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You won’t find the caviar bumps and gold leaf of exclusive fine diners here. This eight-seater trades in a different kind of indulgence: the preciousness of time.

Owner-chef Zoe Birch calmly cooks over embers, plates up and washes dishes. She makes butter by hand for croissant dough; slathered in creamy curd and crowned with grilled broccoli leaf, it’s a snack as delicious as any backyard barbecue snag. Celeriac in a luscious butter emulsion is brightened by finger lime and dill, and a command of smoke is seen in slow-reared, dry-aged chicken thigh cooked over red gum, its skin like a piece of malty bark.

The pitched timber ceiling, earthy colour scheme, turntable and knick-knacks make this feel like a one-room alpine cottage. But among all the tiny restaurants pursuing ambitious, delicious cooking while looking after people well, Greasy Zoes is leading the pack.