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It can be a fraught exercise transplanting a successful cafe or restaurant to a new location.

Striking that initial chord with the public is a fragile equation of place and time, talent and luck. It’s alchemy, really. Upping stumps in search of more fertile ground practically begs the hospo gods to strike hubris down in a blaze of peeved regulars and indifferent newbies.

But the many fans of Ima Project might fairly argue it always harboured the seed of something bigger. One of the city’s standout Japanese cafes, it has moved from its Carlton corner and graduated to impressive Brunswick digs.

Reborn as Ima Asa Yoru (“asa” meaning day; “yoru” night), it’s where former Sake, Quay and Supernormal chef James Spinks and his interior designer partner Asako Miura ply the symbiosis between Japanese food and aesthetics.

Being a ground-floor tenant of the eco-conscious Nightingale Village allows them to supersize the impressive sustainability credentials of the original. Coffee grounds, food waste and soft plastics are dealt with properly. Worm farms do their thing in the basement. It’s all good to know, but they don’t shove it down your throat (unless it’s in the form of rescued “ugly” vegetables).

It feels much bigger than the original, but the number of seats has increased only marginally to 60, says Spinks. The double-height ceiling has something to do with the feeling of spaciousness and generosity. Miura’s collaboration with Breathe Architecture celebrates the austere beauty of materials including plywood and concrete, the bar counter graced by bright blue noren (bunting).

It has the groove of an izakaya, but the menu is more of a synthesis of tradition and mod-Melbourne.

By day it’s all about elegant pots of single-origin matcha tea and Wide Open Road coffee. Lunch drills down on six versions of teishoku, the micromanaged meal sets with neat compartments going straight for the emotional jugular of anyone craving order in this crazy world.

A charry tranche of glazed kingfish ($32) arrives with miso soup luxed up with pipis and rice; an onsen egg adds its gooey lusciousness, while crunchy pickles and broccolini stem in a black sesame dressing balance out the healthy eating pyramid.

It’s in the newly launched evening izakaya menu that Spinks’ past life at Supernormal shines through. A full wood and charcoal-burning hearth has supplanted Carlton’s simple hibachi, and there’s plenty to recommend Spinks’ mix of gentle technique and unfussy, almost minimalist approach to ingredients.

King prawn heads ($14) are nubbly, gnarly and eyebally. Coated in potato flour, deep-fried and simply seasoned with salt, they’re all about full-throttle crunch and earthy-sweet funk grounded by a good Japanese tartare.

The rest of the crustacean can be found hanging out with pipis, fish and scallops in a delicate seafood broth served in a teapot ($29), as izakaya tradition dictates.

Excellent Sydney rock oysters ($6 each) with an umami-packing dashi jelly and smoky kombu oil are a slap down to anyone who says they prefer theirs natural.

Fat smoked kingfish and potato croquettes ($9) with a squiggle of house-made tonkatsu sauce have the uncomplicated appeal of carby, seafood-enhanced fried goodness.

Steak, Japanese-style, sees wood-fired flank ($34) teamed with savoury-sweet yakiniku sauce.

It has the groove of an izakaya, but the menu is more of a synthesis of tradition and mod-Melbourne. You won’t find sushi here, but sashimi is represented with velvety slips of raw kingfish ($25). The fish gets a textural hit of radish and fried saltbush leaves, while batons of pickled rhubarb and a mandarin ponzu sauce have their palate-zinging sourness mollified by creme fraiche.

A standout veg dish follows the same hero-sauce-dairy playbook, with sugarloaf cabbage ($15) braised into sweet yet al dente submission, dressed with a classic rice vinegar-based wafu and left to play happily with thick smoked yoghurt and a bird’s nest of fried shallots.

More bold flavours characterise soft swatches of grilled arrow squid; the jury might divide on the take-no-prisoners sourness of the umeboshi dressing, but I’m there for it.

The only duff note is a scallop kushiyaki ($14). The sweet-fleshed little bivalves are skewered with their roe still attached but could do with a lot more seasoning and sear.

Service is thoughtful – not quite Swiss watch reliable yet, but led by the personable Miura it’s equal parts friendly and capable. There’s sparkling water on tap for free, a jazzy soundtrack and a drinks list that celebrates female sake producers and adds Orion on tap, Japanese-accented cocktails and a short selection of food-simpatico wines. Plenty to love.

Ima Asa Yoru is a work in progress as it beds into its new location. Spinks and Miura are busy tweaking the formula, experimenting with new approaches and adjusting opening hours as they deal with industry-wide staff shortages, their own work-life balance and the demands of their Japanese grocery store and lunchtime takeaway Ima Pantry a few doors down.

Right now, it’s thrilling to see a reboot strike such a major-key chord with their fans old and new.