With Shaun Presland back in the kitchen as group executive chef at Sydney’s Saké, the Japanese restaurant he helped launch in 2010, there’s never been more reason to point yourself in the direction of this Rocks star.

With a new chef comes a new menu. While the focus will still very much be on highlighting the top-quality Australian and international produce Saké has been known for – “with such amazing produce, half my job’s done,” says Presland – the chef aims to take things up a level.

“For me, that means almost going right back to basics and looking at the original recipes, and looking at why Japanese cuisine has lasted six, seven, eight hundred years,” he says. “And the next level is reintroducing those classic flavours in a new look but staying true to the flavours.”

That might mean kicking things off with cold starters including white soy snapper with radish, baby chives and truffle white soy dressing; beef tartare with fried egg puree, pickled daikon and Hokkaido milk bread crisps; and nori crisps with tuna, kingfish, green onion and togarashi sesame dressing.

Appetite whetted, move on to hot starters such as agedashi tofu with shimeji mushroom ginger and daikon sprout (a dish that takes tofu to new heights); grilled shiokoji chicken with yuzu koshu and ponzu fried onion; and popcorn shrimp with yuzu chilli mayonnaise.

Star mains showing off all that quality, ethically produced and sustainable produce include teriyaki lamb chop with basil miso and rosemary dengaku miso; buta no kakuni – sweet soy braised pork belly, onsen egg and hot mustard; Cape Grim short rib bo ssam with baby gem lettuce, pickles and confit garlic; and tempura leatherjacket with tentsuyu and wasabi yoghurt. Pair these with side such as seaweed salad in a ginger dressing; grilled mushroom with cauliflower, white soy beurre blanc and yuzu; and corn with yukari, white pepper and konbu butter.

As well, Saké diners can choose from a large selection of nigiri and sashimi from the full sushi bar, including tuna akami, salmon belly shake toro, kingfish Hamachi and scallop hotate. There’s also an entire seafood-focussed menu of sushi rolls, such as spicy tuna with shisol pickled daikon, tempura crunch and shredded chilli; spanner crab with pickled cucumber, tobiko and finger lime; and seared salmon with iceberg, chives and jalapeno mayonnaise.

And if so much choice overwhelms you, put yourself in the kitchen’s hands with either the four-course ($59) or seven-course ($119) chef’s omakase or the $98 ‘chef’s new classics’ menu.

As for dessert, choices include miso caramel chocolate fondant for two, frozen mocha, and a selection of Japanese-influenced ice creams and sorbets. For true wow factor, though, plump for the dragon egg, and enjoy the theatre of it melting into deliciousness before your eyes.

With Saké now part of the Rockpool Dining Group, under Neil Perry as the group’s Culinary Director, Presland is delighted to be handed the reigns once more. “To work with Neil, an Australian culinary icon, it was a no-brainer,” he says. “And being owned by equity firm means there’s money to grow – now we’ve got brains, talent, creativity and money behind us.”

As for the chef’s favourite dish? “They’re like children – you can’t have favourites,” he laughs.