It’s an example of chef-owner Adam Racina’s out-of-this world execution at the northside tapas bar. Racina keeps produce as local as possible, from farms such as Rémi’s Patch in Kilmore, Keilor’s Day’s Walk Farm and Werribee’s Faranda Farm. Vegetables take a front seat but meat is still on offer depending on what’s available at Sunbury’s Lakey Farm or Bundarra Berkshires at Barham just over the border.

It might be charred pork scotch fillet and iron-rich lamb heart with pickled plums, or mutton leg cold-smoked and served with a salty, sweet caperraisin mix. Seafood also gets a go, with Corner Inlet fishermen supplying tommy ruff and silver trevally, and Portarlington mussels courtesy of a fellow Preston local.

Beer, cider and wine also change with the seasons, with minimal-intervention Victorian wines featuring heavily. Tonic water and fruit syrups are made inhouse, and a house-fermented ginger beer is in the works.

The 55-seat diner is a pared-back space for relaxed dining, perfectly complementing the food – simple, honest, delicious cooking. 

To read our full list of reviews for Victoria, head here.