From house-cured meat to inventive snacks – raw kingfish with mandarin and malt or smoked trout parfait with sourdough – this is exemplary Sydney dining that blurs the delicious line between bar and restaurant. Sit at the kitchen bar for a snack and the chef theatre, stop by for a glass of wine, or stay for the duration with the fixed-price 7-course tasting menu and wines to intrigue.

Owner and chef Brent Savage’s trademark playful homage to native ingredients continues but has been toned down here lately, and kangaroo tartare has made way for a beef rendition, while a classic glazed duck breast glistens with a puddle of blackcurrant jus. Sardines on toast are graced with curls of lardo, or transparent pork fat for the uninitiated, and will get you off to a rolling start. The sweet Moreton Bay Bug, which hides under brown butter crumbs with sharp pops of tart pomelo, is a joy. Eggplant shards sit atop slick of goat’s yoghurt with an autumnal carpet of crispy curry leaves and mustard seeds. The sommelier guides sagely on wine and drinks, and co-owner Nick Hildebrandt’s list is interesting, global, and fun.

It’s a dark nook of a place, and the 2012 Pascale Gomes-McNabb interior design is holding up well – for its soundproofing as much as its slick, pleasingly moody feel.

Must-eat dish: Beef pastrami with horseradish and potato crisps