• There’s an excellent new Friday lunch: bottomless carbonara pizzas, antipasto and maritozzi at 170 Grammi, Crown Street’s latest pizza joint. It’s $69 for 90 minutes, and there’ll be free-flowing Aperol Spritzes too. Bookings recommended.

• The team from one of Byron Bay’s finest haunts, Bar Heather, is taking over the White Horse on Monday August 19 and Tuesday August 20. Chef Ollie Wong-Hee is delivering a nine-course set menu, and there’ll be special drops on pour – plus Bar Heather’s signature wet Martini on arrival. Book in and make sure you don’t miss out.

• Head to Chiswick this month to dine with an exclusive collection of In the Roundhouse tableware. The collab leans into the Med, with a platter and jug adorned with lemons. There’s a special menu (yes to the rigatoni topped with salted ricotta and roasted tomatoes) for $105 per person, and you can buy the pieces to take home with you. Bookings essential.

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• Swillfest, the “world’s most original wine fair”, from the crew behind the Caterpillar Club and Hubert, is taking over Le Foote and surrounds this September – and the line-up is spectacular.

• Mondays at Bar Planet mean $12 Martinis – a score by most standards (and doubly so with this team’s particular pour.)

• Yum cha trolleys are rolling at Kiln next month, and there are two star chefs popping up in Mitch Orr’s kitchen. It’s a one-off daytime event, and you’re best to book your seat quick.

• Get yourself a sweet dish of strawberries and cream this weekend, and nab a can of Sundae’s newest shower foam. Head to Cafe de la Fontaine in Potts Point on August 17 or 18 to enjoy.

• Take a walking tour through Woollahra and Paddo with tasty stops at Bistro Moncur, Civico 47 and Ursula’s. There are three spring dates, and the tour’s led by local historian Elliot Lindsay. There’s a course at each stop, and wines too. Tickets are $315 per person and very limited.

• South Eveleigh’s pulling out all the stops this winter, with a month-long program of community-powered experiences. Head to the precinct for a mind-boggling Questacon exhibit, silent cinema, a Lego play zone and pooch portrait sessions at Brewdog.

• Forage The Rocks takes over the harbourside locale this month, bringing special happy hours, live jazz, market tours and more.

• Chiswick is tripping to the harbour this month, taking over the Opera Bar kitchen with a pre-theatre dining experience from Mondays to Thursdays. The two courses come courtesy of Matt Moran, and the $80 offer includes a glass of Chandon rosé on arrival. Bookings recommended, available until Thursday August 29.

• Head to Coogee cocktail bar Will’s in August for an Oklahoma-style Wagyu cheeseburger on the house with every drink over $10. We’re lovin’ it.

What we covered this week

• First look: The Bat and Ball is brand-spanking new, reopening this week with a “never-ending” happy hour and a schmick fit-out.

• Burger Royale: in part one of this new series, Broadsheet editor Dan Cunningham does the legwork on two of our best happy hour burgers. Is Poly’s beef and onion beast the best? Or has Hubert’s Normandy number got it in the bag?

• Hey, Goldilocks! These are the seven best bowls of porridge in Sydney.

• Just in: The Ezra boys are back with Teddy, an Aussie bistro touting a “triple-A” menu in the old Raja digs.

• What’s planned for The Unicorn? The Paddington pub’s just changed hands, but will that gloriously golden chicken parmie stick around?

• Where chefs eat: Lankan Filling Station’s O Tama Carey shares her top date spot, an ace Haymarket hole-in-the-wall and her must-order dish at Ester.

• This One Thing: a snazzy take on an Arnott’s Monte Carlo in North Sydney.

You might’ve missed

• First service: Josh and Julie Niland scale up with Saint Peter at the Grand National. They’ve now got more space, an à la carte front bar for walk-ins and the option to stay the night. Lucky Sydney.

• Cinq babas au rhum, s’il vous plait: “If my day job as a Broadsheet editor doesn’t give me gout one day, my unpaid side gig as Sydney’s most passionate rum baba aficionado surely will,” writes national assistant editor Lucy Bell Bird. Here’s where to find her top five.

• First look: Table Manners is a big win for Bronte, packing assassin’s spaghetti and grapefruit Negronis in a killer fit-out. Snack on Bega Stringer-like croquettes alongside exceptional wines, or lean in to a luxe dinner.