The pitch for ELE, the much-awaited opening at The Star, is intriguing. “Drawing on the elements of fire, water, earth and air, ELE maps a menu of sensory experiences,” the casino website promises.

“Moment by moment, space by space.”

And so the restaurant formerly known as Momofuku Seibo has been reborn under the new guidance of two talented chefs.

Federico Zanellato and Karl Firla are also partners at the terrific Ash St laneway Italian, Restaurant Leo, and Zanellato and his sommelier wife Michela Boncagni run the much-acclaimed Lumi, just across from The Star at Pyrmont Bay Park.

With a bar counter, central table seating and a three-sided kitchen counter section, this hideaway dining space off one of The Star’s many entrance corridors (hint: use the Edward St entry) has morphed into a three-part dining journey. Each area is assigned to a different stage on your dinner travels.

Without giving too much away (not least because the final iteration is a work in progress, we’re told), let’s just say that you start with drinks. A staff introduction and a creative cocktail menu greet you.

The $230 set menu (drinks and wine pairings are extra) is all about detail, right down to the ELE lettering melted into the ice cube in your Fresh Cut Myrtle cocktail – Brix white rum and Louis Roederer NV Champagne, fizzing around a slowly melting ball of lemon myrtle and coconut sorbet. Textured snacks kick off the sensory adventure – a crunchy fish ’n’ chips themed potato shell around smoked cod brandade, a tomatoey prawn tart (with tomato oil and dried pearl meat) and a creamily wonderful donut of eel cream and wagyu tartare.

Amping up the senses-focused theme, music and projections – earth, wind, water and fire – surround you as you move into first course glamour. Pearl meat is slipped inside immaculate potato and kombu slices, toasty with roasted sesame oil. The fluff of sweet corn souffle hides a buttery, umami-laden cheese and burnt butter custard. Marron on a prawn-bisquey brioche, Murray cod with a forest-green cima di rapa sauce add to the luxe and lushness.

Meantime, wine pairing is eclectic and clever. And there’s a good range of bottles and prices for those who prefer to DIY. Fellow diners may include high-rollers, glued to their phones, or keen seekers of the hottest, newest and latest Insta moments. Lots of Lumi fans, too.

In the final space, a waft of Japanese charcoal smoke heralds a terrific piece of wagyu with a smoked beetroot curl. A chardonnay and grape jelly sorbet is a highlight, followed by an intriguing grain-based parfait with wattleseed, malt and beer.

So, does ELE deliver on the multi-sensory experience? There’s certainly much thought behind each medley of fine ingredients and flavours. Staff are charming and on message. Chef Zanellato or Chef Firla are on hand for chats and selfies. There is a sense that the promised map is more of an exploratory foray than a carefully plotted final chart. But perhaps that’s the point. Like any sensory experience, ELE is what you make it. So, surrender and see where it takes you.

Related story: An ambitious restaurant by two top chefs it set to take over the former Momofuku Seiobo site