Yots Cafe & Bar, tucked in behind the Maritime Museum in Pyrmont, isn’t really a cafe, nor is it really a bar. Gone are the obligatory burgers and sandwiches long-associated with cafes, replaced with offerings more commonly found in a fine-dining restaurant. The tranquil setting on the water, looking over a quaint lighthouse and through ships masts towards Sydney’s skyline also seems more fitting for a fine-dining restaurant, as did the service. Indeed, the only things that did strike me as being cafe-like at were the informal, predominately alfresco seating, and the wonderfully relaxed atmosphere.

Open 10am to 4pm every day, Yots offers both a breakfast and lunch menu to tempt your taste buds. Whilst the breakfast menu (served until midday) was certainly tempting, and I will be back to try it out, it was more extensive, and unique lunch menu that caught my attention.

Each dish on the menu (which caters for vegetarian and gluten free diners) offers fresh, carefully considered ingredients, prepared in delightfully unusual ways – from kangaroo proscuitto, baby cos and goats cheese salad ($17.50) to salmon nicoise with baby caper salsa ($22.50), and the Blue Tongue lager battered fish and chips served with lime aioli goes to show that even the everyday is given the magic touch at Yots. My pick of the afternoon was the seared scallops served with celeriac, walnut and apple salad – the soft, gently seared flesh of the scallops the perfect balancing texture to the crunchy salad.

Team any of the gorgeously presented mains with a selection of sides generous enough to share. I would recommend the baby spinach, walnut and pear salad, with an amazing blue cheese dressing ($7.50) – and you are set for a superb afternoon away from the bustle of Darling Harbour.

Dessert at Yots also comes with the Pyrmont Village seal of approval. Even if you have filled up on the mains, I recommend ordering the tasting plate, which changes daily ($12), to share between two. I was lucky enough to experience the chocolate tasting plate, with an array of treats to satisfy even the sweetest tooth.

Next time you’re in Darling Harbour, drop into the Maritime Museum (or check out other affordable activities in and around Pyrmont Village) and spend the afternoon enjoying the splendid Yots Cafe & Bar. After all it does bring together everything we love about Pyrmont Village – delectable food, good people, and a setting without equal.