Get ready for something special. This modern fine-dining spot serves up artistically plated dishes that taste just as good as they look – which is saying something. Blending fresh local produce from small farms and producers with techniques inspired by chef Dan Arnold’s training in Michelin-starred restaurants in France, this is the place to go for elegant fare in a relaxed setting. All you need to do is decide whether you want to go for three, five or eight courses – then sit back and enjoy the journey. restaurantdanarnold.com

This tiny 10-seater is tucked away down the end of Bakery Lane in Fortitude Valley. Patrons sit along a bench facing the kitchen, where chefs Tim and Sarah Scott prepare your choice of a “short” five-course or “long” eight-course menu. The couple – who both did their apprenticeships in Brisbane before heading for Sydney and the kitchens of fine dining restaurants such as Automata and Sepia – have 6pm and 8.30pm sittings, with matched drinks available by the glass or carafe/bottle. The set menu might include corn chawanmushi with smoked Yarra Valley caviar or perhaps black vinegar-glazed sous vide Cape Grim short rib teamed with gingered cucumber and salted daikon. Shop 7/690 Ann St, Fortitude Valley; joyrestaurant.com.au.

For a complete, up-market French bistro dining experience look no further than Montrachet in Bowen Hills where the attention to detail, quality of cooking, level of service and French-accented wine list are noteworthy. On offer is an a la carte menu of classics for dinner Tuesday to Thursday (with a choice of five options for entrees and mains for $85pp for two courses and $100 for three), or a five-course chef’s menu of some of these classics for $135. Lovers of French onion soup, the peerless double-baked souffle with crabmeat and gruyere, steak frites, bouillabaisse, or perhaps a lovely rum baba to finish, look no further. But on Friday and Saturday nights there’s just a six-course, $165 tasting menu that moves into new territory with dishes such as tartare of champagne lobster; rabbit loin wrapped in smoked pork cheek, as well as slow-roasted Black Angus fillet. 1/30 King St, Bowen Hills; montrachet.com.au.

Elska is a restaurant that takes the ordinary and twists it into the unbelievable. The intimate, 12-seat, degustation-only fine diner is headed by chef/owner Nathan Dunnell, who is passionate about showcasing local ingredients and sustainability throughout every one of the 14 or so courses. This may include, for instance, the “offcuts” of cobia from a previous raw dish mashed into a patty for a tasty little fish sandwich; or pig offal made into pate served alongside a slab of slow-roasted pork shoulder. Even beetroot is used multiple ways, from a Danish-style beetroot roulette sweet pastry to a deep-red kombucha available on its own or as part of the restaurant’s non-alcoholic drinks pairing. An alcoholic pairing  is also available, or diners can choose from a carefully created list of local and European wine, sake and house cocktails. With bold ideas and brave concepts, Elska is for the adventurous diner. 2/148 Merthyr Rd, New Farm; elska.com.au.

Those in the know slide open a large black door – marked Rogue in gold lettering – to reveal a clandestine dining space tucked away in an industrial corner of Newstead. Beyond its subtle entrance, the low-lit restaurant presents an evolving degustation affair – alongside adapted dietary multi-course menus – revealing welcome surprises in each of the artfully adorned dishes. Attentive staff are on hand to deliver the goods, opening with a dollop of remarkable whipped, smoked butter served with sourdough baguette, the meal enthralling from its first notes. A quartet of starters may feature a flavoursome black garlic waffle topped with spiced avocado and fish roe, trailed by a yuzu kosho prawn cocktail with edible succulents. To follow, it’s an umami-rich, honey-miso glazed pork belly. Next in line, a potato leek gratin is served with a wild venison striploin. Sweet-toothed diners will appreciate the inclusion of two show-stealing desserts. The first, a refreshing strawberry gum granita with a scoop of matcha and coconut gelato, serves as an intermission palate-cleanser. The finale? A petite but mighty sticky date financier delights with butterscotch foam, candied chocolate, and aniseed-myrtle gelato. 14 Austin St, Newstead; roguebistro.com.au.

Michelin-trained Isasia Dal Fiume runs this show and his main courses include tagliatelle with raw ama ebi, capsicum and scampi caviar, Patagonian toothfish with celeriac textures or a 180g Wagyu eye scotch fillet with carrots, white balsamic and a peppercorn jus. Fruit focused desserts end the meal on a lighter note. The wine list deserves serious consideration, with more than 40 wines by the glass and 600 bottles. Seven-course degustations include a vegan option, both available with matching wines. Podium Level, Rydges South Bank, 9 Glenelg St, South Brisbane; bacchussouthbank.com.au.

Chef Andy Ashby offers a winsome line-up of bites such as tiny eclairs filled with cognac-laced duck liver pate and a hint of plum, lobster thermidor vol-au-vents and little marjoram and heirloom tomato tarts, all begging to be matched with a glass from the French-heavy wine list. The small plates section includes pig’s head and pistachio terrine, sweet corn brulee, and Parisienne gnocchi. Most of the large plates aren’t that large but presentation is spot-on, with spring lamb dressed up for the occasion with a jus poured on at the table, while the pork from Schultz’s farm on the Darling Downs is enlivened with carrot, mustard and caraway in a nicely balanced array of flavours. Service covers the bases with a smile. 609 Stanley St, Woolloongabba; cestbon.com.au.

Down a set of stairs into the barely lit basement of the old Metro Arts building in Brisbane’s CBD lies this ultra-trendy, 24-seat, degustation-only experience. Bookings for two sit kitchen-side, watching the team of smartly dressed chefs work their magic, while groups of four sink into banquette seating and sturdy wooden chairs, ready for the multi-course menu to begin. A series of snacks kicks things off, perhaps the abalone liver parfait. It’s then on to larger dishes, such as a brilliant slab of 9+ Wagyu Yakiniku with white asparagus and beurre noisette, before three sweet courses,including smoked milk chocolate truffle. 109 Edward Street, Brisbane; exhibitionrestaurant.com.au

Long and narrow, this faintly lit, split-level restaurant, allows guests multiple dining experiences, from cosy banquettes tucked at the front and rear to bar seating and a full chef’s table affair, perched at the kitchen counter a spaghetti twirl from the action. Chef/co-owner Phil Marchant presents contemporary cuisine understated in description leaving plenty of room for surprises in the constantly changing, seasonal menu. Take for example wood-fired grey mackerel with burnt capsicum romesco, or cucumber with a sauce made from bones and port. It all pairs easily with wines from the versatile and balanced list of predominantly Australian, French and Italian bottles, while a clutch of house cocktails offers a bit of fun. 181 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley; essa.restaurant.