“Attica is committed to the wider view: where we as a nation might go, through food. That means growing and sourcing our ingredients in the most ethical way possible, paying our suppliers directly, in full, every Wednesday, and enforcing reasonable working hours for staff, as well as supporting community groups such as Helping Hoops.”

Black ant lamington; kangaroo and wattles; and whipped raw emu’s egg with sugar-bag honey.

Attica is no ivory tower hell-bent on world domination: behind the scenes, it has a commitment to staff welfare, community, and treading lightly upon the earth. And then there’s the food. New Zealander Ben Shewry is going from strength to strength with his searching, heartfelt, and often humorous take on Australian cuisine.

Book well ahead for a degustation that flits between the provocative (the signature ant-encrusted lamington) and the luxe (whole marron tail steamed in kombu and lavished with lime). The mighty organic kitchen garden at nearby Rippon Lea Estate is central to the programme, and there’s a palpable connection with suppliers credited by Shewry at every turn. A class act all round.

“Shewry's cooking is precise and beautiful ... a reflection of his growing understanding of the nation and its history: its ancient, indigenous ingredients transformed by his emotional reaction to them into something indisputably new and exciting, memorable and rare.”

–Sam Sifton, The New York Times