• Melbourne’s new American diner is a smooth operator. (You know the old-school, untouched-for-decades diners dotted all over the US? This CBD spot is a slick recreation of those retro relics.)

• Now open: new Bellarine bistro Tommy Gunns brings French flair to an old weatherboard cottage.

• Now open: terrific tossed-to-order bowls at Greenstreat, Richmond’s sunny new salad bar. (The poppyseed dressing is a standout.)

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• First Look: Named after a Paul Kelly song, Leaps and Bounds is a cheerful new cafe for Albert Park. You’ll find spicy, buttery Turkish eggs and thick-cut French toast behind a baby-blue facade.

• “Enormous highs and lows”: celebrated chef Donovan Cooke has closed his Fitzroy North diner, Ryne.

• First Look: The cannoli are piped to order and the gelato is top-tier at Northcote’s new Italian dessert bolthole.

• Get into the Australian Open spirit with a limited-edition tennis-ball dessert at Stokehouse. It’s inspired by an Eton mess, with white chocolate and bursts of lemonade.

• Coming Soon: 1800 Lasagne is opening two new Northcote venues – a sandwich shop and a wine bar. All the details.

• Brunswick’s Old Palm Liquor has given us another reason to love it. It’s launched Sunday Fish Braai, where chef Almay Jordaan channels her South African heritage into big seafood barbeques.

• “It’s definitely still a bit of a secret”: Dromana Habitat is a hotbed of artisans on the Mornington Peninsula. Snack on brûléed goat’s cheese, sip gluten-free beers and more.