The Baths: Melbourne bayside dining at its best

The sea, yes. Sand in my mouth, not so much. If I can eat with a floor underneath me and a clean window between me and the water then I am a big fan of bayside dining. If I'm sitting on a towel fighting seagulls for chips then I am not a happy chappie.

The Baths Middle Brighton keeps coastal nibbles nice with unimpeded views, classy food and inside tables that let me appreciate seaspray, tickling breeze and ruffled sand without actually feeling any of them. And seagulls, feel free to look at my food and caw in covetous rage all you like!

There are two dining areas here, a downstairs cafe (with some deck tables) and an upstairs dining room, lounge and balcony that's had a recent refurbishment to make it more accessible.

Gone are starched tablecloths that scream "scary and expensive special occasion". Instead, there's a smart-casual approach that says "come for a drink and a snack, for dinner if you like, and come back again next week for nana's birthday". 

Service is good though it's probably fair to say they're still finding the sweet spot between stuffed shirt and board shorts. This room is used for weddings on occasion; if any grooms-to-be have a say in the location of their nuptials it's worth noting that there's a TV tuned to sport plastered across the men's urinal, or so my trusty scout tells me anyway.

Chef and owner Paul Raynor has been here for seven years and I'd rate his French-trained classic cooking among Melbourne's best. His traditional approach bounces nicely off head chef Andrew Hyam's more contemporary Asian-influenced dishes. In every case, there's a focus on good produce, solid technique and letting ingredients shine.

That's exemplified in the garfish entree. With its long beak and slender body, this fish lends itself to dramatic presentation, and this dish offers both wow factor and restraint. Head on, beak poking skywards, the garfish is butterflied and grilled, and the flavour is fresh and smoky. An elaborate yet sensible garnish of radish, pickled plum, sorrel and lacy bamboo mushroom (it's the doily of the fungus world) makes this a very impressive dish.

A more casual bar-food dish of betel leaves piled with fried soft-shelled crab, coconut, apple and finger lime is the kind of modern Thai snack you may have seen before but it's nicely done and looks great. The crab is sweet and crunchy and the portion is generous.

Fresh tagliatelle is whorled with prawn pieces and crayfish bisque, then topped with grilled prawns. Powerfully flavoured and beautifully balanced, it presents as a simple dish but would be nothing without the bisque that underpins it, made slowly and with fine touch, containing crayfish heads, brandy, madeira and port, veal and chicken stock, a touch of tomato and tarragon, and just the right amount of cream. Those French were onto something and it's still OK to like it.

The seafood focus is patent – a tiered shellfish platter is a signature – but there are also steaks and lavish meat dishes to share. Desserts lean towards comfort: there's chocolate pudding, a cheffy assembly of various honey and malt elements, and a pear tarte tatin (the menu says for two but four can attack it without a major warring).

I'm not sure why The Baths doesn't get more attention. It should. It's one of the city's best places for seafood, dining with a view and, most importantly, gloating over gulls.

Rating: Four stars (out of five)