Yiaga

You could spend a whole review rhapsodising about the chairs, the terracotta tiles, the ceramics. They speak to the obsessive level of detail in every aspect of Yiaga, one of the most ambitious restaurants Australia has ever seen.

Wunderkind chef Hugh Allen, who took the reins at Vue du Monde at just 23, oversees a 12-course menu beginning with cool green sorbet of sea parsley, finger lime and olive oil. A pitch-perfect procession of sunshine and seafoam follows: squid sliced into tender slivers is bathed in a delicate broth of Thai basil and desert lime; school prawns are served raw and topped with fronds of uniquely floral torch ginger.

At some point during your meal, a staff member will offer a private tour of the building, before returning you to your seat for a signature sendoff: a frozen treat of dark chocolate, chocolate caramel and sesame caramel formed in the likeness of a banksia husk. Yiaga is exceptional. Nothing is unconsidered. Beauty is the underlying philosophy. Australia, its landscapes and ingredients and culture, is the muse.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.