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Victor Liong’s two-level laneway eatery delivers a joyride of wit, powerful flavours and rigorous technique. Peking duck, its brittle skin lacquered to deep rust, arrives as a single-bite snack topped with oscietra caviar on a fluffy pancake.

Prawn toast, the Aussie-Chinese comeback kid, takes a luxe turn via sea urchin roe on an oblong of golden fried bread. Salty cured egg yolk and butter dip on the side dials up the pleasure.

The warehouse-like dining room and calm, polished service ensure the kitchen’s dexterity commands the spotlight. The rich head and collar of kingfish, made vibrant with a dark terracotta sauce of black beans, chilli and subtle orange, is applause-worthy.

Lists of tea and virtually all-Australian wine are thoughtfully calibrated to deal with muscular flavours. Eleven years in, this has all the trappings of an essential Melbourne icon.