Sitting on the terrace on a Saturday afternoon at Biota, looking out over the lush green grass and sipping on a bubbly, tangy ruby grapefruit spritz, it’s a good time to ponder the year chef James Viles has had. From a crayfish festival on Flinders Island to a Biota pop-up in Sydney’s Chippendale and new-concept BARN. By Biota opening within months of each other, Viles and his Biota brand are bigger than ever before.

The constantly changing menu is seasonally focused, and for weekend lunching there’s the Biota Five – a taster of Biota’s ethos – or the lounge menu for sharing. Mortadella and cheese croquettes are molten spheres of pleasure, while whipped dory roe and a generous scoop of roe pearls sit atop potato ‘scraps’, the creamy roe, crunchy potato and salty pops of the pearls making a terribly good contrast in textures.

The floor team can be a little hard to find at times, but the knowledge is there, and we’re told the cool-climate wines of the Southern Highlands (there are plenty on the list) are lesser known and therefore often cheaper than their quality warrants. We go with St Maur pinot gris; it’s light but floral, and perfect with the food.

Grilled beef intercostal (the lesser-used meat between the ribs, which speaks to Viles’ no-waste focus) is coated in smoked hot sauce that’s balanced with a kick. The warm bap bun alongside Moreton Bay bug Mornay is a thing of beauty, and so good for mopping up the sauce, there could be two.

An upside-down quince tart that needs some time to prepare is rough and rustic, satisfying and nostalgia-inducing. With arguably their biggest year yet, and a menu so consistently true to ethos, it seems there’s no stopping Viles and the Biota crew. And who would want to?

Must eat dish: Fried potato scraps, whipped dory roe