Whether you’re back on the tools this week, or you’re one of the lucky ones kicking into gear later in the month, we can all agree that the end-of-year break is never long enough. Around town, the city is waking up from its silly season slumber too: most bars, cafes and restaurants are back to their regular hours and raring to go.

So whether you’re dreading the return to your routine, excited for the year ahead, or a healthy mix of both, you’ll at least be able to stay fed and watered at one of your favourite spots – or start ticking new places off your list. Let the Hot List be your sidekick in this important task.

A museum restaurant where chefs are on exhibit

Last month the Museum of Contemporary Art announced that, citing declining federal arts funding, from February this year it would be instating an entry fee for the first time since 2000. It’s understandable, but it’s still a bummer. It means that you’ve got less than a month to take yourself there to enjoy it all for free. You should put those savings towards a meal at Canvas.

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The idea at this new restaurant, which takes over the fourth-floor space of the now-downstairs MCA cafe, is that every few months a new chef will take over the kitchen and turn Canvas into something new, just like a curator does with a museum exhibition. It’s all housed within a beautiful harbour-view dining room whose panoramas match anything Quay, Bennelong and Café Sydney have to offer. The inaugural chef is a big one. Josh Raine, who led the kitchen at the legendary Tetsuya’s, is running proceedings with a menu that leans into his experiences cooking around the world.

As a general Sydney rule, if you’re eating something and you can see either the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House, you’re probably paying too much for your meal. What makes Canvas so interesting is the price: $100 for three courses, with views this good, from a chef with this kind of pedigree? Pretty great value, all things considered. Raine leaves Canvas at the end of January to make way for the next chef. Sounds like all things point to an MCA visit this month.

If you ever had sorry museum scones with your grandparents growing up, the notion of being able to have a great museum meal might seem wild. But between Clayton Wells’s Mod Dining over at the AGNSW and now Canvas, that possibility is alive and well in the CBD. People go to restaurants for the art all the time, so why not go to an art museum for a restaurant?

Temasek finds a new home (literally across the street)

Temasek is a Parramatta icon which, since 1992, has sold one of the most reliably excellent laksas you’ll find anywhere in Sydney. It’s been working on its relocation for a while now, and after its last December service, it’s been closed for the big move. Fortunately for all, we won’t be waiting long. Temasek will be in its new digs by the end of January, and it’s right across the road from the old spot. (See this handy illustration to explain.)

An early contender for summer’s best hair of the dog

Unless booze isn’t your thing or you’re taking on Dry January, your summer in Sydney is guaranteed to have its fair share of drinks. Which means hangovers. We’ve all got our own patented, highly scientific methods for getting rid of them, but few cures have stood the test of time like a good old Bloody Mary. The Martini maestros over at Bar Planet seem to think so too. It’s the patron saint of hair of the dog drinks and, this Sunday, the team debuts its own take on it. Looks like a beaut.

This week’s hot list activity

• Added: Canvas
• Most trending restaurant: Olympus
• Most trending bar: Letra House
• Most trending cafe: Superfreak