fast.

Shane Delia’s Bowls Of Goodness Have Landed At Jayda 

Image: Jayda | Supplied

If you work in the CBD, you’re probably familiar with Shane Delia’s beloved Bowls of Goodness lunch special. Now, they’re returning for a third winter. This time around, they’ve landed at Jayda (Maha's sister venue) for the restaurant's first-ever lunch service. 

For $18 a bowl, the special rotates fortnightly to give each member of the kitchen their chance to cook something personal. This winter’s lineup begins with Chef Martin Zoyaza’s chile panca grilled chicken with chimichurri rice and yellow corn humita (available 7 to 18 July), followed by Group Head Chef Daniel Giraldo’s slow-roasted Wagyu cheek with mushrooms, celeriac tahini purée, and Aleppo pepper burnt butter (available 21 July to 1 August). Chef Manuel Garcia wraps things up with shiraz-braised Wagyu brisket with spiced merkén potatoes and pumpkin bread (available 4 to 15 August). 

The hearty, nourishing bowls are available from Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm–3pm all winter long, alongside Jayda’s new Levantine lunch menu. Walk-ins are welcome, or secure your spot ahead of time here.

Burgers With A View At Johnny’s Green Room 

Image: Johnny's Green Room | Supplied

Stepping out of the elevator and onto the Johnny’s Green Room rooftop this winter, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in 1980s Milan instead. That’s right; Carlton’s beloved rooftop bar has transformed to launch ‘Paninaro’, inspired by the affluent youth subculture in Milan that was obsessed with American sandwich bars. 

Part of the winter facelift is a 10-day pop-up burger shop. From Friday 3 to Sunday 12 July, Johnny’s Hamburgers will serve L’Hamburger: seasoned beef, melted cheese, leaves, pickles, and burger sauce inside a soft pocket of pizza dough. It comes with fries, and is fittingly styled with retro red-and-yellow fast-food packaging. 

Beyond the pop-up, the Paninaro menu will run all winter long. Try the whipped cod with pizza palloncino, crispy fried artichokes with stracciatella, pork and veal meatballs stuffed with fontina in tomato sugo, and a chocolate caprese for dessert. If you’re feeling extra cheeky, pair your feed with one of their new cocktails, like an Angelo Azzurro, Pistachio Macchiato, or a crispy pickled Happy Martini that’s served with golden fries.

Take A Sought-After Seat At Melbourne’s Premier Korean Omakase 

Image: Ronin Omakase | Supplied

Elegant 10-seater Rōnin Ōmakase now has a Korean twist. Chef Liam Lee has transformed this fine diner into a journey through his heritage with a seven course menu leaning into Korean sauces and preservation, a degustation for the eyes as much as the tastebuds. There are two signatures, the galbi-style Angus short rib main with selection of house-made kimchi, and the snack plate line-up featuring fresh oyster and Korean yuza and apple mignonette, tuna-topped seaweed crisp with grains, smoked caviar and soy, yukore-style beef tartare with gochujang, Korean pear and egg yolk, and a crispy radish cake with kimchi gel, caramelised onion and chives. Everything else shifts seasonally, but you’ll want to get in quick for dishes like winter mushrooms with doenjang, pine nut foam, shiitake truffle soy and luxe truffle shavings. Pair with the highly recommended Korean Soju selection, and it’s an omakase unlike any other in town.

Hanoi Hannah’s Soup Series Is Back 

Image: Hannoi Hannah | Supplied

Nothing quite says ‘cosy Melbourne winter’ like a proper bowl of soup, and the team at Hanoi Hannah have been perfecting their Vietnamese take for five years running. Their well-loved Soup Series is back from 1 July to 9 August across their Prahran and Elsternwick venues, with a new soup landing each week. To add some extra heart to your hearty bowl of goodness, $1 from every soup purchased goes to the Very Special Kids Foundation, providing holistic palliative care to children and young people.

For six weeks, the lineup moves from Tumeric Poached Chicken Pho through to Duck Egg Noodle Soup, Crispy Chicken Pho, Banh Canh Cua with crab, prawn, and Chinese doughnut, and finally a Vietnamese Coconut Laksa with prawn and poached chicken.

Hanoi Hannah’s soups start at $26 and are available for dine-in only. 

Celebrate The Humble Burger With Lucas Collective 

Image: The Lucas Collective | Supplied

For two months this winter, Lucas Collective is dedicating its attention to one of the world’s great dishes. All 11 venues in the group are serving two burgers each at lunch, each served with fries for $22, throughout July and August. And to complete the party, how about a venue-specific cocktail for $15? 

In the city, Society’s Classic Cheeseburger and jus is joined by a Fillet O’ Snapper; Kisumé glazes its Yakiniku Cheeseburger in a sticky soy; Chin Chin features a Rendang Curry Burger; Yakimono stacks a karaage chicken burger with yuzu and togarashi slaw; Grill Americano goes for a Piccante Fish Burger with swordfish and tuna; and at Maison Bâtard, the cult Le Cheeseburger sits alongside a new Au Poivre version with pepper sauce.

In Windsor, Hawker Hall adds a Fried Chicken Burger with a coconut sambal slaw and Tombo Den serves katsu two ways, and in Richmond, Baby Pizza adds a cheeseburger and chicken ceaser burger to the menu.

Lucas Collective’s burger range is being served up seven days a week across all restaurant locations in Melbourne and Sydney, until 31 August.

Warm Up With Portuguese-Style Hot Chocolate At Bar Marmelo 

Image: Bar Marmelo | Supplied

For mornings that demand a little more comfort than your usual coffee can offer, Bar Marmelo has just launched A Manhã—a new morning session that runs Monday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm, and the drawcard? A Portuguese-style hot chocolate made with 70% Valrhona chocolate and infused with cinnamon and orange. 

A Manhã showcases a quieter side of a venue better known for its lively evening energy; but the stunning double-height interiors with an illuminated sculptural gantry makes it a lovely way to ease into the day, and a departure from the ordinary. 

Both bookings and walk-ins are welcome. 

Keep The Party Going With Take-Home Wine From Aegli 

Image: Aegli | Supplied

We’ve all been there: discovering an incredible wine over dinner at a restaurant, then never being able to find it at the local bottle shop. Aegli has swooped in to solve that problem for us by launching a curated retail wine selection that lets guests purchase bottles directly from the restaurant. 

Naturally, the collection draws exclusively from Greece. Bottles start at $40, with monthly showcases that rotate through different regions, from the mineral Assyrtikos of Santorini to the bold Xinomavros of Naoussa. A wide variety of producers reflect a Greek wine scene that has radically transformed in the last decade, and Aegli owner Ioannis Kasidokostas says the take-home option is another step towards his mission of telling the full story of Hellenic food and wine culture. 

"Greek wine has become world-class," Kasidokostas says. "The combination of a restaurant and bottle shop gives guests the opportunity to try something before they buy it. We can introduce people to wines they may never have experienced otherwise."

Forecasting Cheap Cocktails At Stokehouse 

While we’re used to praying for even a smidge of sunshine, we might’ve found a reason to actually hope for cold weather. Stokehouse Pasta & Bar in St Kilda is pricing its cocktails to match the minimum temperature of the day—so the colder it gets, the cheaper your cocktails. 

Score a Negroni, Martini, or Limoncello Spritz that gets cheaper the more miserable the weather becomes, and just think: in a particularly brutal cold snap, you could be paying as little as $1 for your drink. 

This deal is available from Wednesday to Saturday at Stokehouse all through winter, with a responsible two-drink limit per person. Rain dance, anyone?

Follow The Truffle Treasures Trail At Queen Vic Market 

Image: Ripe Cheese | Supplied

Truffle lovers, gather round: Queen Victoria Market is running a self-guided Truffle Treasures Trail through to the end of August. There are more than 30 truffle products and experiences to discover across the Market’s traders, with delicious bites starting from just $7 for the Tartufo Cannoli—a truffle infused cannoli from Cannoleria. 

The undisputed king of truffle treats is RIPE Cheese’s truffle toastie. It sold more than 6,000 units last season, and is stacked with Australian cheese and freshly shaved black truffle. Beyond that, explore handmade porcini and black truffle tortelloni from The Traditional Pasta Shop, black truffle salt from Gewürzhaus, truffle butter from Curds & Whey, and some more adventurous finds like truffle cannoli and squid ink truffle salami. 

Head over to Queen Victoria Market before winter’s over, grab your trail map from the Visitor Information Hub, and get truffling.

More Wine, More Snacks, No Cocktail Over $26—Byrdi’s Biggest Change In Years

Image credit: Byrdi | Supplied

Melbourne's award-winning Byrdi bar has entered its ‘Ephemera’ era, with a relaxed feel, a walk-in only policy and a wallet-friendly price point for snacks and vino seven days a week. The creative cocktails that made them famous are still there, but change weekly, and all ten sit at $26. New cocktails focus on immediate seasonality, tapping into Victoria's produce: what's growing, what's best right now, what's interesting to play with. When it's done, it changes. 

More menu real estate is given over to minimal intervention Australian wines from small-scale growers. Unusual grapes, interesting techniques, some cult faves and industry challengers. And it's all perfectly paired with a new selection of snacks. The prawn toast with pepperberry mayo remains (for now), joined by bar bites like shoestring fries with house chicken salt, beef tartare with smoked egg yolk, wattleseed crumb and saltbush and a whipped chocolate mousse with olive oil and Redgum smoked salt. But tomorrow, you might find something else entirely.

It’s fresh, it’s fun, it’s strictly for a limited time. It's Ephemera, after all.

Three Martinis At Lunch? Cleo Says Yes 

Image: Cleo | Supplied

Once upon a time, the most renowned midday ritual in New York City was the three-martini lunch: a chic, leisurely long lunch for professionals during the work week. Now this ritual has found a home in Melbourne, at Cleo’s new Three Martini Lunches every Thursday and Friday until 28 August. 

For $89 per person, you get to choose two courses and three (half-serve) martinis, alongside some shared sides for the table. Available for groups of two to eight, the Three Martini Lunch runs from midday to 3pm—and what better way to test your arvo productivity than a couple of stiff drinks? 

Book your NYC-inspired lunch here.

Warabi Introduces Its First-Ever Lunch Service 

Warabi, Melbourne’s two-hatted Japanese restaurant, has launched its first lunch service. With pricing that makes one of the city’s most refined kitchens accessible on a weekday, there are two set menu options available: 

• Warabi Bowl Set ($32): rice, miso soup, and a kobachi, with a choice of teriyaki chicken, miso katsu, or a vegetable poke bowl

• Kaiseki Box Set (from $45): a decadent nine-dish box with your choice of Tasmanian salmon saikyo yaki, teriyaki chicken, or Wagyu steak, plus delicate bites including truffle edamame, sashimi ocean trout, oyster with ponzu, and agedashi tofu.

For a restaurant that made its name on its $285 omakase, this new lunch offers a taste of luxury at a more wallet-friendly price. Check out Warabi’s full menu here.

Laksa Nights Are Back At Etta 

Image: Etta | Supplied

A laksa so good that it booked out Etta for three months last year? Yep, Head Chef Lorcán Kan’s signature laksa is back (and better) every Wednesday, until 26 August. 

Etta’s Nyonya-style coconut curry laksa builds on an aromatic base of lemongrass, galangal, chilli, coriander, and tamarind, and is topped with crunchy bean sprouts, cucumber, crispy shrimp, spicy sambal, and golden tofu. The new addition this year is house-made alkaline noodles, created via a delightfully nerdy process that involves roasting oyster shell ash to make alkaline kansui. This helps the noodles retain a perfect chewiness, even when immersed in hot broth. 

A rotating duo of woodfire snacks will join the lineup each week, beginning with black pepper beef skewers and sweet-and-sour grilled barramundi collars. Etta’s winter laksa goes for $38 per bowl, and is available each Wednesday until 26 August. Bookings available (and strongly encouraged) here. 

Gayan Pieris Is Bringing Sri Lankan Heart To Chapel Street 

Image: Supplied

Agnii is the latest venture from hatted chef Gayan Pieris, and it’s shaping up to be one of Chapel Street’s most significant new arrivals, set to open this August.

Pieris’ Many Little Bar & Dining in Red Hill is one of the country’s most-awarded Sri Lankan-influenced restaurants, and Agnii will bring that same culinary flair to Windsor. It’s promised to be a more ambitious interpretation of the same philosophy of ‘kussiya’, where the kitchen is the heart of the home. 

Agnii’s open kitchen will feature whole dried fish hanging and preserving, claypots sourced from Sri Lanka, and custom hearths built in Melbourne that will be used to cook over fire. The kitchen is set to introduce authentic dishes and preservation methods that have rarely been seen in Australia, and spices will be sourced directly from small-scale Sri Lankan growers and producers. 

On weekends, the venue will shine as it shifts into its late-night supper menu. It’ll have everything from short eats, hoppers, kottu, curries, and regional specialties to vinyl records and a drinks list that’s designed around arrack (Sri Lanka’s distilled spirit). 

Agnii is an 80-seat restaurant with a 40-seat private dining room, reservations will open in July here.

$18 Snack And Sip Pairings At Mr Mills 

Image: Mr Mills | Supplied

Mr. Mills at HYDE Melbourne Place has just launched Sipper Club, where you can get a cocktail with a paired snack for just $18. That has to be the most civilised (and affordable) way to start a night out in the CBD right now. 

Drawing on Iberian flavours, the new cocktail pairings are more sophisticated than your average bar snack. Think a green apple and bergamot margarita with a swordfish gilda, or an olive leaf and melon gimlet with smoked eel pâté. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try the artichoke clarified bloody mary with oyster and fermented chilli.

If the pairings don’t tickle your fancy, you can always mix and match your own. Sipper Club runs Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, and it’s an easy yes from us for after-work drinks with more interesting food than a bowl of chips for the table.

Main image credit: Hannoi Hannah | Supplied