A gaggle of smiling hostesses in slinky dresses and high heels ushers guests into the testosterone-fuelled whiskey saloon at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar. The first impression of this Barangaroo newbie, whose name refers to New Orleans, Louisiana, is that it’s an old-school private men’s club.

That notion fades somewhat in the cinematic dining room, tricked out with timber, pastels, greenery, slowly revolving ceiling fans and a big porch veranda feel. Owned by Peter Fischer (The Swinging Cat) and chef Richard Duff, NOLA attempts to capture the smoke-rich culinary culture of New Orleans in a contemporary Australian context – albeit with mixed results.

An entree of kingfish pastrami tastes sweet beneath pomegranate and creme fraiche, while grilled yabbies are wellmatched with a savoury butter. Yet nicely grilled prawns are let down with a lacklustre gazpacho reduction. The standout starter is the butter-poached lobster tail served with steak tartare and a delicate salad burnet sauce.

In terms of main dishes, braised and pickled tongue is lovely. It arrives on a swoosh of cheese grits with wilted warrigal greens. But while the A-game here is the selection of smoked meats – including tea-brined chicken, dry-aged brisket and spit-roasted lamb – it’s just not quite as special as others in town. In fact, the accompanying sauces (barbecue, green and bois boudran) and sides of mac ’n’ cheese and deep fried okra steal the thunder from larger plates.

Mercifully, NOLA finishes with two ripping lightning strikes. Molasses jelly adds zing to deconstructed sweet potato and pecan pie, while toasted meringue gets a kick out of blackberry jelly.

Service is affable and informed; our waiter brims with helpful wine advice. All up, NOLA is a sound concept, but there could be a little more sizzle.