Mood-lit and timber-heavy, Bar Heather opened in late 2022 under the direction of former sommeliers James Audas and Tom Sheer, who now spend most of their days importing natural wine. Ollie Wong-Hee leads the kitchen and cooks some of the most engaging, original food in the state. Hibachi-grilled duck breast with a sauce of its own rendered fat, mead vinegar and star anise; potato crackers topped with manchego custard and feather-soft raw shiitake mushrooms; Tweed Coast tuna with thin curls of nutty celtuce, shiso and house-made mandarin kosho. (There’s no run-of-the-mill kingfish crudo here.) Garlicky pork belly and shoulder sausages wrapped in betel leaves are made for dunking in roast pineapple sauce, and in turn made for eating with something chilled and red from the far-reaching cellar. Run, don’t walk; fly, don’t drive. And don’t miss the flaky, spring onion-laced bread.