There is an unrivalled sense of occasion to a meal at Vue de monde that remains undiminished even after almost two decades. From the moment you are welcomed on the ground floor of the Rialto before being whisked 55 levels up to be greeted by name upon arrival, until descent hours later with a breakfast bag for the morning, this is a choreographed show of extraordinary finesse. Chef Justin James’ take on Australia is at once respectful and refined but, thanks to a crack team on the floor that glide about as effective and unobtrusive as stage crew, Vue is now also whole lot of fun.

On the varied tasting menu there are mud crab “snags” to cook on the barbie, marshmallows to twirl over fire and Vegemite butter-rubbed croissant “damper” to eat off a stick. Highlights are many, from the elegant simplicity of a single roasted carrot served with magpie goose through to raw Flinders Island lamb under a crown of cauliflower couscous or smoked eel sheathed in a potato cannelloni. Each dish is lick-the-plate good. And then there are the signatures – Australia’s best cheese trolley is reason enough to return; so too the ethereal chocolate soufflé to end.

Vue is still one of the most expensive dining experiences in the country – which makes the shouting from the open kitchen all the more intrusive – but for a vision of contemporary Australia on the plate, it’s still one of the best.

Must eat dish: Marron with Jerusalem artichokes and geraldton wax