Six Dine Out Events – Running All Week – That Aren’t Sold Out or Don’t Need a Booking

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This week’s Hot List activity

• Added: Le Pub
• Most popular restaurant: Harriot
• Most popular bar: Benchwarmer
• Most popular cafe: Tarts Anon Richmond

Hot ways to Dine Out

We’re right in the thick of the inaugural edition of Dine Out – Broadsheet ’s brand new winter food festival. And if you’re anything like me you will – despite the very best of intentions – have forgotten to book a lot of the (now sold-out) headline events. But don’t think that means you’ll have to sit out all the Dine Out fun till we return next year.

There’s still a stacked menu of events and specials to check out this week – (be sure to check our cheat sheet ) for what’s going down. And plenty of your favourite Hot-Listed venues are getting in on the action too.

These spots are running exclusive specials just for us this Dine Out week. So if you’ve been meaning to check these places out – and want to soak up some of the Dine Out fun – why not kill two birds with one (very tasty) stone?

Bahama Gold’s pizza and wine special

Whenever anyone brings up Brunswick East’s Bahama Gold, conversation usually revolves around the size of the crowds that amass there some nights, as well as how good – and cheap – their by-the-glass wines are. We think more people should be talking about the pizza at Bahama Gold, though. Since Kit Iacuzi commandeered the kitchen over a year ago – initially for a short-lived residency, that keeps being extended – Da Paolo Pizza has become an inextricably delicious part of Bahama Gold’s charm. This week for Dine Out you can choose from two one-off pizzas – a porchetta and potato pie, or a truffle and confit-egg-yolk number – paired with a glass of red or orange. Pizza, wine and (maybe) crowds? That’s the Bahama Gold trifecta.

Masses Bagels sourdough doughnut at Pidapipo

Speaking of crowds, when Pidapipo first opened on Lygon Street, long queues filled with folks wanting real-deal gelato, and a drizzle from the Nutella tap became a fixture for the small shop. Regardless of the time of the year, or whatever the weather was doing that day. Masses Bagels has had an eerily similar start to its bricks-and-mortar life. After the market staple found itself a permanent home on Smith Street at the start of the year, lengthy lines of bagel fans, particularly around the morning peak, are a constant. No wonder they saw something in each other. For Dine Out, they’ve pooled their expertise – gelato mastery from Pidapipo, ring-shaped baked treat know-how from Masses – for a limited-run gelato-topped sourdough doughnut. A Melbourne icon teaming up with an instant classic. You can find them throughout the week at every Pidapipo location, and at Masses itself.

Volcanes tostadas at Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos

As the name implies, Frankie’s specialises in just two Mexican dishes. And it’s pretty great at both of them. But they also do a mean tostada. And for Dine Out, we’ve convinced this Hot-Listed Johnston Street hole in the wall to do something a little bit different. For the whole week, they’ll be serving up volcanes tostadas, loaded up with chorizo, grilled steak and melted Oaxacan cheese. Enjoying it with a seasonal Margarita isn’t mandatory – but it’s highly encouraged.

Suupaa’s special menu items

If Australia’s record-breaking visitation of Japan this year is anything to go by, a lot of us have recently discovered the joys of Japanese “konbini” convenience stores. Which is probably why Suupaa has struck such a chord with Cremorne. This konbini-inspired cafe, eatery and shop sells out jazzed-up versions of sandos, cold-brews, bowls, buns and more. And for Dine Out, they’ve added a handful of new items to their menu for the week. Stop by to try out the ramen hotdog, the pizzaman steamed bun and a hojicha cola spider. And be sure to get a piece of fried chicken and a Milo matcha before you go, too. If you’ve been missing Lawson, Family Mart and 7/11 in Japan, this will scratch that itch in a big way.

Tom kha barramundi at Dodee Paidang Little Collins

We love every one of Dodee Paidang’s locations, but we’ve always had a particular soft spot for its Hot-Listed Little Collins outpost. Its roaming robot waiters, precariously wobbly beer towers and – of course – excellent and generously portioned Thai food just make it hard not to love. But if you needed another reason to go and check it out, Dodee Paidang Little Collins is doing an ultra-limited rendition of tom kha – a coconut and galangal soup. Here they’ve thickened it to a sauce, and pour it over a grilled barramundi fillet. It’s available every night of Dine Out, but make sure you’re in early to secure it – there are just 15 serves available each night.

Truffled Martini & Bikini at Marmelo

Marmelo has been on The Hot List since day one, and it’s consistently been one of the List’s most trending venues ever since – week in, week out. And everyone who goes absolutely loves it. And yet this Iberian diner, by acclaimed Sydney restaurateurs Ross and Sunny Lusted, still somehow feels underrated. We’ve already been vocal about our love for the flan here , but for Dine Out, Marmelo’s focusing on the savoury side. Make the most of Dine Out – and truffle season – by booking in and getting yourself the Truffled Martini & Bikini deal. For $36, you’ll get a mini Martini infused with truffle, served with a “bikini” – a Spanish riff on a ham and cheese toastie, loaded with even more truffle for good measure. If you’ve got any room left after that – make sure to stop by downstairs basement bar Mr Mills before you leave. Their Dine Out special is a Cinnamon Negroni, served with a warm Portuguese tart.

Dine Out Melbourne runs until Sunday August 10.

The Hot List is proudly sponsored by Square.