We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Optic Kitchen & Bar on a recent trip to Melbourne. We originally planned to lunch at one of the more trendy (and expensive) establishments at Southbank, but are glad we tried Optic, as the food and service was of comparable quality, but considerably less expensive.

All our food was delicious and beautifully presented. I have to give a special thumbs-up to the cheese plate which was generous with a good variety of cheeses and the perfect ratio of cheese to crackers - too often, cheese plates seem to be flung together as an afterthought.

I would recommend Optic Kitchen & Bar to round out a visit to Federation Square.