There was a time when this was Sydney’s hottest ticket, the cavernous, marble lined room humming with diners from the top end of town and dates dressed to the nines. When plates landed, waiters would swarm tables ceremoniously, dividing dishes, offering condiments, and sommeliers would follow, pouring from a cellar celebrating the best of Australia alongside international benchmarks. Wait, is that time right now?

For all the Clam Bars, Gidleys and Bisteccas to land, and for all the changes in personnel (long-time chef Corey Costelloe has this year made way for Santiago Aristizabal), Rockpool is still in a class of its own.

Coppertree Farms 36-month grass-fed rib-eye, crusted attentively over coals to medium rare, is indicative of a top-tier beef program handled by skilled cooks, but the rest, from raw diced tuna with black sesame and native plum to rotisserie duck with blood orange for sweetness, hits hard. Heck, it might even feel fresh.