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Stokehouse

Lunch at the Stokehouse ranks among Melbourne’s great dining experiences. Dinner’s good, too, though the often boisterous crowd enjoying sommelier Lincoln Riley’s huge and carefully tended wine list can raise noise levels alarmingly. Still, the dining room – recently given an elegant, stripped-back makeover of limed oak floors and shining brass detailing – remains a calming force and the perfect backdrop for similarly refined and pared-back food. Yoghurt parfait with fennel shavings, fresh peas and caviar, and kingfish ceviche with salted grapes, are pale and pretty, while pan-roasted John Dory is robustly teamed with a smoked mackerel aïoli. Several well-sourced steaks and the enduring Stokie dessert favourite The Bombe (white chocolate parfait with strawberry sorbet and meringue) cater for larger appetites at this remarkably consistent institution.