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What business do hapuka, winter melon and octopus have together on the plate? Put them in your mouth and find out: a surprising harmony, an unexpected sparkle, better with each successive bite. Kazuki’s goes its own way.

It’s on Lygon Street but it’s Japanese. It’s Japanese but the array of snacks includes kangaroo jerky, rabbit spring roll with vadouvan (the French curry powder), and salmon roe on bugak (the Korean seaweed crisp). Tuna tartare is flavoured with caraway and patterned with tiny beetroot leaves.

Over and over chef Kazuki Tsuya confounds expectations but his food is never a challenge; rather an invitation. Softly spoken staff dispense wine and wisdom with gentle aplomb across two floors of the comfortable terrace. It’s tempting to compare this cooking to that of Tetsuya’s in its prime, but Kazuki’s is a true original.