Ricky's River Bar & Restaurant

Breeze licks its way from the river through louvres and expansive hopper windows at Ricky's. Renovations have brightened up the place; it sparkles like the river beside it on a cloud-free day. Menu staple of spanner crab, garlic, parsley and shallot-laced spaghettini comes with chilli and a juice-filled cheek of lemon to enliven. Glenn Bowman pulls wood-roasted whole baby rainbow trout from the oven thoughtfully deboned and stuffed to the gills with tender fennel before being trussed in prosciutto. Salsa verde is triumphant with basil tones to the fore. Chargrilled tajima wagyu, teamed with gorgonzola, comes with rich jus, celeriac puree and roasted baby beets, and cries out for wine to accompany. However, at service's crescendo, staff's attention can become distracted, leaving diners a little parched. Ricky's passionfruit souffle is legendary and faultless; it's a feature of the dessert tasting plate, as is pineapple cake, black jellybeans and sambuca ice-cream.