Are we in a downtown New York food hall or Sydney? It’s hard to tell inside this concrete-floored canteen where smartly clad workers queue for lunch.

Up front, a smiling Mike McEnearney talks them through which sides will best complement the chermoula-spiced mackerel fillets – perhaps cucumber, mirin, ginger and sesame salad, or a bronzed wedge of roast pumpkin glistening under a caramelised maple dressing.

“Bread and butter?” McEnearney asks each diner. The bread in question is his legendary sourdough, all warm and pudgy and served with Pepe Saya butter. Then there’s wood-roasted chicken, slow-cooked chimichurri-sharpened pork shoulder, and a damn fine lemon drizzle cake.

Later in the week, there’s a cosy sit-down dinner service too, featuring a longer menu of seasonally driven dishes such as lamb breast “katsu” with mint sauce, corn-based penne with spring peas, and a pasture-reared steak to share.

We like Mike a lot.