The humble prawn toast may not be humble for much longer if the latest menus around Sydney are any guide. On plates across town, the popular toasty treat made with Cantonese prawn mousse is receiving an upgrade, courtesy of the fresh seafood tank and luxury ingredients.

In Darlinghurst, fresh arrival Wan’s Cantonese restaurant has upped the stakes with an opening volley of lobster toast.

Other opulent spins on the crunchy snack have become the plat du jour at Sydney restaurants. At Mr. Wong in the CBD, prawn toast is accessorised with foie gras, while at Dan Dan restaurant in Pyrmont, the kitchen marries prawn and black truffle. Promenade Bondi Beach went off script, substituting prawn for bug meat.

But fresh lobster? That’s quite the step up for the suburban Chinese restaurant staple that used to taste like it had journeyed straight from the freezer to the deep fryer.

Classic dishes retold with premium fresh Australian produce is the menu blueprint, Wan’s Cantonese co-founder Steve Wan says. With its ultra-slick dining room of timber and marble on Victoria Street, the 120-seat Wan’s Cantonese isn’t the only new arrival in Sydney championing Cantonese food in luxe surroundings.

Neil Perry’s new $10 million Song Bird restaurant in Double Bay also fixed its gaze on Cantonese after the celebrity chef initially toyed with a wider cuisine brief. Perry, who explored other regions of Chinese cuisine at his previous CBD venue Spice Temple, argues Cantonese suits our climate and Sydneysiders’ love of lighter cooking.

“There’s a lot of steaming and roasting with Cantonese,” Perry says. He points to Cantonese techniques and staples such as ginger and shallot as the perfect companions to let great fish shine. “There’s a lightness, the moisture content is great, it’s a celebration of great produce,” Perry says.

The president of the Chinese Precinct Chamber of Commerce, Wayne Tseng, says the immigration wave that populated Australia with Cantonese restaurants has played a part in its popularity. “The revival is due to nostalgia, familiar palate and the variety,” Tseng says.

While some dishes can hide less premium produce, Perry points to Song Bird’s version of prawn toast as a platform to show off the quality of Spencer Gulf king prawns used in the dish. Built on a base of Baker Bleu sourdough, Song Bird’s version includes chunks of prawn meat to highlight the ingredients.

The lobster toast at Wan’s Cantonese has become an early hit since the venue opened earlier this month. “It doesn’t matter what nationality, female or male, it’s popular with everyone,” Wan says. “We use rock lobsters from Tasmania and South Australia. It’s a little taster of fresh local seafood rather than imported, and that’s what we’re all about.”

Wan’s Cantonese is open for dinner Thu-Sat (hours to be extended from mid-October).

298 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst