With elegant lines, booth seating and smart partitions, the only hotel lobby giveaway here might be the hotel lobby-style soundtrack.

Start with a waltz around Sydney’s top artisanal producers with a lavish bread-and-butter service – a tableside show featuring heroic portions of Pepe Saya butter with AP saltbush focaccia, Goldstreet Dairy Jersey cheese, wild honey, macadamia, chives and wattleseed.

From the raw bar to the grill, Australian seafood leads, and Murray cod is worked gently over coals and served simply with lemon and Kangaroo Island olive oil.

Sides abound, but note the menu’s standalone potato section, featuring gems, fries, gratin and a reworked take on the great tuckshop scallop, with sour cream, salt and vinegar and optional caviar. To keep the nostalgia trip chugging, there’s even a luxed-up trifle for dessert.

With polished service and a lavish vibe, Tilda leans proudly and playfully into Australiana without too many gimmicks.

Good to know: Bar Tilda next door is a destination in itself, especially for fans of Australian whisky.

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