I've long contended that many of Melbourne's best restaurants are, in fact, wine bars, an opinion that's solidifying with each new crop of openings. There's something about the wine bar format that suits our tastes as a city perfectly: casual but classy, appropriate for almost every occasion, calibrated to take advantage of the thrilling new world of wine coming from our regions.

Our wine bars also reflect our communities; we now have wine bars with themes as varied as sustainability-focused Asian-Australian food, or the place where German drinks meet Malaysian food. And, as of last month, Kew can add Turkish to the line-up.

Nazar comes to us from the same team that opened Cotham Dining (also in Kew) earlier this year, headed by chef-owner Ayhan Erkoc. Erkoc has a long and varied CV, which includes a stint at Noma in Copenhagen, Pier Dining in Sydney, and many years spent in South Australia, where he frequently earned Chef of the Year plaudits from The Advertiser. Nazar shares an entrance with Cotham, taking up the space immediately next door.

The name references the good-luck charm that's often erroneously translated to "evil eye": nazar means "to look" in Arabic. The main design element in this large, open space is a version of that charm: a giant blue and black eye painted on the back wall.

Where Cotham leans towards crowd-pleasing pizzas and mains – almost like a high-end pub menu – Nazar takes inspiration from Erkoc's Turkish heritage and profits from his more ambitious tendencies.

Breads and pastry are strong points: there's a wood-fired flatbread with date butter ($7) that's stretchy and crispy in all the right ways, while the Turkish crepe called akitma is reimagined as a mini-crumpet of sorts ($15) and topped with taramasalata and salmon roe. It's a fantastic snack, salty and creamy and yeasty.

Some dishes, such as the venison kebab ($19) with cream made from baharat (a Middle Eastern spice blend), are lifted directly from the Cotham playbook. Basically, it is the same presentation as the veal tongue kebab served in Cotham's early days, albeit with a slightly different theme (the tongue was served with aji amarillo mayonnaise). Regardless, it's a tasty dish, the thinly sliced venison crisped over charcoal just so, tender and meaty and delicious.

Duck pastirma ($17) is layered over thin and crispy brik pastry, with a layer of duck liver parfait, for a couple of mouthfuls that are intensely rich and perhaps a touch too sweet.

I also found the topping of sumac and finger lime on the Pacific oysters ($5 each) a little distracting, especially because the oysters themselves were of such good quality.

I adored the feta manti ($35), thin ravioli-style dumplings stuffed with tart and salty cheese, doused in a mild chilli butter and layered with big roast cabbage leaves that managed to achieve perfect texture somewhere between melting and crunchy.

I take issue with the price, though: $35 is a lot for four dumplings and some cabbage. I know prices are going up across the board and it's harder than ever for venues to make ends meet, but quite a few dishes at Nazar feel a smidge off in the value department.

The wine list is made up of fairly standard Australian and European offerings, but it also features a decent selection of Turkish wines, which is reason enough to come here. I'm a huge fan of Turkish whites in particular and they aren't easy to find in Australia. I'd love to see some more balance on the cocktail list: the current selection is so focused on sweet flavours it almost reads as a dessert offering.

But I appreciate the creativity on display at Nazar, and I'm guessing the neighbourhood will be thrilled with an airy, friendly, casual place to drink and dine.

May our wine bars continue to follow this trend, becoming ever more international, more varied and more personal.

Vibe: Large, open room with dark tones, overseen by a striking Turkish evil eye

Go-to dish: Akitma ($15)

Drinks: Classic cocktails, impressive collection of champagnes, good French/Australian wine list

Cost: About $120 for two, excluding drinks

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine