You may not think it, but Tasmanian venues have it tough. There’s such a plethora of quality food venues in the state that standing out from the pack (and an innovative, local produce-heavy pack at that) isn’t easy. Even the hotel restaurants are good in Tasmania – something few accommodation options around the country can claim. I’m talking largely about Landscape Restaurant & Grill.

The fine dining restaurant is settled underneath the petite Henry Jones Art Hotel, and directly across from the main pier. There’s no other way to describe it other than a very chic cavern – one draped in the original sandstone and timber fabric of an 1830s IXL building. And inside it just as fancy, with plenty of plush leather (including menus swathed in it), lighting heavy on mood, and walls covered in artworks by the iconic painter John Glover.

With an army of incredibly attentive staff catering to your every whim on deck, you’ll soon realise that Landscape is an occasion eatery. It doesn’t offer the same lively vibe as your typical byo on a Friday night, but that’s rarely what you’re seeking when you treat yourself to a nice meal.

Suave interiors aside, Landscape Bar & Grill is all about the food. As it’s name quite clearly implies, the restaurant’s menu is formed around the grill. Most of the meat and fish available is cooked on the coals of an Asado grill, fired up daily with a blend of Tasmanian hardwood and a selection of sherry, bourbon or port cask from the Tasmanian Cooper Company for flavour.

And of course, by meat and fish, I don’t mean just any old produce. Considering Landscape is in Tasmania, arguably home to some of the nation’s greatest fare, the ingredients are as impressively premium as the cooking process. There’s local wagyu, lamb, fresh seafood, all sourced by head chef Oli Mellers who is evidently passionate about sourcing from local purveyors. Even the bread follows a similar ‘simple but effective’ mantra – a petite rye loaf from local favourite Pigeon Whole Bakers, accompanied by a generous dollop of salted butter.

Landscape Bar & Grill is not designed for the vegetarian, with sumptuous cuts of meat and fish taking centre stage on the menu. But for the carnivore like myself, it is a dream. There are six different premium cuts of meat to choose from for mains (as well as a rather sophisticated take on pub favourite the ‘surf and turf’) each customisable, from serving size to sauce choice. It’s a venue that clearly believes if you are going to do steak, you do it right no matter the cost. And yes, while the grass-fed Smithton Eye Fillet I tucked into did cost $42, it was a steak that was worth every penny.

But that’s not to say non-meat eaters have nothing to choose from, particularly for the pescetarians. Alongside a selection of hearty vegetable sides, was a pillowy serving of Orecchiette served to my vegetarian guest, soaked in cocktail abalone, garlic, white wine, chilli. And there is always the char-grilled octopus – perhaps one of Tasmania’s most underrated ingredients – accompanied by sweet potato, harissa, and preserved lemon. True veggos can tuck into a potato and caper gnocchi, smothered in zucchini, oyster mushroom, and parmesan cream.

As for drinks, it’s hard to go past a little wine (especially in the depths of a Tasmanian winter). Which is where Louis Kesur steps in – a talented sommelier who unpretentiously guides guests through what can only be described as the bible of beverages that forms the drinks list. There are 47 pages of spirits and wines to choose from that range from worlds new and old, and include plenty of local favourites like Pooley Wines.

But forget the wines, forget the equally impressive cellar that houses them, forget the free tour through the priceless Australian artwork. If you really want to impress, you need only look at Landscape’s dedicated cheese trolley that rounds out the desserts offering. A portable tray of farm house and artisan cheeses, served with fruit bread, local honey and fruit compote. It’s the embodiment of what Landscape Restaurant & Grill is – simple, local, and dressed to impress.