As you walk into the fashionable Delfina’s Bistro, the intoxicating scent of slow-cooked lamb shoulder hits. Its heady aroma is more alluring than a two-for-one sale for a room full of shopping addicts.

The shared dish for two is just one highlight on a compact but confident menu from Electrolux Young Chef of the Year finalist and former Aria Brisbane pan-rattler Jordan Monkhouse.

The small menu is part of a smart, new look for Delfina’s, which moved across the road from The Emporium to the swanky Alex Perry Hotel last year.

The fashion designer’s signature style is stamped on the sophisticated fit-out, with charcoal upholstered chairs and high-backed love seats, dark flooring and industrial lighting. A mirrored bar completes the look. It feels special and Monkhouse’s food echoes that.

Humble cauliflower florets become a luxurious dish when combined with cauliflower puree and poached pear. Meanwhile, just-seared yellowfin tuna is a textural wonder as crisp cucumber rounds and a crumb-like almond pesto crunch against the fleshy fish.

Pristine produce is on display in the grass-fed beef tartare topped with a quail’s egg yolk. Lamb backstrap – served English-backpacker-in-the- Aussie-sun pink – is faultless, with crisp sweetbreads, fried-to-brittle Brussels sprouts and a smoked eggplant puree. Our wagyu tri tip slightly disappoints, coming medium-well rather than the medium-rare requested, but the quality of the steak ensures it’s still a tasty bite.

The wine list blends offerings from smaller boutique vineyards with familiar labels, while service is friendly and efficient, if occasionally overeager.

With a breakfast menu stretching from French toast with whisky-glazed banana to gin-cured salmon, there’s plenty of reason to return.