Forget Dolly and Kenny, or Keith and Shania, for the best country double act look no further than Kyneton.

For it’s here on Piper Street that chef/owner Steve Rogers is putting on a two-act show that makes the most of his time spent in serious kitchens in Paris (Michel Rostang, Pierre Gagnaire) and closer to home (Jacques Reymond).

Upstairs is the Amelie-charming, bistro-esque Midnight Starling, where it’s duck a l’orange and spatchcock farcie and the best steak frites this side of the Seine.

Downstairs, within the bluestone-walled wine cellar, Ma Cave is a candlelit six-course celebration of French technique that’s fine dining without formal fuss.

A meal here might start with silken duck parfait and boozy Madeira jelly that’s a velvet-gloved punch of power, segue into lamb stuffed with a mushroom and chicken mousse and served with butter-fried sweetbreads, then end with Armagnac-steeped prunes alongside delice au chocolate.

Along with a wine list that looks to Europe and central Victoria in equal measure, some seriously good cocktails served until late and service that’s city smart but country warm, Ma Cave and Midnight Starling is a bona fide hit, as far as duos go.

Must eat dish: Lamb crepinette
Instagram: @midnightstarling