The re-imagined Dolphin Hotel is a testament to a maturing culture that’s had enough of seedy swill house pubs. Restaurateur Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining and Bar) and the crew behind Hotel Harry have created a smart, vibrant white space where quality staff colour the room. Wine guru James Hird’s stellar wine list is just the tonic for chef Monty Koludrovic’s menu of classic Italian combinations.

His palate is as much in tune with the commoner as a gourmand and his dishes scream Italian simplicity, but mama mia, they’re big on flavour.

It starts with the ultimate artisanal bogan moment — anchovies on buttered sayos. Sweet, soft Fremantle octopus is tossed with poached kipfler potatoes and salsa verde, then a thin, Roman-style pizza of tomato, garlic, basil and buffalo mozzarella hits the spot. The whole baked flathead benefits from burnt butter with porcini and seaweed, before lemon pudding gets a bit of wood-fire oven lovin’, too. Bravo!

Must eat: Pappardelle Bolognese, buffalo ricotta and gremolata