Hare & Grace

Stepping into Hare & Grace is like entering a fairytale. Decked out by green-thumbed designer Joost Bakker, this dimly lit space features bunches of twigs hanging from the ceiling, avant-garde floral arrangements and plush, high-backed chairs fit for a king. Raymond Capaldi's adventure-filled menu delivers intriguing lists of ingredients that beg explanation. Enthusiastic staff are on hand to decipher dishes such as a light and pretty starter of plump yabby tails, green fruits and chenopodiums (vivid amaranth flowers), doused in a delicate jasmine tea poured at the table. Spruiked as the signature dish, an 'Eton mess' of oysters, cream, passionfruit and beetroot meringue strays into dessert territory. Comfort, rather than kitchen trickery, gets the meal back on track, with a main of pink lamb loin and fork-tender neck, enlivened with a carrot and orange gel. And, as in all good stories, there's a happy ending thanks to a standout dish of creamy lemon tart in a thin tahini shell.