Trocadero

Bringing considered dining to the Arts Centre, Trocadero cleverly fills the void for pre- and post-theatre sustenance. Views vary from wow-worthy to what-were-they-thinking, with the stately elegance of Flinders Street Station seguing to a jutting elevator shaft. Subdued interiors of charcoal carpet, concrete pillars and leather banquettes get a brasserie flourish from mirrored walls, marble tables and a central station topped with a vast wine bucket. Bound with a bulldog clip, the loose-leaf wine list belies the heft of the drops within. The menu runs from bar snacks to mod mains. Start with pearly centred scallops with a pert salad of purple cauliflower and green apple; or rough-hewn steak tartare with capers and crisped artichoke. For mains, Spanish-inflected snapper works a treat with chorizo and padron peppers. Before the curtain falls, try apple and date cake with poached quince. At press time there were plans afoot to revise Trocadero's concept.