Coskun Uysal, whose cooking takes Istanbul training and mixes it with Melbourne sensibility, has evolved his destination diner into something more accessible with a recent refresh of both look and direction. The new-look room is beautiful, comfortable and sexy. And the food? Better than ever. You can still take a seven-course tour of the Turkish regions, but the new menu is more a mix-and-match mezze. It’s generous in the you’re-a-guest-in-my-house way of the Middle East… (click to read).

There’s a new greenhouse-like building on the banks of the Brisbane River this year and it’s cultivating an innovative addition to Brisbane’s restaurant scene. ARC, with its quasi-horticultural architecture, a giant potted fig as its centrepiece and a gabled glass front wall facing the river to capture stunning Story Bridge and City views, is making its presence felt in the booming Howard Smith Wharves precinct….(click to read).

Dan Pepperell has unlocked the secret to standing out in Sydney. He’s the chef, of Hubert fame, who made us love the French brasserie again, and now he’s reinvented the trattoria with Alberto’s Lounge, tucked away in a Surry Hills laneway. It’s a seamless experience from beginning to end: transporting, energetic and a roaring good time. Swiftly settled at our table, a basket of glistening, salty Pioik focaccia and Australian olive oil arrives, a snack to get us by while we peruse the wine list. Italian wines are at the forefront, and sommelier Andy Tyson (also of Hubert) is a whiz at sourcing interesting bottles alongside more familiar varietals… (click to read more).

If you could choose to be in the mind of a chef in Australia, Peter Gilmore’s would have to be the top pick. His meticulous menu is a narrative inspired by nature and is an extraordinary culinary experience, balancing sophisticated flavours with precision technique. Then there’s that view, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sparkling Sydney Harbour, alongside a first-class experience from wait staff who expertly guide diners through the meal, embodying Gilmore’s message through considered description, careful wine matching and importantly, a sense of play… (click to read more).

Milan comes to Melbourne in the most spectacular way: racy red leather chairs surround double-clothed tables, but it’s the elegantly seductive marble bar that’s the true focal point. This is the pick for solo and duo diners in for a quick bite. The full menu covers all bases – from fab fried anchovies and little milk buns piled high with mortadella to saltimbocca alla Romana and agnello al forno… (click to read more).

With a glorious vista across the vines that create its multi-award-winning wines, Oakridge has firmly established itself as one of the Yarra Valley’s favourite spots to lunch – and lunch long. Just as the kitchen garden that supplies Jo Barrett and Matt Stone’s zero-waste kitchen has grown, so, too, have the pleasures coming out if it. The duo’s celebration of the Yarra Valley’s produce and producers grows keener and more focused with every vintage, transformed into generous plates with a distinctly Asian lilt… (click to read more).

When the menu opens with a quick tour-in-words of what’s seasonal in the property’s garden, you expect that the plates will come to life with leaves, herbs, fruit and berries. That’s exactly what chef Tom Tilbury delivers at Gather in a gorgeous setting spread across verandahs and a courtyard near to the cellar door of McLaren Vale winery Coriole. This is food that defines the art of grazing as Tom teams the house-grown produce with an exciting mix of local seafood and meats where desired. He is brave, but never experimental beyond sensibility, as he proudly embraces the garden, the season and its inherent flavours and colours… (click to read more).

A new arrival in the nation’s capital has flown to number one straight off the runway, for good reason. This quaint 30-seat restaurant, in the quiet suburb of Ainslie, places emphasis on Australian ingredients without jumping on the native ingredient bandwagon. Pilot is the creation of clever young professionals Dash Rumble (Momofuku Seiobo) and Ross McQuinn (Pulp Kitchen) with Malcolm Hanslow (Automata, Ester) on the pans. The result is an engaging proactive dining experience, free of pretension but full of the whim of the new and the possibilities of where food is headed.

About half an hour from Hobart and en route if you’re embarking on the western-wilds drive out to Strahan, The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery is well worth the trip. Located in an old mental asylum, the venue is truly unique and, while intriguingly eerie, the dining room is warm and inviting with plenty of natural light, long tables, and custom-made chandeliers hanging from the pressed-metal ceiling. Chef Rodney Dunn’s potato cakes have garnered a cult following and are an ideal precursor to the rest of the menu, where it is impossible to go wrong.

The pressure to continue to innovate must be intense for any top-flight restaurant, but at Orana they’re adapting from a playbook thousands of years old. Chef Jock Zonfrillo doesn’t let the grass grow and his roughly 18-course tasting menu is constantly evolving, based on his work with indigenous elders and experiments with native ingredients. So repeat visits to this elegant little food lab are always warranted. Dinner starts with damper cooked over hot coals at the table. After that, it’s a wild ride: Coorong mullet roti with an Aussie jerk sauce, so good it could launch a thousand food trucks. Or a trio of flavour shots: hot and sour line-caught Port Wakefield squid, Murray River cod with leek and eucalyptus, oysters topped with kangaroo tail and lemon aspen… (click to read more).

Shimmering at the end of Barangaroo wharf, Cirrus is an iconic dining destination. The finesse, creativity and skill of Brent Savage and his chefs is hard to fault, and alongside sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, supported by restaurant manager Abi Mullen, this team is an absolute force to be reckoned with. Start with a glistening selection of south coast rock oysters at their seasonal peak, before exploring a menu underpinned by seafood that is a true testament to Savage’s expertise. A sheet of pearlescent raw scampi is served dotted with native beads of finger lime and wafers of salted radish. It’s bold without being bolshie, ingredients carefully selected to complement each other… (click to read more).

Paul Carmichael can certainly cook. In fact, we’ve not seen many like him Down Under. A humble chef with a deft touch and an innate understanding of the cuisine of his homeland Barbados, coupled with a willingness to champion best in class Australian produce, his food is something everyone should get to experience, at least once. Housed in The Star, Momofuku Seiōbo is the brainchild of superstar chef David Chang, and the rock ’n’ roll swagger of his venues takes a slightly more chilled detour here under the watchful guidance of Carmichael and restaurant manager Kylie Javiar-Ashton… (click to read more).

Among WA’s fine-diners, Wills Domain is a winning combination of chef Seth James, an increasingly slick front-of-house team and a not-so-secret weapon: sweeping vineyard views. While the casual carte has been sating appetites, it’s the tasting menu that has defined the draw of James’s brigade. Snacks are quickly fired from the kitchen: some just simple bites highlighting produce, such as a cube of crocodile with white pepper, while a scallop and nannygai two-hander served on beach pebbles, shrouded in mist, offers a theatrical start. Plates show technique and imagination: James is good at bringing hero ingredients to the fore, such as Albany flathead wrapped in paperbark with ribbons of squid and onion.

Hang out near Franklin during the day and you’ll witness a steady stream of producers stopping by to drop off their wares. These dictate the ever-changing menu at Franklin, where each dish is created around the ingredients that happen to land on the doorstep that day. Some of chef Analiese Gregory’s creations include angasi oysters cooked in the wood oven and doused in local Meyer lemon, or butterflied garfish from the Tasman Peninsula with roasted tomatillo. The King Edward potato galette is a crowd favourite and varies with the seasons – sometimes doused in truffles or scattered with fresh herbs.

If the sign of a successful restaurant is planning your next return before you even leave, Hellenika at The Calile is unquestionably a star. Boasting a warmth, generosity of spirit and generally upbeat vibe within its white-bricked walls, diners are welcomed in like family by a team of pink-jacketed, buoyant, knowledgeable staff, who charismatically balance personality with professionalism. Book a table outside to experience a taste of the Mediterranean with the sophisticated taverna overlooking The Calile Hotel’s pool; while inside the open kitchen waft tummy-grumbling scents of wholesome Greek cooking throughout the elegantly restrained space… (click to read more).