Saint Crispin is Collingwood’s patron saint of good times, still adding its unique brand of understated glamour to Smith Street’s grit.

It can be loud, it can be brash, it can be slightly chaotic when the whole restaurant arrives for the second sitting each night, but Saint Crispin’s three courses for $65 remains one of the best deals going around.

Oysters are an excellent opening act while wading through the menu on which everything looks good, where influences are taken from lands near (Bannockburn chicken, Western Plains pork) and far (yuzu and baji and sushi rolls). That pork is a standout — slow-cooked leg wrapped in cavolo nero, served with red cabbage of sweet sharpness — but so, too, that chook, where burnt carrot puree adds sweetness to crisp-crowned breast and a spring roll of meat.

While other dishes can be less focused in construction than times past, the wine list remains filled with interesting — if expensive — drinking, while efficient service keeps the room buzzing. Good times indeed.

Must eat dish: Bannockburn chicken