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Positive forces are at work in this charming deco dining room, a timber-panelled sliver of a former temperance hotel. Using only ethical produce from Victoria, Bar Midland is just as focused on showing you a good time.

Over flames and coal in a tiny open kitchen, the team conjures umamiful bites. Jerusalem artichoke crisps are tangy with powdered vinegar, and beg for a nutty fino from Pennyweight in Beechworth. Swipe ballotine of rooster – a poultry farming by product – through a buttery thyme-scented jus while sipping Lyons Will chardonnay handpicked in the Macedon Ranges.

The kitchen’s resourcefulness continues to the finish, when honey stands in for refined cane sugar in an elegant brulee-like creme imperial.

If this all sounds rather earnest, relax. Whether you’re here for dinner or the great-value lunch menu, this is intelligent cooking with hospitality at its core.