Cutler exudes a quiet brand of luxury. It’s been Gertrude Street’s premier fine diner for 16 years, and the main dining room is still one of the sexiest places to eat in Australia: all brooding darkness and luminous twinkling, a room lit by fireflies.

The wine list is still one of the best in the country, with something at every price point for any occasion. Raw tuna comes in a generous, deep-red blanket covering a jumble of bullhorn peppers, horseradish and crisp fried bread. Wild venison is beautifully tender, cooked to a meaty medium-rare, leaving you with just a whisper of juniper on the tongue.

Then there’s the burger: Gippsland beef is cooked so it’s obscenely juicy, matched by bitey Comte cheese and perfectly crunchy pickles. It’s an unlikely signature, but a swoonworthy one. Even in its slightly less formal guise, Cutler is a standard-bearer for Melbourne excellence.

Must-order dish: King George whiting with kombu butter and sorrel.

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