Placed on an emulsion of spicy sausage nduja, the squid bottoms are the flavour equivalent of sitting with an ear to the speaker at a Guns N’ Roses concert. These tentacles are only half of a cephalopod double-act … and only one of many special moments.

A small property at the bottom of Willunga’s famed hill has been finished in natural tones with restraint that suggests modern Japan. It opened as a bar pouring natural wines alongside small, affordable plates but that has morphed into a degustation showcasing the vast imagination of Taiwanese-born owner/chefs Mug Chen and Chia Wu (ex Vue de monde, Melbourne).

The detail they put into every plate is extraordinary. Leeks are poached in beetroot juice for two hours and re-rolled into little batons, then piped with “liquid brioche” and sprinkled with beetroot powder. Then there’s the squid duo … the scorched tentacles and their yin-yang partner, noodles from strips of the near-raw tube twirled atop a stack of oyster mushrooms and crisp puffed rice.

Even a grilled cube of sublime wagyu sirloin is enhanced with cherry vinegar gel, beetroot chips and onions pickled in juice from the leeks.

To read our full list of reviews for South Australia, head here.