Miss Amelie

David Kapay grew up in Wodonga. After becoming a chef, he moved to London and worked for Jamie Oliver for four years before a year’s stint at Maze, under Gordon Ramsay. Kapay then returned to Australia to head up restaurants in Melbourne, including St Kilda institution Stokehouse. Miss Amelie, a delicate and refined diner, is Kapay’s Wodonga homecoming.

The atmosphere is warm and European-inspired – the walls are painted soft grey, pillar candles and tealight twinkle throughout the room and French music plays softly in the background. A pink neon Miss Amelie sign casts the restaurant in a peachy hue after dark.

Menus also take their cues from Europe. The lamb scotch fillet, served with poached rhubarb and pickled raspberry, is a mainstay. Some classic French dishes are given spry tweaks: the beef tartare, for example, comes with avocado, wakame and a wasabi sorbet on the side.

Don’t skip dessert here. The lemon souffle, which looks like a wobbly chef’s hat climbing out of a ramekin, is a show-stopper. There’s also an excellent jaffa-inspired cake and a liquorice parfait.