Long before MONA helped mainlanders discover the joys of the Apple Isle, Philip Kennedy and Peter Leary were over-delivering the best produce of that little land down at Pure South.

Early this year the pair re-opened their now 13-year-old Southgate restaurant and added another level, literally and metaphorically. The space at river level, P.S. Bar & Kitchen, is dedicated to all-day eating and casual drinking, while upstairs is to showcase their fine-dining game.

In the handsome, glass-panelled eyrie of a dining room that enjoys prime views across the city and beyond, chef David Hall transforms Tasmania’s best into approachable, clever dishes.

Start with stunning, freshly flown in “Lease 65” oysters from St Helens, perfect with house-baked rye spread with hand-churned butter from Pyengana Dairy and a glass of crisp riesling from the Tas-centric list.

Follow with an artful tartare of King Island beef, and then perhaps fillets of Flinders Island wallaby seared blushing and paired with sticky beetroot and sharp red cabbage.

Then, to end, a wobbly panna cotta made from the buttermilk of the Pyengana butter to start, bringing the meal to a full-circle close. Service is young and keen and prices fair.

Look past the buskers and map-toting dawdlers, for Pure South is no tourist trap. It is, rather, a pure celebration of the south

Must-eat dish: Flinders Island Wallaby
Instagram: @puresouthdining