Is there a Melbourne restaurateur who knows more about fish than Michael Bacash?

Probably not. In his South Yarra restaurant opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bacash hooks some of the best seafood money can buy and serves it with rare precision.

Coffin Bay oysters make a splash — try them grilled “Bacash” style with spinach, garlic and parmesan — before you dive into any number of fine, freestyle entrees.

An Asian-leaning blue swimmer crab salad, perhaps, or grill-stroked calamari with pickled fennel, or sublime sea scallops coddled with crispy sage and potato.

Fish of the day? Look for whiting, rockling or dory, all impeccably presented with green salad and French fries. On a busy midweek evening, Bacash was also sending out a lot of Lebanese-style snapper fillets surfing over sumac-braised silverbeet.

It’s not all seafood. There’s duck breast and scotch fillet for those afraid of the water and a playful dessert list led by black sesame ice cream and toasted meringue.

The admittedly pricey fare at Bacash (mains are mostly $40 plus) is bolstered by a wine list of considerable depth, embracing lesser known wines from Germany and Austria. Staff in crisscross aprons are very capable and the handsome dining room — all greys and caramels after a recent refurb — has everyone fishing for compliments.

Must eat dish: Lebanese-style snapper fillet