If you didn’t know it already, Paperbark is a vegan restaurant. So your question, perhaps, is what is a Frenchman doing in a vegan restaurant? Well, I’m simply curious, especially as I understand everything on the menu includes Indigenous ingredients, even the drinks. And as a carnivore, I ask: can a vegetable diet be substantial and delicious?

We’re sitting right in front of the kitchen, just the way I like it. I love to see what’s going on and keep an eye on things, that is my ‘chefy’ instinct, I think. The first thing I notice is that there are no boys in the kitchen, only girl power, which I believe is a good sign as girls have more attention to detail. 

The menu is an eight-course degustation style, at a very affordable price of $85 per person.

We order a couple of drinks to start, a Myrtle Margarita ($18), an absolute winner – fresh, zingy with a hit of pink peppercorn, and a lemon myrtle and salt rim. The finger lime Negroni ($20) is equally yummy, with finger lime gin, amaro, eucalyptus and Regal Rogue.

The first appetiser is eggplant, rockmelon, lemon Myrtle. A smooth eggplant puree on an activated charcoal cracker, topped with shaved ribbons of slightly sweet rockmelon and sprinkled with lemon myrtle. Then there is parsnip, aioli, capers: a crispy golden croquette of mashed roasted parsnip, topped with an airy aioli, chopped chives and flower petals.

And then we have the sunflower and chickpea miso, served like a hummus, with a great umami flavour. The final appetiser is the famous Paperbark mushroom, macadamia, finger lime, with organic mushrooms charred over paperbark and skewered onto twigs. It’s served with macadamia cream, and is meaty and delicious.

The following set of dishes start with tomato, strawberry gum dashi, a small chilled broth with a good dash of acidity and floating pieces of fresh strawberries, a kind of cleaner. Then it’s onto the celeriac persimmon miso. It’s a gorgeous looking dish: a spread of miso, topped with a creamy fine celeriac ‘remoulade’ and finished with laced thin ribbons of ripe persimmon – damn good. Next is cabbage, shiitake, lemon myrtle: a fricasée of charred cabbage and shiitake mushrooms in a powerful rich stock.

The final savoury course, pumpkin, radicchio, kale, koji, is another little veg stew number with soft pumpkin, oyster mushroom, wilted kale, all camouflaged by a braised leaf of radicchio swimming in a koji- seasoned broth.

Our final dish, a dessert of chocolate, buckwheat and fennel is silky fennel ice cream sprinkled with chocolate ‘soil’, fennel pollen and crowned with crispy parsnips shards. It’s the perfect dessert to finish a meal.

 The verdict
I am gobsmacked, I am satisfied in every way – textures, flavours, composition, the look of every dish. I’m very happy to say this was one of my favourite restaurant experiences in a long time. I was doubtful, but my mindset on vegan food has changed and I really like that.

Best seat in the house
If you’re curious like me, the table between the kitchen and the bar is The One. 

Best drink
All the cocktails are ‘Australianised’ using Indigenous fruits and herbs, and all the wines are naturally made.

Date safe
If your date is vegan or vegetarian and they’ve never been to Paperbark, you are a winner.

 X-Factor
Making the humble vegetable taste amazing.