Get $15 martinis by a cocktail superstar this Monday (plus other sweet deals around town)

A bite-sized recap of the biggest stories of the week, so you know where to go and what to order across Melbourne and Victoria. Check in each week so you can be the smartest person in your group chat.

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Sweet deal: Monday martini club at Daphne with Kayla Saito

Melbourne cocktail queen Kayla Saito has had quite the year: while running the beverage program at Mulberry Group venues like Coupette and Hazel, she’s also repping Australia in the coming 2026 World Class Global Bartender of the Year finals. Next Monday, September 21, she’s also taking over Critics’ Pick-listed venue Daphne to run the Brunswick East restaurant’s Monday-night martini club for one night only. Saito will be stirring Ketel One vodka martinis to minus four degrees alongside Daphne’s Sam Peasnell, who will be shaking a smoked dirty number, both for just $15. Snacks like wagyu skewers and crunchy fried potato skins are also on the cards.

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Spring produce has arrived – here’s what to buy

There’s something exciting about seeing new fruit on the shelves after months of Pink Lady apples and Imperial mandarins. While it’s tempting to go out and grab the first of everything the moment it appears, for some fruit and vegetables it pays to hold off. Find out more here on what to eat now and what to save for later.

Hot ticket: Maltese Independence Day feast at Maha

This weekend, hatted Middle Eastern fine diner Maha is bringing back its Maltese Independence Day celebrations with a special lunch running across two days. Honouring chef Shane Delia’s heritage and recent travels to Malta, the feast will spotlight Maltese flavours and Australian produce across five courses. Tickets are $135 per person and selling quickly – book here.

Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn is coming to Melbourne

One of the world’s most decorated chefs is opening a restaurant in Melbourne. From October, Dominique Crenn’s all-day Petit Crenn will serve pastries, coffee and French classics at InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, in a ground-floor site that until recently housed a Haigh’s Chocolates store. Born in France and having been cooking in California since 1988, Crenn is the only woman to be awarded three Michelin stars in the US for her fine-dining restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. Find out what you need to know about her new Melbourne diner here.

The Download: Friday, September 4

Hot ticket: Sip and play this school holidays at Pt. Leo Estate

Spring school holidays are fast approaching but that doesn’t mean parents should be resigned to playgrounds and Bluey re-runs on the couch. Mornington Peninsula winery Pt. Leo Estate is bringing back its Sip and Sketch sessions set among its iconic outdoor sculpture park. Daily 60-minute sessions are $40 per child, inclusive of a painting session (all materials included) and snacks like hot chocolate and cookies, with the option to add a bento box and a drink for an extra $35. Parents can also join in for $60, which includes a glass of estate wine, or make the most of the day and book in at the restaurant afterwards.

Sweet deal: NFL-themed snacking in Melbourne

Melburnians love an event, and this was a biggie. How else can you explain to outsiders why the MCG was almost sold-out for an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and LA Rams on a chilly school-day morning (10.30am last Friday, to be precise)? Whether you were into the on-field action or not, there was still plenty to sink your teeth into, with bakers, bars and hotels dishing up some creative specials to keep the celebrations going, before and after the game. Read here for nine deals to check out.

Tamales at Carlton Farmer’s Market

Originally a pop-up at restaurants around Victoria, El Unico is now a permanent fixture at Carlton Farmers’ Market each Saturday. First-generation Mexican-American chef Abe Pedroza’s focus here is tamales, the stuffed cornmeal parcels that number more than 300 varieties across Mexico. He makes his true to family tradition, filled with either pork and guajillo chilli or silverbeet and queso fresco, then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. They’re served alongside atole, a spiced cacao drink thickened with corn masa that’s a popular choice with tamales in Mexico. The market runs each Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

Three fakeaway recipes to channel that Friday night feeling

We all love a good takeaway – especially when cooking is the last thing on your mind. But making your favourite takeaway-style meals at home is fresher, cheaper and quicker than you might think. Enter the fakeaway. You still get those big, punchy flavours and that classic Friday-night feeling but with complete control over what goes onto your plate. These three recipes from nutritionist and Good Food recipe writer Sarah Pound are fun, vibrant and packed with fresh ingredients that don’t skimp on taste. They’re perfect for those nights when you’re tempted to open a delivery app but want a home-made meal that feels just as rewarding.

Sweet deal: After-work cocktails and sushi at Yamagen

QT’s glitzy Japanese diner Yamagen has launched a new midweek special for those after-work cravings. Each Tuesday to Thursday from 5.30 to 6.30pm, head down Portland Lane and pull up a seat at the sushi counter for “roll call” – two hand rolls (including spanner crab and wagyu) and one Japanese-inspired cocktail, all for $39. Talk about a bargain.

Sweet deal: Win a weekend away at Brae

Your chance to dine at three-hatted, Critics’ Pick-listed restaurant Brae has arrived. The destination Birregurra venue’s annual community fundraiser is back, offering the opportunity to win from a pool of more than $9000 worth of prizes. From just $5 you’ll go in the running for a two-night stay including dining, drinks and breakfast, plus a guided tour of the eight-hectare farm, the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles. Other tourism and dining prizes include a two-night stay at a cottage in the Otways, a $500 voucher for Otways Distillery, plus more. All funds raised will be donated towards a $30,000 goal to support upgrades to the local Birregurra CFA headquarters. Grab your raffle ticket here.

Save your favourite recipes and restaurants on the Good Food app

No more dog-earing your recipe books. The Good Food app has launched a new saved function, which allows you to compile all your favourite recipes in one easy place. Simply click the bookmark icon to save, then head to the Saved page on the navigation panel to view. The Good Food app is home to more than 10,000 recipes from Australia’s top cooks, including Nagi Maehashi, Adam Liaw, Helen Goh, Neil Perry, Karen Martini, Emelia Jackson and more.

Emily Holgate – Emily is a producer for the Good Food App at The Age. She previously wrote for the likes of Broadsheet and Urban List.Connect via email.