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It can be hard, when eating in Geelong, not to ponder: “If this restaurant were in Melbourne …” In the case of Tulip, the Geelong mainstay that’s been open since 2013, it was the thought experiment I returned to again and again.

If Tulip were in Melbourne, it would likely be more designed and stylish – as it is, the room, tucked into the side of a courtyard collection of businesses, could be a cafe, a sandwich shop or just about any kind of casual venue. Its wooden tables, brick walls and white chairs are pleasant but unremarkable.

If Tulip were in Melbourne, those widely spaced tables would be placed much closer together, milking the value of the real estate.

And if Tulip were in Melbourne, there would be huge hype about the food coming out of this modest open kitchen.

Tulip has long had a reputation as one of the best reasons to eat in Geelong, thanks mainly to the food of founding co-owner and chef Matt Dempsey. But in 2022, two employees – manager Dan Ford and chef Mike Jaques – bought the restaurant and set out to put their own spin on the service, wine list and food.

Ford is a gregarious presence in the dining room, exuding the kind of warmth that comes from ownership, from being invested. His well-edited wine list is quirky and fun, and he adores talking about it.

But the real thrills here are thanks to Jaques and his small crew in the kitchen. On first look, you’ll clock nothing out of the ordinary: there are some crumpets with egg yolk and trout roe ($8 each), some mussels ($24), some interesting-looking vegetable preparations. But when these things arrive on your table, they’re so much more than they seemed on the menu.

Those mussels come steamed in white wine, and individually stuffed with an airy roux made from the steaming liquid and paprika – I’ve never seen mussels so fussed-over, but in a way that doesn’t detract from the core pleasure of the mollusc and, in fact, enhances it.

Weeks after eating it, I’m still marvelling over a dish described on the menu as “Jerusalem artichoke, artichoke custard, walnut, sunflower seed” ($24) that is a clever, savoury and utterly delicious play on the idea of fruit and muesli over yoghurt. In this salty inverse breakfast, the role of yoghurt is played by silky artichoke custard, over which dusky walnuts and chewy Jerusalem artichoke lie in a blanket of nutty, vegetal goodness.

Kangaroo is served as tartare ($26), its rich meat shot through with macadamia and lashings of preserved lemon. It is rich, fresh, texturally interesting, and, most importantly, highly pleasurable.

Dishes from the “larger” section of the menu tend towards slightly more familiar territory. A piece of John dory ($49) was beautifully crisped and served in a pool of master stock with sea herbs and pickled turnips. I have zero complaints, but I do think that Jaques’ creativity is most potent in his smaller dishes.

A restaurant like Tulip – small, personal, focusing on quality over flash and fashion – rarely survives a decade or more, in part because it relies on the kind of enthusiasm and hard work that’s difficult to sustain year in and year out. Chefs and owners get antsy. They want a new challenge, new opportunities, more money.

I love the model of this restaurant. When that time came for the original owners, rather than shutter or try for complete reinvention, they passed the torch to a couple of passionate employees who could take it into the next era. Ford and Jaques have done just that. If they were in Melbourne … well, they aren’t. They’re in Geelong, and Geelong is more delicious as a result.