We are still quite a young country, in a restaurant sense. As such regional cuisine has never truly been defined as compared to say, Italy, France or in fact China.

There are, however, world-class restaurants dotted across the countryside doing Australia proud, though food that represents a region is still somewhat of a conundrum. Biota chef and owner James Viles hopes to alter the perception of regional dining by showcasing produce from the Southern Highlands.

The name biota means “animals and plants of a region”. Viles relies on growing his own, foraging and sourcing local as the backbone of his menu which includes butter-poached Murray cod hiding beneath ribbons of young leek and seaweed crisps. Whipped John Dory roe gets a fresh hit from begonia and nasturtium chimichurri. Soft, creamed eggs “from our girls outside” combine beautifully with spanner crab, while cabbage gets a culinary hug from potato mashed with pork fat.

Must eat: Spanner crab