Walking past this little spot on a quiet night in Kyneton, you may long to experience a first date again. With its cosy tables, dim lights and chequerboard floors, Marchesa is the definition of timeless hospitality. Relaxed co-owners Daniel Whelan and Daniel Saligari somehow anticipate your every need, whether it’s an elegant children’s menu or more focaccia for the last speck of sauce.

Bottarga adds briny oomph to crostini smeared with baccala mantecato, Venice’s salt cod spread. Kingfish crudo is carefully arranged with grapefruit, blood orange, dill and capers. Squid ink tagliolini crowned with tender calamari delivers a sharp pepper and chilli kick.

A glass of smooth panna cotta with rocky almond crumble and flecks of poached pear resembles a tiny zen garden in a snow globe. Wines drawn from Macedon Ranges and beyond, another show of worldliness meets hyper-local.

Best for: Escapism via leisurely dining and warm service.

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