"The first thing you’ll clock at Hope St is the crowd. When late afternoon rolls around, the former college building is all but obscured by the natural-wine-swishing set that fills its sprawling quadrangle. There’s definitely a restaurant here though, and a good one at that. Intersperse skin-contact sips with springy focaccia doused in olive oil, radishes swiped through creamy ricotta, and rotating house pastas. On Sundays, there’s adults-only afternoon tea (banana splits, filter coffee, and Champagne) with big day party energy, but the music programming is a cut above any day of the week. If live DJs are making it hard to hear your mates indoors, the solution is clear: grab a bottle, head outside, and join the thrum." - Ellen Fraser