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Pearl by by Jane Faulkner, 23 June, 2006 Awarded three hats in the Good Food Guide Pearl is just about perfect.

Address 631-633 Church St, Richmond East
Phone (03) 9421 4599
Style Restaurants
CuisineModern Australian
Hours Sun-Fri: 9am-3pm; Sat: 9am-noon; daily, 6pm-late.
Details Licensed, Late Dining
Payment Bankcard, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club
Price GuideEntrees $18-$42; mains $28-$38; desserts $14-$18.

Lindsay takes gastronomy seriously - respecting the cultural integrity of food, and he has an understanding of a dish's heritage - but not so solemnly that he can't have some fun with what he creates or re-creates, as is the case with an entree of tartare ($22). Written as "my tartare of hopkins river beef, beetroot shoots and quail egg yolk, soldiers" turns out to be a classic in disguise.

The grass-fed beef, from Hopkins River, down Warrnambool way, where Lindsay spent his youth, is sweet, although lifted by tangy, savoury ingredients such as capers, onions, gherkins, anchovies, some mustard and Worcestershire sauce. The meat has been rolled in eensy-teensy baby beetroot shoots with the dainty yolk resting on top so it's visually pleasing - again, a Lindsay trait coupled with his "whimsical Australian approach" of serving the tartare with soldiers rather than a baguette.

Served in a small, white beaker, the finger-width slices of toast were soft rather than crisp, which would have worked better with the beef. However, a slight quibble of an otherwise excellent dish.

And to drink? The '04 Bindi Composition pinot noir ($63) is neither dominating nor dominated by the ingredients. The pinot also marries well with the main course - whole crispyfried baby snapper ($35). This is no ordinary fish dish.

Just as balance is the key to the wine list, so too with the food. Lindsay is a master at balancing the sweet with the sour, the hot with the cold, the raw and the cooked, as witnessed by this main course.

Desserts, and the wines that go with them, are astonishing. Lindsay's classics are here - crispy-fried taro dumplings filled with Valrhona chocolate served with vanilla custard and gold leaf ($20) or Turkish delight and rose petal ice-cream ($15) served with glace ginger, pomegranate seeds and Persian fairy floss. Match either to a muscat, moscato or sauternes.

No dessert but feel like a digestive? Order grappa. Evans is serving the extraordinary Berta tre soli tre grappa di Barolo 1997 by the glass ($35). Perfect.