• Kitchen hacks: the one item Burnt Ends chef Dave Pynt always brings to a barbeque (and two things to avoid).

• Farmer’s Daughters – chef Alejandro Saravia’s three-storey love letter to Gippsland at 80 Collins – is getting into the bottomless brunch game on its greenhouse-like rooftop oasis. All the details.

• Now open: new Italian disco diner Connie’s – by the Heartbreaker team – could’ve been plucked straight from an old-school movie. Ascend the stairs for supersized pastas and grandma pies, “tirami-sundaes” and cocktail pitchers.

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• How long has it been since you last launched into a box of Roses chocolates? Piccolina is releasing a beautiful, limited-edition gelato-filled version for Mother’s Day. Pre-order yours now.

• When two Melbourne brothers lost their mum, the remarkable yiayia next door cooked to help them cope. Now they’ve released a cookbook together.

• Splash out: Ishizuka’s new autumn menu features dramatically presented, sashimi-like otsukuri and melt-in-your-mouth A5 Wagyu.

• Your big brekkie comes in ramen form at Kissaten, a Japanese-inspired cafe in leafy Alphington surrounds.

• When it comes to cannoli, are you team custard or ricotta? Cannoleria by That’s Amore is being slightly scandalous with its new offering: custard-flavoured ricotta cannoli. The best of both worlds?

• There’s free Japanese pickles and Osaka-inspired ramen cups at a one-day pop-up on the south side.

• After a colossal $7 million expansion, Victoria’s Four Pillars reasserts itself as a world-class gin destination. Shrouded by a striking copper veil, it’s a sight to behold in the Yarra Valley. Take a look.

• At this two-day gnocchi festival, demolish deep-fried pillowy potato parcels, crowd-pleasing bolognaise and carbonara versions straight out of a cheese wheel, and a spritz on arrival.

• Recipe: Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s simple yet satisfying chicken stew is the perfect centrepiece dish.