While the atmosphere isn’t very French, overlooking South Bank parklands and over to the city, the food certainly is. Great care is taken to deliver exceptional dishes such as duck liver pate, escargots with confit garlic, and salted barramundi croquettes featuring milk-soaked fish rolled with potato and herbs, panko crumbed and crisply fried.

Larger dishes also show technical flair, with sous-vide spitchcock meltingly tender and accompanied by smoked potato foam, pickled grapes and crunchy, petite kale chips. The restaurant’s take on nicoise represents a departure from tradition, with pan-fried barramundi topping a tangle of beans, olives, saffron potato, salsa verde and a crumbed quail egg. It’s easy to be talked into dessert when the offerings are classic crème brulee with apple compote, pear tarte tatin with caramel ice cream, and Kir Royale — a texturally wonderful mix of champagne sorbet, tart cassis foam, jelly-like pate de fruit and sweet popping candy. There are few French wines by the glass however the list is solid, and well matched to the food, and the service is a pleasant standout, with waiters knowing their product and delivering the right balance of humour and courtesy.

Exceptional dish: Duck liver pate, smooth, rich and beautifully executed