The starting point is a bowl of lemon aspen jelly with finely diced kohlrabi and halves of twice-shelled green peas looking like lily pads on the surface of a pond. The finish is a toffee-topped, semi-frozen cream and matching syrup, flavoured with the spiky fallen branches of a bunya pine tree. As stunning as both are, the remarkable part about lunch at the reimagined Restaurant Botanic is that every one of the nine courses between are their equal. For those who care about what they eat, Restaurant Botanic is a Magical Mystery Tour from start to finish. Plane Tree Dr, Adelaide; restaurantbotanic.com.au.

When the world seems weary, cynical, distracted, you can walk into arkhé and the planets start to realign. The welcome is warm and genuine, the mood upbeat, the sense of a large team working with common purpose strangely reassuring. From a seat at the counter (highly recommended), it is a pleasure to watch it all unfold: the fire powering furnace-like ovens, grills and even a cauldron deep-fryer; the preparation of unlikely ingredients such as a magnificent turbot (fish); the synchronicity and sense of calm in a kitchen under the leadership of Jake Kellie, who learnt his craft at Singapore’s revered Burnt Ends. For those entranced by the theatre of the kitchen, by food in all its sensual wonder, by hospitality at its finest, this is one of Adelaide’s finest packages. 127 The Parade, Norwood; arkhe.com.au.

Cancel all meetings. Turn Out of Office on and the mobile off. The long lunch is back. In Fugazzi, the CBD once again has a restaurant with the sense of occasion to encourage wanton misbehaviour. How fitting it is that this relative newcomer should have taken over the site where Rigoni’s was, in its heyday, renowned for lunches attended by the state’s heavyweights, who could be seen at window-side tables by passersby. Fugazzi is more discreet. It all adds to the impact of walking into a dining room that, from the curved joinery to the rows of Fornasetti wall plates, is drop-dead gorgeous. Throw in black-aproned waiters and a big-band soundtrack and this is not Rome or Milan, but New York in full glamour mode. 27 Leigh St, Adelaide; fugazzi.com.au.

Still one of Adelaide’s coolest places to hang out, Africola fizzes with creative energy and mischievous intent. Africola has moved to a “feed me” menu, where the kitchen makes the choices. But fear not, they’ll happily include whatever takes your fancy. The signature crispy chicken tea sandwich with peri peri drippings alone is reason enough to visit. Who knew that something as simple as white bread and chicken skin could taste so ridiculously good? 4 East Terrace, Adelaide; africola.com.au.

The signature snack at the CBD favourite Press* Food & Wine is not your average profiterol. Instead, Tom Tilbury’s choux pastry is wrapped in a layer of crisp biscuit “craquelin” and filled with a chicken liver parfait smoother than a Barry White love song. Just the thing to get you in the mood for love, with their seductively smooth, savoury centres. 40 Waymouth St, Adelaide; pressfoodandwine.com.au.

A few years back, Brendan Wessels was pushing meringue mix into a 3D printer at the d’Arenberg Cube. Now he is executive chef and chief mentor of Aurora, a restaurant with an altruistic, ego-free, sustainable vision. Wessels is originally from South Africa and one section of his menu is devoted to meats and fish from the “braii” or barbecue. Other plates show a mix of influences – South African, Thai, French and particularly Japanese – all elevated by small but significant touches of technical virtuosity. Light, 63 Light Square, Adelaide; auroraadl.com.au.

Fino Vino is like an old friend or pair of well-worn jeans you’d pull on every day if you could. Comfortable. A perfect fit no matter the occasion. Some combinations, say zucchini, ricotta and pistachios, can look dead simple. Dig deeper, however, and you find the charred vegie ribbons and housemade ricotta make the perfect couple. Fillets of tommy ruff have lustrous just-set flesh beneath skin that looks as if it has been to the gates of hell. The Italian masterpiece veal saltimbocca is rendered perfectly, with a sage leaf beneath as well as on top of the seamless prosciutto wrapper, the quality of the meat inside outstanding. 82 Flinders St, Adelaide; finovino.net.au.

Japanese firehouse Shobosho, a few steps off bustling Leigh St, is a momentary escape to another place. The moody diner, flanked by an open kitchen and bar to one side and timber booth seating to the other, evokes a Japanese izakaya with food that steps things up a notch. Chef Adam Liston’s menu is as refined as it is playful – his version of “KFC”, with pear and tobiko an example of the latter. A considered drinks list, including sake, serves to complement your meal. 17 Leigh St, Adelaide; shobosho.com.au.

This bold venture from local food entrepreneur Callum Hann and his business partner Themis Chryssidis has plenty going for it. The cooking is often memorable; the drinks list superb. If anything, eleven just needs a little more confidence in its own skin. The name refers to its location in Waymouth St, tucked away at the rear of an office tower. A dark, handsome room, with a cohesive mix of tactile materials in black, copper and deep green, features a long, open kitchen fronted by a marble chef’s table overlooking the pass. Here chef Water Lo supervises the contemporary French cooking, realised mostly as hero ingredients arranged on a plate and sauced at the table. The magic here is the extraordinary, seductive flavours to be found in liquids with the consistency of your morning tea or coffee. 11 Waymouth St, Adelaide; elevenadl.com.au.

You would think SA – with its great gulfs and Australia’s largest commercial fishing fleet – would be a haven for good seafood. But this hasn’t been the case with much of our wonderful produce hitting plates interstate or overseas. Fishbank, established in the grand bank building on one of the city’s most prominent corners, is out to change this by offering top quality Coffin Bay oysters, Port Lincoln kingfish, Goolwa pipis and a shipload of other local seafood treats. All this is enhanced by a wine list of such commendable breadth and engaging personality that we have named it the best in SA. GROUND LEVEL, 2 King William St, Adelaide; fishbankadl.com.au.