Canberra's Best Fine Dining Restaurants

There’s an almost filmic quality to fine dining… an elegant woman sits at a white clothed table, beautifully set with glittering cutlery and sparkling glasses, as she flirts with a chiselled jaw. The place is obviously top-notch, chi-chi. But we really know it is, because as she pops a cigarette in her foot long cigarette holder, hey presto, the until now unobserved waiter has it lit without her missing a flirt.

Yes, the 50s are long gone and smoking is out, but service when it’s needed and an atmosphere oozing quality are certainly not. And fortunately, people still love the pampering.

Fine dining never goes out of style. They are places where waiting staff knowledgeably discuss meal choices, offer recommendations and either they or the sommelier, suggest the best wine to complement it. They top up glasses before they’re empty, know the right moment to suggest desert and if you leave the table, your napkin is neatly rolled ready for your return.

Of course, service goes hand in hand with impeccable food. A fine dining establishment will usually specialise in one cuisine, and do it exceptionally well. The dishes will look beautiful; portion sizes will be moderate and they’ll taste sensational.

Décor is also an important player in generating the right atmosphere. So the finishes tend to be expensive and the look understated yet sophisticated, while paying homage to the culture of the cuisine.

When fine dining, people still ‘dress’ for dinner, and are happy to pay a lot of money for the experience.

And that is why fine dining is so much better than the rest. THE END.

Sarah Murray, Citysearch

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