EXP. seats just 20 people but it’s a fun-loving, utterly unpretentious foodie experience that’s well worth booking ahead to enjoy. Owner and head chef Frank Fawkner serves an immersive menu of premium Australian produce, chatting to diners as he preps each dish. The 12-course tasting menu screams “have fun with this”.

The first two courses are eaten by hand: a creamy and crunchy roast pumpkin tart, and a heavenly hot buttered crumpet topped with pops of salty caviar. Umami lovers will adore the king oyster mushroom with umami paste, and the Little Hill Farm chicken with charred brussels sprouts and crispy puffed rice. Four dishes in, you might well realise you’re smiling with every bite.

This is happy food, and the hits keep coming: Paroo kangaroo in a tiny tortilla with crispy saltbush; coral tooth mushroom with creamy polenta and salty cheddar crisps; Rocky Point cobia and sweet sugarloaf cabbage; Redgate Farm duck with crunchy Jerusalem artichoke and nasturtium leaves; “ham on toast” (a circlet of barbecue-toasted bread with macadamia butter and ham); and finger lime pie. These alone are worth the drive. 

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