All aboard the Attica express, where your tastebuds will be taken to unfamiliar territory as a procession of dishes boasting native ingredients land at your table over the next four or so hours.

Chef and owner Ben Shewry has heroed home-grown produce to lure visitors from home and abroad to his world class Ripponlea restaurant.

First stop lets you forage for sour Northern Territory green ants, tart emu berries and nutty bunya bunya paste, and your journey ends with a single-bite ‘rainforest cherry ripe’. In between there’s a childhood favourite: a steamed Vegemite scroll, then a flurry of Australia’s best from land and sea: menthol-tasting saltwater crocodile ribs, kimchi-spiked kangaroo tartare, a citrus-drenched marron tail and an emu-liver smeared bagel (a nod to Ripponlea’s Jewish community). 

Shewry and his team then chug full steam into the future with an interlude course taking you from your seat for vegan cheese burgers and beer in the makeshift ‘shelter’ out back. 

Do book for a special occasion, and splurge on a bottle from the impressively long (and pricey) drinks list. Attica may have departed from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants earlier this year, but the wheels haven’t fallen off this well-oiled machine. Sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Must Eat Dish: Happy Little Vegemite