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When restaurateurs Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt needed a talent to lead the kitchen of their new Asian-inspired restaurant, Khanh Nguyen was first on the list, and with good reason: the former executive chef of Melbourne’s Sunda and Aru can damn-well cook.

A steamed bao Filet-O-Fish tribute featuring barramundi set in gelatinised dashi and crumbed with a tattooist’s precision. Grilled lobster rich with pecorino and corn, buzzing with four colours of Kampot pepper. A mapo tofu remix teeming with hunks of royal red prawn, smoked marrow and chewy tteokbokki. Phwoar.

Each dish builds on what came before it to create something genuinely new, while the impressive wine list spotlights producers and vintages hard to find elsewhere. Wrap it all up in a room that looks like a Danish ramen bar, albeit one with pink neon and regular DJs, and you’ve got one of the most exciting openings of the year.