The beauty of new restaurants is their ability to surprise you. Anticipation and expectation can manifest in many ways, but occasionally one comes along that defies any preconceived notions.

Prince of York could appear to be just another CBD bar-cum-restaurant (with a nightclub, too), but this is far more grown-up, the good-time vibe is backed up with a rich seam of quality in service, wine and on the plate, too.

The brainchild of a few hospitality heavyweights – Paul Schulte (formerly of the Keystone Group), Sam Bull (late of Icebergs Dining Room & Bar), and Andy Emerson and Ed Loveday, co-founders of Acme and Bar Brosé – it’s smart, casual and a bit grungy. It’s split over several floors in an 1878 building that was once a bank. The crew has retained the spiral staircase the clerks used to get to the safe, now a tasting room. The music is loud, the energy high, the staff are helpful and enthusiastic and the experience is, well, provocative. It’s fun. And the food? It’s a treat.

Chef Bull has created a menu that reads simply enough, but delivers a smorgasboard of largely Mediterranean flavours, with plenty of surprises, each dish a winning reveal. Vension tartare, for one, arrives with a fried egg sunny-side up on a cheese and bone-marrow toastie – just cracking, if a little on the hefty side.

Umami-laden spaghetti of spanner crab, basil and chilli served in a bag is a delight, while broccoli lumache (shell-shaped pasta) is made piquant with pickled anchovies. Extra-large tomahawk lamb chops, flame licked and pink inside, play nicely with a neat little raw onion and sumac salad.

To finish, among a choice of pies that includes apple, banoffee and chocolate ganache, the lemon meringue has a buttery base and a curd just on the right side of sharp and zingy.

With a performance like this, Prince of York could well be the king of York Street before we know it.