Lodged in a historic home built more than 130 years ago and situated on the edge of the lovely Buderim Forest Park, Harry’s has ambience covered, with veranda tables overlooking a leafy vista. This year, new owners including chef Stuart Bell, who had been at the much-awarded winery restaurant Ten Minutes by Tractor on the Mornington Peninsula for a decade, have taken the operation to a new level.

The accomplished mod-oz menu is a marriage of quality produce and classical technique and includes complimentary amuse bouche and a pre-dessert. Diners might start with tender, charred, slow-cooked octopus with crispy mussels, borlotti beans and gremolata or tortellini of rabbit with roast loin, parsnip puree, sautéed mushrooms, compressed apple and mustard grain vinaigrette. Mains could be crispy skin barramundi or roasted duck breast with celeriac, chestnuts, native riberries and duck jus.

Desserts are enticing with mandarin cake with mandarin cremeaux, fresh raspberries, raspberry and crème fraiche ice cream or perhaps strawberry mousse, with fresh strawberries, kataifi pastry and red finger lime ice cream.

Must-eat dish: Tortellini of rabbit with roast loin