Snack Bar: Free Doughnuts, a New Chinese Cocktail Bar and More Local Food News This Week

What’s happening around town

• Builders Arms Hotel’s annual Sausage Festival is back for its 13th year. Stop by the Trader House pub from noon on Thursday June 18 to Sunday June 28 and order from a menu of six sausage dishes including rock oysters with Merguez sausage, and a woodfired duck neck sausage with duck jus. Plus, on Sunday June 21 from 3pm to 5pm, the pub is hosting a sausage dog meet up. And on Wednesday June 24, there’ll be sausage-themed trivia starting at 6pm.

• Collingwood Nigerian restaurant Mary’s is hosting a fufu night next Friday June 26. The pounded West African meal will be served buka-style (canteen-style) with egusi, okra and goat stew. Bookings here.

• The Halim Group’s Little Collins Street restaurant Aru is celebrating five years with a month-long bar menu that harkens back to the venue’s early days. From Monday June 29 to Friday July 24, for $75 you can enjoy three snacks and three mini cocktails prepared by original bar manager Darren Leaney.

• Yang Thai chef Narit Kimsat, Caretaker’s Cottage bartender Chantalle Narith, Marion Wine Bar front-of-house member Louise Hill and visual designer Nac Wattanakul have teamed up for a Golden Rice event. The walk-in-only pop-up will take place at Boire on Sunday June 28 from 2pm until sold out. Proceeds will go to Mith Salanh, an organisation that works with marginalised youth in Cambodia.

• Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck and All Day Donuts founder Raph Rashid (who also goes by the name Snacc Boss) and Alice Bennett (aka Miss Trixie Drinks Tea) are giving away 600 free milk tea brûlée doughnuts at The Glen from 11am to 2pm on Saturday June 27 and Sunday June 28 as part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s Greatest of the Mall series.

What we covered this week

• Book now: first 22 events unveiled for our Dine Out Festival this July.

• Chris Lucas to open new restaurant Noema in the CBD this spring.

• Five to try: new coffee shops for blueberry matchas and brews after 4pm.

• Where Chefs Eat: Saadi’s Saavni Krishnan says this butter chicken is the best “outside of India”.

• Fitzroy’s Triple U brings Chinese cocktail culture to Melbourne.

• Madeleine De Proust’s Hyoju Park awarded by the world’s “most selective” dining guide.

• Byrdi goes from cocktails to wine with new concept Ephemera.

• Six to try: exciting new restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the CBD.

• The Little Food Market is back this winter.