With Sydneysider chef Adam Wolfers now at the helm, the menu remains true to Gerard’s Middle Eastern DNA but has its own distinctive style.

The comprehensive global wine list has also been reworked; the only constant is the interior, with its feature wall of Middle Eastern tiles, wooden tables, bare brick walls and a lengthy, cushion-strewn banquette.

Now diners can chow down on a crisp snack of “kataifi” – a disc of fried potato “worms” resting atop whipped, garlicky, lemony sunflower hummus – or maybe smoky kangaroo kafta teamed with aged tahini and chilli oil.

Crisp-on-the-outside Yemeni flatbread, or “malawach”, is ridiculously delicious when dipped into the roasted tomato, capsicum and paprika delight that is matbucha, and rustic pepperberry dukkah.

Cabbage scrunched on to skewers is smoked and accented with the North African spice blend ras el hanout, while intercostal beef, slow-cooked overnight then grilled over charcoal, is stunning.

Mahalabia, a take on Middle Eastern milk pudding, or black cardamom ice cream with mandarin curd wrap up a terrific array of dishes showing there’s plenty of life in Gerard’s yet.

Exceptional dishes: Malawach, grilled intercostal beef, cabbage skewers