Imagination and innovation are at the forefront of the food at Homage at Spicers Hidden Vale.

While the setting – a 100-year-old Queensland homestead in the tanned countryside of Grandchester, west of Brisbane – might be steeped in tradition, the menu from chef Ash Martin is very much about the here and now.

Guests settle into the eucalyptus-hued timber accented dining room or take a seat on the back verandah overlooking the retreat’s pool, and choose from two or three courses, or the full tasting menu.

The produce that graces the plate is either grown or bred on site, or comes humanely sourced from local farmers, which means each ingredient is treated with the utmost respect. Even carrots are elevated in a playful dish named “Last of the rabbit, first of our carrot” – roasted whole, their flesh is then carved out before the shells are deep-fried to create a chewy vegetarian version of pork crackling, sitting over sweet braised rabbit with curls of pickled carrot.

The menu reads like a homage to Australian produce with the likes of wild venison served two ways (braised, roasted) under a sheath of pickled turnip and mushroom and pepper dusting; and Murray cod poached in macadamia milk with bush lemon.

Desserts are the final chapter in Martin’s whimsical storytelling. “Goat’s fare and its milk” stars a tart goat’s milk sorbet and airy goat’s milk yoghurt sprinkled with sweetened millet and pooled by a brilliant mint oil. Refreshing, clean and brilliant.

Friendly, personable waitstaff know the menu inside out and can guide you through the all-encompassing wine list, which showcases some top-notch Queenslanders.

From the amuse bouche to the main event and all the tasty surprises interspersed between courses, Homage offers an exciting way of creative storytelling through food.

Must-eat dish: Goat’s fare and its milk
Instagram: @homagerestaurant