Teage Ezard is the quiet achiever of Melbourne’s fine dining scene. Seventeen years after he opened his eponymous restaurant in the Adelphi basement, he remains something of a mystery man. But on the food front, Ezard has never looked brighter.

With young gun chef Jarrod Di Blasi working the stoves, the cooking here is more elegant and adventurous. The Asian leaning “Australian freestyle’’ of early days has given way to a more rounded repertoire best enjoyed as an eight-course tasting menu ($165 per person).

You start with Ezard’s mystically good Japanese-inspired oyster shooter — given a tofu spin on the vegetarian menu — before surrendering to a steamed scallop dumpling (in a hot and sour broth), a funky salad of black fig and air-dried beef, and Chinese-style duck breast sparked with feral black bean flavours.

Di Blasi seals the deal with a dazzling dessert, a sphere of dark chocolate whose flavour and artful composition summarises everything we like about his approach.

The drinks list here is as finely curated as ever, the cocktails especially good. Our only caveat is the service, which was not as poised and intuitive as it might be. Not at these prices.

Must eat dish: dark chocolate sphere, chocolate cream, toasted coconut