You don’t go to Bar Liberty for a particular dish, or even a cuisine. You’re not rolling up for certain wines. You go there for a feeling, to connect with something like a soul. During the decade this place has been pouring wine, making impeccable cocktails and plating things for sharing, “Melbourne wine bar” has become a genre. Liberty pushes past the orthodoxies.

Sugarloaf cabbage is - like others - softened and burnt, smoky and punchy, creamy and textured; bonus loveliness comes from spring onion and kelp. Springy, dimpled potato pucks luxuriate in lemon, pepper and pecorino sauce, with tiny crisps of potato skin adding crunch. Dessert bavarois is soft-set and juiced with roasted rhubarb.

Meanwhile, manager Ludovic Beauchamp-Chatel leads a team of knowledgeable, amenable professionals who make edgy, lesser-known wines (all organic, mostly biodynamic) feel fun and safe. A sprightly institution full of meaning and delight.

Must-order: Something hot, peppery and cheesy.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.