There’s so much to love about Captain Moonlite that it’s hard to know where to start.

That it’s a low-key secret(ish) gem hidden within the Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club gets the heart started, while its million-buck view, unbeatable along the coast, takes the tempo up. The fact two true professionals are looking after the bright-and-breezy clubrooms – Gemma Gange out front and Matt Germanchis (ex Pei Modern) in the kitchen – means that view isn’t doing all the heavy lifting. And there’s lots to love about sea-changers doing it right.

While the coastal Euro influence shines through the menu – no brighter than in a brilliant slow-roasted, garlicky lamb served with peas and goat’s curd – such staples as steak and fish and chips are done with Germanchis’ cheffy edge.

A kombu-dusted platter-sized prawn cracker is the snack that brings them back from far and wide, as does a golden slab of saganaki with pickled beetroot atop.

When your beer comes with an icy glass, your chips embody that impossible combination of fluffy and crunchy, and your bottle of Bellarine pinot gris flies fast from the fridge just in time for sunset, you know you have the best of the dining spectrum – top-notch fare in a nostalgic setting.

And that it’s named after a local bushranger, well, that’s just the blueberry and sesame sprinkle on the excellent house made ice cream that makes this venue so uniquely Aussie.

Must-eat dish: Slow-roasted lamb
Instagram: @captain_moonlite