In between, a meal at Igni can be anything chef Aaron Turner wants it to be and that’s always exciting because this gifted Australian chef has a direct, spontaneous and wholly original way of cooking.

Only Igni is going to whet your appetite with crunchy saltbush chips, spears of cured wagyu, and lardo-wrapped grissini sticks, even before you start your five- or eight-course degustation. And only Turner – a sage-like presence in his semi open kitchen – is inclined to drench blackened broccoli heart in ‘winter milk’, then double down with fire-roasted pumpkin and jersey cream.

There’s not even a menu (not until you leave) but when the ideas are so elegant, the service so secure, the ambience so inviting, who needs a guidebook?

Moodily lit, Igni is supremely comfortable but a seat at the bar by the woodfire grill is recommended if you want to see flames licking your honey-glazed hapuka. This standout dish is only shaded by the smoked duck with macadamia. Turner makes it deluxe by folding duck pâté into leaves of grill-stroked endive. Amazing.

The drinks list is idiosyncratic with an emphasis on freshness and invention. A bit like the food, really. Let Igni light your fire.

Must-eat dish: Smoked duck, macadamia, endive