Piccolo: Victoria's hospitality industry news bites

Sweating for some Sichuan? Dainty Sichuan Glen Waverley has reopened. The restaurant originally opened last December, but closed early February after only a month of service to renovate the kitchen. It's back, serving the same menu as South Yarra. The other good news is the imminent opening of a new Dainty Sichuan at 149 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Due to open mid to late July, the 200-plus seater's focus will be on individual hot pots, as at Box Hill.

Australian books about booze are some of the best in the world after this year's Gourmand Cookbook Awards gave the gong of Wine Book of the Year to Barossa Shiraz, by Thomas Girgensohn, and Best Cocktails Book to Shaken, Stirred, Flamed & Thrown, by Sven Almenning of Eau de Vie, in Malthouse Lane, Melbourne.

Pho Nom, Earl Canteen and Spud Bar are among the nine eateries set to occupy the ground floor of The Grid, an office development taking shape at 567 Collins Street. Tipped to open in August, the under-cover ground-floor plan is being pitched as "a new and contemporary laneway".

After eight years at Chateau Yering and nine years at Lake House, chef Mathew Macartney is going out on his own. He's promising top produce, contemporary cooking and accessible prices at the as-yet-unnamed 42-seat Mont Albert restaurant he hopes to open in August. Andrew Forster, Macartney's sous, will step up to the head chef role at Chateau Yering.

South Melbourne's Urban Kitchen has the luminaries lined up to deliver a range of cooking classes. First up, on Thursday, July 16, is Jerry Mai (Pho Nom) on Vietnamese street food, with Ian Curley (The European) in the house the following week. The schedule includes Paul Wilson and mozzarella making from the team at That's Amore. Check theurbankitchen.com.au for full details, or call 9690 5831.