What’s happening around town

• Tom Sarafian has teamed up with Good Daze Canteen on three flavours that are available until the end of March. For every scoop sold of coffee and date ma’amoul; apricot and gatnabour (Armenian rice pudding); and vegan dark chocolate and pomegranate molasses, $1 will be donated to Street Smart, a charity that fights homelessness.

This week in food and drink news

• First look: “Japanese Starbucks” lands in Melbourne.

• Kew omakase spot Sushi On has a new affordable CBD sibling.

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• Askal and Kariton chef John Rivera on why restaurants need social media (but what young chefs should focus on instead).

• Quietly confident Suze is extremely Melbourne.

• First look: Scott Pickett opens a Parisian-style cafe at historical Como House.

• First look: find Taiwanese bento and street snacks from $4.95 in Carlton.

• Four essential (and free) snack stops at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

• New hire: a former Yardbird chef makes Sunday yakitori at Benchwarmer.

• Where chefs eat: where six Melbourne Food & Wine Festival visiting chefs are eating and drinking while they’re in town.

• Grant Smillie’s EP & LP is popping up at Marmont for the night.

The Hot List

• Melbourne’s most exciting restaurants are all opening here.

You might’ve missed

• Food writer Becca Wang’s guide to throwing a pasta party.

• Waiter! There’s marine collagen in my wine!