The arrival of Arthur was an unexpected and unassuming joy. A restaurant for locals, Arthur focuses on best-in-class seasonal produce, and turns the notion of the degustation on its head to deliver a generous feast that falls somewhere between shared meal and traditional tasting menu. This smart, casual Surry Hills restaurant is owned by chef Tristan Rosier (Farmhouse, Dead Ringer) and Rebecca Fanning, and is somewhat homely yet a little refined in all the right places. The calm, warm, atmosphere is as alluring as the beautiful Victorian corner spot with its big windows overlooking leafy Bourke Street. Inside the long slender space is an open kitchen, a wooden bar with marble top, wooden tables and dark brown bentwood chairs. It might be a bit elbow-to-elbow for some, but it’s quaint and lovely, and sets the scene for the wonderfully considered food to come.

Each of five courses arrives as two different dishes to share. Chewy sourdough lands with cultured butter next to a plate of raw, organic purple carrots with egg butter. A tumble of nectarine, apple cucumber and tomato come together with buffalo curd, while skin-seared bonito is an absolute triumph partnered with slices of plum and sorrel. Next, sweet South Australian mussels sidle up to shiitake mushrooms and mustard greens, and twice-cooked lamb belly gets a kick out of blistered shishito peppers. Lemon granita with kaffir lime cream and meringue gets the deal done. Arthur is forging a new path for the humble local.