Chef Michael Ryan’s modern Japanese-accented, regionally focused cooking has long brought discerning diners to Beechworth. And when you take that first spoonful of his silken tofu — set just minutes earlier and topped with ginger and spring onion — it’s eye-openingly clear why Provenance remains such a lauded drawcard to the northeast.

The historic surrounds of the dining room provide a juxtaposition to Ryan’s flair for appropriating technique and transforming flavours, whether housemade lap cheong that redefines the genre, cured garfish served with its crunchy fried skeleton, or jerky-like cured squid served with kewpie mayo. And they’re just the snacks to start.

That Aus-Japanese marriage is no happier than in a dish of smoked wallaby tartare served with radish slivers and umeboshi pickled plums, while the region’s famed trout, elegantly smoked and with candied lemon, caper-strewn beetroot and crisp skin, is as smart as confit local goat with artichoke is richly comforting.

Celebration of region extends to the wine list, with good showing of northeast Victorian drops, while nightcaps are taken care of with an equally impressive range of Japanese whisky.

Must eat dish: wallaby tartare