The olive and rosemary buns ($2.80 each) are tight dense little affairs and it's good to start with this kind of character. Then we're straight to the steak tartare​ ($18),the raw fine-chopped steak dish making an appearance on lots of menus. C Dine applies its own experimentation to this most excellent of concepts. The steak is not chopped as fine as it normally would be;the egg is not raw on top,but is served as a whole,crumbled and fried egg,which spills its yolk over the meat once opened. The dish is unfortunately crisscrossed with aioli which tastes of little and contributes little. In my book,if a sauce is there it should be distinct and useful,not simply decorative. I am wedded to the traditional form of this dish so I'd prefer they dropped the experimentation,but the meat tastes good,while rather overdone with lemon,and this dish is a decent start.

In the char-grilled pickled octopus (sustainably sourced),salsa verde,braised leek,potato fondant,toasted almonds ($18),the octopus tentacles are really good,well cooked,tender,gently citrusy​ and very tangy,plus the char of the grill. The rounds of soft leek and highly turned rounds of fried potato are enjoyable and not greasy,but this might be a better entree if it focused simply on the octopus and dark green intense pesto.

The paella (again sustainably sourced) involves black cobia,scampi,mussels,scallops,clams,prawns,chorizo,saffron,Spanish bomba rice ($36). It's a good dish,with sticky,intense rice – great with seafood stock and loads of little shellfish piled in here,slices of chorizo,as well as a big handful of coriander on top. I like the robust,palate-whacking nature of this paella;it's served in its own little frypan,in which it has clearly been cooked,and this is a good thing.

The C and Land free-range grassland beef sirloin (250g,hormone and antibiotic free,minimum marble score 2+) is served with half a grilled lobster,dipping salts,creamed horseradish,red wine jus and bearnaise sauce ($46). The half lobster is less than exciting and also overwhelmed by the charcoal treatment,and I'm finding the board a little ungainly,with stuff dripping off the side. The carrots alongside would be better left whole than turned into rectangles like building blocks,but they're buttery and suitably luxurious. The sirloin is a thick hunk of meat served with its condiments on a board – as much of the food is tonight. You get a choice of six cooking temperatures,from blue at 45 degrees,to rare 52,medium rare 57,medium 63,medium well 68,and well done 74,with helpful descriptions – although we would defy anyone to order well done,with the description"grey,cooked through,dry".

Perhaps this is a warning from the chef,rather than an enticement. We order blue,described as"cool,completely red,slightly juicy",and the meat that arrives surprises us a little – it's a uniform gentle pink,charred on the outside and feels,to me,cooked through. I'm not a fan of the highly charcoal flavour of the crust,but the meat is very good,tender,easy to eat,a lovely texture,and a good piece of meat well handled.

C Dine appears popular – there are plenty of people here on a Tuesday night,and it's warm and comfortable with very good and willing service throughout our meal. We are not entirely sure whether the aim is casual or upmarket – there is an extensive outdoor eating area,the wait staff are in jeans and the oversized menu is laminated. There's a fish tank – decorative,by the looks,rather than a holding tank for dinner – and a meat cabinet where meat is hanging to age. There's a formality about the place in the dark decor and the three-course menu structure,but there's a hint that you could party here in summer with an extensive cocktail list,fairy lights and a constant beat to the music. It's a mix of genres,including even a nod to families with a kids'menu – a good kids'menu,home-made and fresh.

The wine list has loads of options by the glass – which you'd need quite a turnover to sustain,with the glass options focused at the lower cost end;bottles that sell for about the $50 mark. The entire list,in fact,keeps prices in check. Whites are heavy on riesling and sauvignon styles,presumably to match the seafood list,and there's a welcome nod to the local winemakers across the list.

The doughnuts,poached corella pears,rhubarb ice-cream,sumac sugar,strawberry puree and moscato gelee ($16) is a dessert contrasting hot and cold,and served also on a board. The doughnuts are not so much doughnuts as warm little fried pastries,enclosing a runny filling and we like them. The half pear is highly aromatic from its poaching but served chilled and the rhubarb ice-cream is delicate.

You get the sense that the kitchen is focused on serious cooking from scratch and a menu that sources its meat and seafood carefully. The menu,and perhaps the set-up,would perhaps benefit from being pared​ back and more simply focused. Yet C Dine is clearly serving a niche here on the foreshore,and it also feels like it might have quite a different character at a different time of year,with summer skies and hot evenings dining outdoors beside the cooling waters of a foreshore canal.