Ashcrofts

As this white-on-white bistro room fills each evening, a friendly hum rises, each table of diners caught up in the private pleasure of being out and about in the heart of the mountains at one of its more popular locals. White tables, cloths, chairs and walls are lent colour by portraits on the walls and a large, bright-red bar, while confident and jovial front-of-house staff talk up the big, global flavours of chef Corinne Evatt's kitchen. Silken tofu is delivered in three (quite ambitious) ways - rolled in gomasio with ponzu; in Thai green herb and coconut curry; and, most successfully, crusted in za'atar with tzatziki. Main courses are well balanced and heart-warmingly scrummy, including a rather-too-heavy mousse of duck liver and whisky with a sweet-tangy tamarind chutney kick. A herb salad and macadamia crust rounds out the lightness of Cone Bay barramundi, brought together with a practised beurre blanc. A syrupy Tahitian lime tart is more baked cheesecake than tart, but certainly does the dessert trick.