For the love of good food, good wine, and good literature

Two years ago, Paul Eldon and husband Dan Sanderson opened Muse on the ground floor of the edgy East Hotel, a part restaurant, part cafe, part wine bar and part book shop. They wanted the venue to be all about good food, good wine and good conversation, and two years on it's still doing exactly that.

Split into two levels, with a book shop on the lower level and the restaurant on the upper deck, the space manages to be a lot of things. A casual cafe, flooded with light in the mornings for a relaxed breakfast, which blends into a comfortable dining room for lunch that's a touch more formal.

At night, it's almost got the feeling of a classy jazz bar with its low lighting, flickering candles, gentle music and a piano tucked down one corner. They also host regular literary events in the book shop and one-off dinners in the restaurant.

Food is served all day here, with a comprehensive breakfast menu, and shorter lunch menu. Sticking to the book theme, the dinner menu is split into prologue (starters), chapter one (entrees) and chapter two (mains). For such an interesting menu, it's surprising to note that almost every dish is gluten free, with plenty of good vegetarian options.

And it's a vegetarian dish that we start with. The roast field mushrooms ($14) are flavoursome, with a layer of gooey, melted double cream brie and a parmesan crumb on top which is toasted to a crunch. 

The thin shavings of eye fillet in the beef carpaccio ($20) are practically melt in your mouth. The colourful dish comes piled high with flavour - parmesan shavings, rocket and bean sprouts, drizzled with a horseradish mayonaisse, sprinkled with crispy fried capers with a big squeeze of lemon.

As part wine bar, the drinks list is unsurprisingly quite the tome. Wines are all Australian, from independent producers. A good selection is available by the glass, but things get really interesting when you're able to order a bottle. 

As it's a weeknight, we keep things to one glass, and we are intrigued by the durif, a red variety I'm yet to try. Our waiter suggests the Scion Durif Viognier Rutherglen ($18), which is a heavier drop, with a nice spicy finish, perfectly matched with what's about ti come.

The Angus sirloin ($34) comes cooked just a touch more than the requested medium rare, but it's a good, juicy serve of meat, served with plenty of button mushrooms, and is nicely salty thanks to a white miso paste, and a teriyaki sauce.

But it's the pan-seared lamb loin ($32) that really stands out tonight. The dish arrives at the table with an overwhelming waft of woodfired smoke, and lamb served quite pink, which is no problem for me. The dish is an incredible clash of flavours - creaminess from baba ghanoush, richness from the lamb, a fresh hit from a chimichurri sauce, a bit of crunch from a pile of dukkah, and then that incredible smokiness which comes from a roasted tomato sitting in the middle of the plate, which is smoked in house over wood chips. The combination is very satisfying - this is a very good dish.

Staff all night are a constant and gentle presence, well versed in everything both on the plate and in the glass. The venue itself may be a bit of everything, but it manages to balance it all well. With its combination of exciting food, interesting wine, and potential for a good time, Muse feels as good as that book you just can't put down.