At night, the twinkly-lit dining room is a total stunner, setting the scene for luxe, precisely cooked plates that excite while not straying too far into left field.

Also spot on is service across the team – from sincere welcome to warm goodnight, with a smile from the kitchen and plenty of good humour, guidance and a little sass in between, despite the packed house.

Food? On point, be it the pull-apart perfect partridge on a bed of farro with a torched funghi-filled cabbage roll on the side, or the super hapuka served with a tussle of just-opaque Mooloolaba prawns, grill-striped fennel and sorrel with a vibrant green sauce.

The chocolate delice is a shiny temptation, with caramelia mousse, praline biscuit and gold leaf, but the apple confit, a painstaking layering of fruit that’s soft yet still textural, with burnt butter ice cream, is brilliant, too.

Fab snacks between courses and a cracking worldly wine list seal the deal at this Andrew McConnell class act.

Must-eat dish: Hapuka, grilled fennel, sorrel, Mooloolaba prawns & vermouth