Jacques Reymond

Reports of the death of fine dining haven’t reached Jacques Reymond – and Melbourne’s food scene is much the richer for it. Any visit to this swish mansion restaurant is a special occasion. Service is intuitive and energetic. Reymond’s food is astoundingly fresh, nimble and pretty, replete with sparky ideas and great produce – the sweetest baby vegetables, Japanese condiments, native eucalypt – nudged towards magnificence by impeccable French technique. Delicate king george whiting is the star in a dish of pickles and sharp citrus. Lamb fillet is partnered with smoked scallop in a daring land-and-sea tableau. Rich grilled beef is given spine with blackened onion and a hint of coffee. Flavour matches are unusual but inspired – as with a plum, chocolate and bay leaf dessert – and the meal is wholly delightful, shining with the confidence born from decades of experience yet still excited by the future.

Drinks Outstanding wines from France, Australia and beyond

And … The $140 vegetarian degustation is a respectful meat-free marvel.