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Attica

Although Ben Shewry’s food includes many tricks of the modern restaurant trade – smoke, pollen, freeze drying, dehydration – there is a soundness and purpose to his methods that is more art than gimmickry. Sweet crabmeat, verjuice granita and barberries lie under a pile of snow-like crumbled, freeze-dried horseradish and crunchy puffed rice. A marron tail shares a plate with a sliver of wagyu bresaola, sea vegetables and a delicate bonito broth, while poached quince sits next to a stinging nettle sorbet. The magic is not just in the combinations and plating but in the fact the food actually tastes and feels like dinner – you are entertained and fed. Service is charming and the wine list is well focused. Velvet drapery and sound-muting panels have made the modest dining room feel warmer and more luxurious, as befits one of Melbourne’s best restaurants.