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Dismiss this dependable bayside restaurant as outdated at your peril. Dependability is what makes Donovans exceptional. It opened in 1997 in a 1920s-era former bathing pavilion and while the menu barely changes, neither does its quality.

Chicken liver parfait is luxuriously silky. Oysters Kilpatrick are a glorious intermingling of thin-cut bacon, lashings of Worcestershire and briny oysters that manage to shine through it all. Seafood linguine is a fan favourite, packed with sweet scallops, mussels, and half a Moreton Bay bug in butter sauce with just the right amount of garlic. Grilled leader prawns are unadulterated, offering nothing to distract from the underlying quality.

Staff are young, but well trained in old-school service delivered with a relaxed charm. Speaking of timeless, it’s hard to leave without ordering the bombe Alaska for two, which has been served here since before the current retro renaissance.