What’s happening around town

• Ben Shewry’s Ripponlea fine diner Attica is celebrating 19 years with a series of 13-course dinners that feature dishes from past menus. There’ll be the restaurant’s Vegemite or “Ben-Mite” scrolls from 2018, and Shewry’s 2008 signature dish named “Potato Cooked in the Earth it was Grown”. The dinners are being held every Wednesday night from July 10 to August 14 and are $330 per person.

• Ngọc Trần and Hiếu Phùng of Shop Bao Ngoc on Victoria Street, Brunswick, are hosting a homestyle Vietnamese cooking class on Sunday July 21. Participants will make a spread of shared dishes to be enjoyed after the class, including tapioca dumplings, fried fish with ginger sauce and a sweet corn pudding for dessert. The classes are $180 per person and tickets can be purchased here.

This week in food and drink news

• Melbourne’s best new bars of 2024 (so far).

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• First look: American Doughnut Kitchen opens a new location – its first in 70 years – in South Yarra.

• Iconic ’90s gig spot The Punters Club to reopen next month.

• Coming soon: Alejandro Saravia of Farmer’s Daughters to open two Latin American venues in the CBD.

•Parcs, the CBD wine bar with a sustainability-first ethos, will close this month.

• Where chefs eat: Doju’s Mika Chae shares his go-to casual Korean spots in Melbourne.

• Now open: Fancy Hank’s new venue Springrock brings a nostalgic country pub to the CBD.

• Now open: Kushiro, Fitzroy’s new Japanese spot from a chef with three-Michelin-star cred.

• What fires up Tedesca Osteria’s Brigitte Hafner?

• Not sure where to go on your next first date? We asked seven Melbourne chefs for date spot recommendations.

• Three to try: Melbourne’s new Mexican restaurants.

• Coming soon: Portuguese restaurant Marmelo and Spanish basement bar Mr Mills from Ross and Sunny Lusted to open in the CBD.

• Chef Thi Le’s Vietnamese restaurant Anchovy has officially reopened.

New hire: Rocco‘s new head chef Samantha Medeiros moved to Melbourne for work-life balance.

• Atria’s Michael Greenlaw is a pro at seafood and spearfishing.

• Tarts Anon and Koko Black have collaborated on a seven-layer tart that’s only available this weekend.

• All the Melbourne openings we got excited about in June.