Is this Melbourne’s tastiest brand extension? In a CBD power play, the New Zealand clothing company Rodd and Gunn has rethought a striking Commercial Gothic building that once housed the blokey part of David Jones. Level one is now The Lodge, a fine-dining restaurant at the top of a marble staircase.

It’s a place for charming lunches and long dinners. A place to sip exquisite cocktails, crunch mackerel “cigars” and savour glossy, chocolate truffles proffered by a warm, knowledgeable waiter. Art deco wall tiles – left, for decades to crumble behind shirt racks – have been restored, while velvet banquettes accompany double-clothed tables under soaring arched windows.

You might order smoked eel magicked into a rich parfait, served with a medley of summer tomatoes and tomato consomme. Free-range Great Ocean Duck could follow: a glazed, roasted breast with the leg and offal turned into a mini sausage roll – a cute touch. It’s all very lovely, and taken with a detour through the basement wine store, with its gorgeous booths for pasta and polpette, it’s enough to allay the brand cynic within.

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