Concept restaurants are a dime a dozen and can at times feel a bit naff. I understand the desire for an identity and point of difference, but I don’t need Mexican paraphernalia on the walls or staff in quasi-1920s kit to recognise a special restaurant. The food, wine and service are far more important.

So when Bar H owners Rebecca Lines and Hamish Ingham announced they’d open a vermouth bar and bistro in the glistening new Barangaroo precinct, I must concede I had my doubts.

The only places I’ve experienced vermouth, (an aromatised and fortified wine), is in a manhattan, negroni, or my grandmother’s liquor cabinet. Not during dinner.

But it’s surprisingly compelling. And the vermouth list procured by Lines is nothing short of extraordinary.

There’s a kind of Hamptons beach house meets garden party feel to the space and I get the feeling more people may bend the arm than dine proper. Which would be a shame. Although the vermouth menu is quite a journey, Ingham’s food is worth the trip alone.

Far from the Asian-style offerings at Bar H, it’s all new-wave Australian at Banksii, with inspiration coming from our native flora – hence the reference in the restaurant’s name to botanist Sir Joseph Banks.

Crunchy carrot, radish and cucumber crudite swooshes through sesame yoghurt dotted with pepper leaf oil. The sweet tang of muntrie jam balances chicken liver pate. Pickled shards of turmeric add spice to grilled prawns anointed with curry leaf butter.

Fermented chilli and wild fennel vinaigrette add oomph to thin strips of snapper, before native plums partner beautifully with glazed duck. Finish with a winning trio of caramelised pear and rosemary cake, colourful trifle with rosella jelly and chocolate mousse with mandarin granita. Wow, Banksii, what a damn fine concept.