What we covered in Melbourne food and drink this week
• A first look at Officina Gastronomica Italiana, the next iteration of charming Prahran espresso bar, Officine Zero. The always-busy venue has doubled in size, but still maintains its European charm (and gorgeous courtyard).

• And a first look at Gemini, the wine bar and pantry Coburg has been waiting for.

• A Michelin-credentialled chef is cooking woodfired steaks and handmade pastas at Stix in Lower Plenty.

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• We rounded up eight Melbourne-made mooncakes for mid-Autumn Festival. There are delicate snow-skin treats, Hong Kong custard mooncakes that were invented in 1986, an ice-cream-sandwich-mooncake hybrid and more.

• Get to know Nada Thomas, the former Cecconi’s pastry chef and the new head chef at Her Bar.

• London comes to the south-east at The Lion & Wombat, a new neighbourhood pub serving traditional English fare – including Scotch eggs, fish finger sandwiches and a classic Sunday roast.

• Two hospo pros bring inner-city energy to what was once an aquarium shop at Railway Wine Bar.

• Artisanal cheddars, free-range cold-cuts and oozy toasties made using Aussie meats and cheeses from revamped Queen Vic Market stall Ripe & Cured.

• Leonie Upstairs officially has Australia’s best sake list.

You might have missed
• Celebrated chef and Always Add Lemon author Danielle Alvarez is the new culinary director of the Sydney Opera House’s event venues.

Listen up
•This week on Broadsheet’s podcast Around Town we break down Melbourne’s best restaurant bread and butters and talk about the hit winter pop-up that’s here to stay.

More, please
• Enjoy fantastic fungi at the (free) inaugural Australian Mushroom Festival taking place at the Queen Vic Market this October 14 & 15.

• The Young Hearts kitchen will turn into "Buvette", and chef James Cornwall will be the Windsor bar’s new chef-in-residence for the next six months. Expect bar snacks and share plates including spitfire flatbread, snapper ceviche and steak frites with mushroom ketchup when Cornwall takes over next month.

• Yarra Valley winemaker Mac Forbes joins chef Shane Delia for a one-night-only wine dinner this Tuesday October 3 at Maha North.

• Jing Gao’s cult-favourite chilli crisp Fly by Jing is finally available in Australia.

As seen on the web
C Pam Zhang on her new dystopian novel Land of Milk and Honey with food writer Bettina Makalintal – via Eater.