Stillwater at Crittenden

Stillwater's dining room - with its panoramic windows capturing shimmering lakes, roaming ducks and lazily swaying willows - validates the restaurant's name. Simple white linens and hanging bundles of golden lightbulbs keep the interior simple, and the service is similarly relaxing, with warmed rolls and dukkah arriving to accompany your first glass. Using seasonal produce from the kitchen garden and local organic suppliers, the contemporary menu is masterful in its ability to orchestrate flavours without diluting their essence. A small chunk of pork belly is crisply bookended, and topped with tingling romesco. A caesar salad is deconstructed, with a pancetta crisp, draped Spanish anchovy and a slow-cooked egg the texture of custard. The baked rotolo filled with spiced pumpkin tastes like autumn with its stained-glass crumble of mustard fruits on top, while the Angus eye fillet is presented simply on a board, crowned with a coin of herb butter and accompanied by a salad with candied shallots.