Pilot

Canberra's fine dining scene has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and Pilot is one of the shining stars of this rise. Pilot takes everything back to basics. The small 30-seater venue places enormous value on local produce and has a drinks list wholly from Australia. It also used local Canberra artists for the tableware (including handcrafted ceramics) and decor.

The degustation-only offering might seem a tad confusing at first, purely because of the mystifying simplicity of the dishes. The cabbage e pepe is a noodle dish (which you're going to want to recreate at home using this recipe). It sits on the menu alongside a list of elusive dishes — think potato salad, zippy salad and potato ice cream. At one stage, it even had a dish simply named 'tomato'. But, as our hours of watching cooking TV shows have taught us, these dishes are much more complex than they may appear.

Thankfully, the knowledgeable staff are attentive and will spend time explaining this considered fare in glorious detail. The main seven-course degustation menu comes in at $130 per person, with matched booze ($90) and a non-alcoholic pairing ($50) also available. Whatever road you choose, you can't go wrong.

First image: Lean Timms