The slabs of beef hanging in cabinets on the way in, and the giant bull depicted on the menu, signal meaty intentions at Rockpool Bar & Grill. But other treasures await at Neil Perry’s swanky Melbourne flagship.

Caviar with creme fraiche beckons from the Cold Bar, alongside freshly shucked oysters and cured ocean trout with red onion pickle, while Salads and Other Things can run to pesto-powered octopus or wood-roasted beetroots with whipped goat’s curd.

Among a brace of pastas, we loved the cheese-dusted maltagliati with sauteed abalone, king brown mushrooms and bottarga. A savoury sensation.

A gently spiced mussel and saffron stew, teeming with woodfire-grilled seafood, also impressed. In the end, though, there’s no escaping the steak. Pair flawlessly cooked dry-aged Blackmore wagyu blade with ‘mac and cheese’ or grass-fed Cape Grim T-Bone with the cracking potato and cabbage gratin and you will be in heaven. Especially if you’ve ordered a fine bottle of red from Rockpool’s estimable cellar.

Our service was not as pin sharp as we remembered from earlier visits – and the bill can be breathtaking – but Rockpool remains a high-class destination.

Must-eat dish: Spicy seafood stew