What’s on around town
• Downstairs at The Waratah, a weekly changing drinks menu showcases the produce of the moment through the eyes of one bartender – so there’ll always be something fresh. Head in this week for the Gin & Fancy Juice – sparkling peach, to be exact – a Pear Mojito (where river mint joins the rum) or the sweet, milky notes of a Frozen Irish.

• Spend your summer arvos slurping bargain bivalves at Ken’s Continental in Ruchcutters Bay. During aperitivo arvos – 4pm till 5.30pm – on Fridays and Saturdays, oysters will be just $2.50 each. Get six.

• Restaurant Hubert is dialling up the magic with an actual magician. The moody CBD spot's Theatre Royale will host James Galea’s Le Grand Mystique on the second Sunday of every month, starting on Sunday January 14. Prepare for spectacular feats and to tap into that sense of wonder – while you enjoy free-flowing wine and roving canapes or a sit-down feast.

Redeem a double pass to the MCA Artbar. Starting at $12 a month, join Broadsheet Access.

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• Dine by the harbour and then catch a flick, like Priscilla, Saltburn or a classic: Pretty Woman. Summer House Dining – the finer way to feast at the Westpac Openair Cinema – brings pre-film a la carte and set menus, plus a bar offering, to a waterside deck overlooking our harbour.

• Barty Burgers: Ash Barty's serving an ace with Grill'd, with the Ash Says chicken burger (dressed up with avo and sweet chilli) and the bold beef burg Mighty Ash, where Vegemite mayo stars. Over January, via its Local Matters program, Grill'd will be donating $100k to the Ash Barty Foundation, supporting young Aussies through sport participation and education.

Yum things by cool people
• Food For Everyone’s delight-inducing posters are sharing the limelight (again) with a happy quartet of bistro plates. Illustrations by founder and artist Gemma Leslie adorn the limited run of mismatched sets, which are $150 and available now.

Listen up
This week on Around Town we use the summer hotline to call Julia Gutman, Archibald Prize-winning artist, to chat eating, drinking and sunshine-soaked activities. Plus, we visit some of our favourite episodes of 2023 – this week, it's chef, author and fishmonger Josh Niland chatting seafood sustainability and why we need to rethink the idea of 'fresh' fish.