Lucky those who count Dandelion as their local. Sure, prices are a world away from Victoria St, but ex-Pearl chef Geoff Lindsay’s modern Vietnamese offerings are light, lovely and of top-notch ingredients such as Sher wagyu.

Fragrant, generous salads and hearty phos of mud crab, duck or water chestnut and lemongrass are mainstays, and a separate kids’ menu served until 7pm is considered for young palates with soft-shelled crab rice paper rolls and crispy-skin pork.

Simply divine is a kingfish sashimi given a gentle acid kick of passionfruit, while bigger share plates run to blistered twice-cooked beef short ribs and a gnarled pork hock tempered with tamarind and served with lettuce, herbs and condiments.

Dishes arrive at a good pace, and desserts — Vietnamese styled but with cheffy French technique — are worthy of lingering, especially the sherry cherry choc parfait with lychee.

Whether it’s a casual catch-up or something more formal, Dandelion blows with the wind, but with food that rarely does.

Must eat dish: passionfruit-cured yellowtail kingfish