Raymond Hou and Alina Van are proof positive that the best things in life – and on Enmore Road – come about through hard work and determination.

Before opening their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in March, Van and Hou were serving Blackmore wagyu skewers and Port Macquarie lamb through their mobile food stall at breweries and regional shows across the state. If you’ve ever seen the Firepop sign at a festival, you will know the scent of cumin and fat-on-charcoal immediately.

It hits all the right receptors at the new digs too, an elegant two-storey space where the husband-and-wife team also smoke Caciocavallo cheese, champion local producers such as Moonacres Farm, dress silver trevally crudo with mandarin oil and pour lesser known – but serious – wines.

Meanwhile, if we awarded Dessert of the Year, the buttermilk panna cotta with white balsamic strawberries would be a top-five contender.