There’s a door person out the front, house music on the stereo and dolled- up 20-somethings strutting past our table at Prahran’s Nudge Nudge.

They’re off to the bar next door at Wink Wink, an actual nightclub that Simon Lennox (who also has The Osborne Rooftop) opened in the old Boutique nightspot on posh Greville Street in December.

Lennox also scored a 50-seater space with the lease and launched Thai eatery Nudge Nudge – perhaps for the word play with the venue names, but probably more for selling cocktails and street food ahead of a night on the tiles.

But with a faux-glam interior that includes tiles reminiscent of your nan’s bathroom and clubbers being led through the dining room, the experience is like eating in a  nightclub with the lights on.

The menu is packed with everything from bao to charcoaled meats, stir-fries and desserts. It’s a big ask to nail all that. The bao burger’s bun has the springiness of a yoga mat when it should be puffy and piled with fillings instead of a lone fried tofu finger, a few bean shoots and some garnish. The marinated wagyu tri-tip has tasty charcoal flavour, but is too chewy and not helped by a bland snow-pea salad. The roti and the tom yum-salted sweet potato crisps, though, are great.

Other moves are just curious, like listing curries on the menu but not actually serving any, and printing the feed me price as $49 when it’s offered for $39. Bar manager Brad Jones keeps things afloat with a great line-up of tropical cocktails, best enjoyed for $12 at happy hour from 4pm-7pm weekdays. A strong wine list with the likes of Louis Roederer, Church Road and St Hugo and an invitingly priced offering by the glass will appeal to all tastes and budgets.

Perhaps the key would be for Nudge Nudge to play to its drinks strengths and just offer a few snacks. Who comes to a nightclub for food anyway?