First to open was Menzies Bar & Bistro, followed by Sky Bar and Clocktower Bar, and finally Shell House Dining Room and Terrace – and they’ve saved the best until last.

The pearl of the precinct, the Dining Room and Terrace is a sky-high supper club where you can sample some of the finest food and wine in the city and enjoy a rare moment suspended in time.

The new fine diner is located on level nine, directly across from the 400-tonne art deco clock face (so you won’t want to be late). There’s nothing stiff or starchy about the Anna Hewett-designed dining room, which blends tones and styles to create a sophisticated and timeless space. Glossy lipstick red tables are paired with four different types of chairs, from lush herringbone fabric banquettes to cosy leather armchairs. There’s something for all your back support needs. The glass-walled dining room is wrapped by an L-shaped garden terrace, adorned with sand-coloured umbrellas and fruiting cumquat trees, where diners can head out after dinner for a digestif on the deck.

Shell House has secured some seriously impressive talent in the kitchen, including former Aria head chef Joel Bickford as culinary director and Sixpenny’s Aaron Ward as head chef. The Mediterranean-style menu reveals impressive French technique, as well as fun and creative flavour combinations, which are delivered with flair and flourish (and they don’t try to fob off tiny portion sizes either).

Oysters are the obvious starter at Shell House. The Sydney rocks are shucked to order and splashed with a vigorous verjus mignonette and finished with citrusy pops of finger lime. A cruller doughnut is topped with whipped roe and finely grated mojama to create a savoury cream bun with delicate fish flavours. If steak tartare wasn’t already fancy enough, they’ve traded out the capers for caviar and added a silky oyster cream that sings of the sea. Instead of the toasts, there’s a bowl of nasturtium leaves. Each lily pad-like wrap delivers tingling notes of pepper and a light, fresh crunch.

A favourite of the social set, Moreton Bay bug bisque is a luscious tangle of linguine coated in a rich shellfish oil, finished with succulent slices of poached bug meat. While there are some exceptional steaks on the menu – Rangers Valley and Coppertree Farm, no less – you’ll get a similar meaty hit from the coal-roasted beetroot. The bold dish is made from a scorched bulb of beet strewn with deliciously dank shreds of beefy black fungus.

Pastry is clearly a specialty of the kitchen, and the desserts do not disappoint. A baba-not-rum trades out the sugarcane spirit for a dash of apricot brandy. The aerated cake is theatrically sliced at the table, doused with booze and then filled with a floof of whipped cream. Ensemble, it tastes of a boozy morning tea. The Paris-Brest is as good as you’ll find in any French patisserie. This one comes pumped with crème mousseline layered with a second spiral of dulce de leche. It’s elegantly adorned with blackberry gel and ginger jewels that add a bright spicy kick.