Embassy XO’s scarlet and black Shanghai Nights fit-out may be looking a little tired, but its combination of authentic Asian flavours and traditional techniques reimagined in modern interpretations certainly aren’t.

The food here is gutsy, yet restrained and delicate when it needs to be.

Expect entrees along the lines of delightful Moreton Bay bug wontons, swimming in a beautifully muted coconut bisque and crowned with Japanese flying fish roe tobiko; or the ultimate finger food of chicken ribs with sweet potato crisps – the meat gliding off the bones while fresh, diced pineapple brings acidity.

There’s almost a fragility in a main of Fraser Island spanner crab and shemeji mushrooms blanketed under supple rice noodle disks. While there’s no holding back with Mooloolaba king prawns, stir-fried with snake beans, Chinese sausage lap cheong and a fiery XO sauce that will leave you begging for more.

Desserts read better than they taste, so perhaps skip the sweet stuff and go hard on savoury starters (read: those wontons), or enjoy an extra glass from the drinks list, which has been carefully curated to suit the food, with some interesting organic, biodynamic and low-fi options thrown into the mix.

With service on point and a menu crying out to be shared, Embassy is the official residence of Chinese and Southeast Asian flavours with a mod, Aussie twist.

Must-eat dish: Mooloolaba king prawns with XO sauce
Instagram: @embassyxo