Snack Bar: Brekkie at Maison Balzac, Free Mezcal at El Primo and More Local Food News, November 1, 2024

Plus, a party at Dea Store, Messina’s boozy collab, $35 mixed-grill plates by the water and a spring market in the inner west.

• Maybe Sammy is boozing it up with Messina, releasing three ready-to-pour cocktails. There’s a coconut and lychee Martini, a strawberries and cream Gimlet and a passionfruit-y sorbet Negroni – all starring the gelateria’s top scoops.

• Smith Street Spring Market hits ceramicist Milly Dent’s studio in Marrickville this Sunday from 10am till 3pm. Find 15 stalls by local artists.

• Have brekkie on the house at Maison Balzac this Saturday. Head into the Surry Hills store for a Mimosa, croissant and sneaky discount of the range of glassware.

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• Head to Dea Store East tonight from 6pm to celebrate the arty store’s 10-year anniversary. Enjoy the exhibition Off the Table, as well as pours from P&V and birthday cake by 15 Cenchi.

• Weekend pick: mezcal tastings at El Primo Sanchez. Celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at the Oxford Street haunt with a cocktail on arrival, Mexican snacks and unlimited mezcal tastings. Expect DJs and face painting too. Tickets essential.

• Ben Lee and Sarah McLeod are headlining the debut North Sydney Festival on Saturday. It’s a free, all-ages event taking over four zones of the locale. Plus, head to the new Victoria Cross precinct from 3pm for the after party. There’ll be DJs, a P&V pop-up and more across the vendors.

• At the flash new Felons on Manly Wharf, there’s a Wednesday-only $35 mixed-grill plate worth your attention. It’s a retro mix of rump steak, lamb cutlet, bacon and sausage. Excellent with a beer.

• Western Australia’s Beerfarm is taking over the taps at Beach Road today. Head in from 6pm for tastings, live music and giveaways.

What we covered this week

• First service: at Joji, it’s panoramic city views and Wagyu sloppy joes from top chef Paul Farag. The Aalia exec chef’s pushing snacks straight off a custom robata too, and he’s joined by a bar manager with a nod from World’s 50 Best.

• The Sydney Morning Herald publishes allegations of exploitation of female staff at Merivale. The report focuses on alleged behaviour at Level 6, the Ivy precinct’s exclusive penthouse bar. Merivale “categorically rejects” the allegations.

• RIP OK Seltzer, we love you dearly. The local bevs are saying goodbye – but why would you sunset something so popular?

• Gemma Plunkett’s October column is here – and she wants you to picnic better. "There’s a lot of coordination: the location, the weather, the tides, the wind and who’s bringing the blanket? I like to do a few more things that make for a really good time on the rug.”

• Cake king Andy Bowdy’s next Saga is here. It was a sad day when the chef’s Enmore Road bakery closed, but now there’s a place for his “schmicked up” desserts and, perhaps, the return of the Lee Tran sanga.

• The six things to order at Prefecture 48, the impressive six-part Japanese precinct in the CBD.

• All the openings we got excited about in October. Including Iraqi dumplings in Randwick, a bar for dirty Greek Martinis and a $39 bread and butter course that could be worth it.

You might’ve missed

• Coming soon: Letra House, from the Love Tilly Group, will take Spanish snacks underground. It’s due before the end of the year, with tapas and a big wine list that’s all available by the glass.

• First look: stop at Leon for globetrotting groceries and hearty ready-made meals. Will it be Iraqi dumplings or a schnitzel challah? Hungarian paprika or a jar of smoked honey?

• Local Knowledge: lines snake for brekkie dosa and Sri Lankan curries at New Shakthi, a Homebush eatery that’s been around for nearly two decades.