I guess it was just a matter of time. We’ve done laneways and rooftops, secret doors and hidden entries. We’ve seen bustling behemoths and tiny 10-seaters, sipped Spritz on the river and rocked whisky high in the sky, so I guess it makes sense that Melbourne’s newest, hippest and most ambitious bar is found in a shopping centre.

Melbourne Central’s fun and funky food precinct, Ella, now comes with serious thinking-drinking cred with the arrival of Byrdi. It’s the first local bar of Luke Whearty and Aki Nishikura, who won acclaim with Singapore’s Operation Dagger where they distilled local botanicals and fruits to create unique drinks. They do so here, too, on a menu that gives little away bar the broad ingredients. The booze used isn’t listed, but packs a punch in the terrific Applewood #1, a refreshing hit of smoky Davidson plum with a pepperberry tickle, and the Not Mezcal, which transforms pear into the spitting likeness of the Mexican firewater by fermenting, fortifying and smoking it.

It’s a knockout. This is white-coat science served on hand-cut ice but, thanks to a phalanx of handsomely turned out staff who are super-eager to please, Byrdi is no po-faced, chin-stroking affair.

The menu of bites may be small but delivers big flavours. A tiny smoked meringue and strawberry compressed in its juice (both delicious and gratis) might segue to smoked yoghurt with chilli oil and fermented honey to scoop onto flatbread. Stracciatella with a ‘jam’ of capers, coriander and parsley is a vibrant take on 2019’s trendiest cheese, while charry broccolini stalks come on a cushion of sublime macadamia cream bolstered with sherry vinegar.

The 40-seater with a central island bar, banquettes and bottles of signature Wattleseed Negroni to go is also open for coffee from 9am. Forget the food court sparrow; this shopping centre has a new Byrdi. Take a flight of fancy