It's a beautiful space, bathed in the evening sunlight streaming through the windows. High windows, pendant lights, and stylish wooden chairs help soften the stark concrete interior. Whole lemons are used as table decorations here, a little out of the ordinary - cut a slice and put it into your water or squeeze a little over your food, the waiter tells us.

It's the first of many small tidbits that enhance the dining experience. The mushrooms, for instance, are grown in disused railway tunnels near Bowral. The wine list is a good length, and no less impressive are the waitstaff's ability to suggest wine pairings, and their in-depth knowledge of wine.

Designed for sharing, the menu has a strong focus on its deli offerings. There's a range of local and imported cured meats and cheeses, along with a selection of house-made pickles and cured seafood. If you're in the mood for a more traditional dinner, a selection of a la carte dishes, arranged from smaller to larger plates is also available.

It's a clever menu for a hotel restaurant, allowing diners to lightly graze over a glass of wine, share a couple of smaller plates or have the complete dinner experience. If the agony of choice is too much to bear, you can leave it in the kitchen's hands - there's a deli selection for $35, or "the Braddon Merchant experience" for $55.

Even though we know there's a lot of food coming, it's hard to pass up Moonlight Flat oysters from the bushfire affected region of Bateman's Bay. Today's selection is either Claire de Lune ($5.50 each) or Rusty Wire ($5 each). The waiter offers us a splash of Borrowed Cuttings picpoul blanc that pairs beautifully with the rich minerality of the oysters.

Zucchini flowers, shallot, mint, labneh and pangrattato ($18) is such an elegant dish. Zucchini flowers so often come battered, and it is refreshing to have them served as they are - just lightly pan fried, with simple garnishes and pangratatto for crunch. This is exactly my kind of food, simple and produce driven.

The tuna tartare, carrot escabeche, sesame and crisp chicken skin ($20) fares less well. Although the elements sound good together, they don't really work as a dish. It's a little too surf and turf, the fishy, meaty and earthy flavours all competing with each other. The chicken skin is strangely tough rather than crisp. It's a jarring contrast after the clean simplicity of zucchini flowers. The wait staff are quick to notice that we aren't enjoying it and offer to replace it with a different dish.

The tartare is quickly forgotten when the roasted heirloom carrots ($18) arrive. A colourful array of carrots is served with on a bed of ajo blanco with jamon and rye crisp. It seems like a strange combination at first, but it works, the garlicky ajo blanco anchoring all the elements together for a dish that is both earthy and moreish.

King prawns with rosemary, Alto cold pressed olive oil and sourdough ($22) are very good too. The prawns are fresh, perfectly cooked and although I'm several slices of sourdough in already, I can't resist more to mop up the rosemary-garlic oil. I remember the olive oil from when I last dined here - it's that good.

I love the use of secondary cuts, and the intercostal of Griffith Wagyu ($36) doesn't disappoint. Charred and fatty, the cut works well with the earthiness of roasted Li Sun Grey Shimeji mushrooms. It's an umami overload in the best possible sense, with pickled peach and olive seeds, neither of which I've ever had before, adding dimension and contrast. The side of seared spring beans and Bredbo black garlic ($8) are a welcome dose of green in what feels like a very decadent evening of food.

There's an interesting discussion with the waiter on the wine pairings for the wagyu. The waiter offers us both a white to pair with pickled peach, and the Lino Ramble Bastardo to try with the meatier elements of the dish. It's interesting to compare and contrast - they both work well. Earthy, and full of forest floor notes, the red is a wonderful pairing with the wagyu and mushrooms.

The anise scented tiramisu with Pepe Saya mascarpone ($14) is a nice way to finish the meal. It's not the best tiramisu I've ever had, but the sprinkling of olive seed powder adds a savouryness and ties it back to the wagyu.

I am often a bit sceptical on restaurants attached to hotels, but Braddon Merchant holds its own. It's a beautiful space in the evening sunlight and the dining experience is flexible - as casual or as fine dining as you want it to be. The food is interesting, produce driven and elegant, but it's the service that really shines here. The restaurant has invested a lot of time in training its staff, and it shows; their excitement about food and wine is infectious. I can think of nowhere else in Canberra where I've had better service, and I can't wait to return.

Address: Midnight Hotel, 1 Elouera St, Braddon

Phone: 62200401

Hours: Monday to Friday, 6.30am til late; Saturday to Sunday, 7am til late.

Owners: Iconic Hotels

Chef: Andrew Morrow

Vegetarian: Some good options

Wheelchair access: Yes

Noise: Not a problem