The dance of seduction starts the minute you walk through the front gate of this modest 1950s weatherboard cottage: the buzz of bees on the flowering vine draped over the white picket fence, dappled sunlight and the hum of conversation drifting in the breeze. Waitstaff set the tone with sunny greetings as they lead the way into the open-plan dining room painted soothing silver, softened with the warm greys and blues of a cushioned banquette.

Chef Adam Bantock’s focus is relaxed French and Italian, but the reading is true blue. Adam brings his UK training, five years in Hong Kong with restaurateur Michelle Garnaut and stints at A. Baker and Temporada in nearby Canberra, to the challenge of running a country restaurant open four days a week.

The menu is short, tight and changes weekly, and local and seasonal finds lead the charge. A puree of young garlic from a grower down the road lifts big, fat, juicy spears of new-season asparagus, paired with runny egg and goat’s cheese, the crunch of hazelnuts (yep, more local) a pleasing contrast. Spring jumps off the plate in spinach cavatelli with vivid broad beans, peas and mint; and experience shines through in tuna, cooked just right, piled high with eggplant caponata. The baked walnut and honey tart – rich, sticky and served with mascarpone sorbet and shards of honeycomb – is a dessert for all seasons.

Good weather draws the brunch crowd for eggs and hash, as well as a bloody good Bloody Mary, and the wine list is 100 per cent NSW, as is that view from the sun-dappled deck.

Must eat dish: Baked walnut and honey tart, mascarpone and vanilla sorbet, honeycomb
Instagram: @clementine_restaurant