It’s one of the best dishes of 2017: calamari “noodles”. Tiny, tender Shirley Temple curls are served atop a thin slice of kimchi cabbage with fleet-footed heat, the unseen addition of smoked marrow adding decadent depth. It’s at once innovative, arresting and totally delicious.

Welcome to Ramblr, where chef Nick Stanton is showing that Chapel Street’s eating pleasures aren’t just to be found down the Windsor end.

A recent makeover has helped the room match the skills and style of Stanton’s flame-and-coal powered open kitchen – curtains keep the dark and moody dining room shielded from the excesses of the street, while the rattlesnake grey and forest moss colour scheme is the stylish backdrop for cleverly spotlit tables that manage to provide privacy in a full room.

An “umami” salad of Brussels sprouts pan-fried until caramelized and crisp has so much fifth element Bruce Willis could jump out of it, though the real blockbuster is a bowl of noodles cooked in masterstock, generously tossed through freshly picked spanner crab, the lot dusted with bottarga.

It’s really clever cooking that, while favouring big flavours – see cobia crudo decadently dressed in burnt butter; pig’s head fritters and fried chicken with gravy – is never brash, but always super tasty.

There’s wit in the mix, too. Stanton take on a Waldorf salad where baby cos, candied walnuts and crunchy celery come with a passionfruit dressing that’s an unexpected tropical burst of brilliance.

Along with smart glassware, elegant cutlery, and a short worldly wine list that nods to the natural without tub-thumping the case, Ramblr adds up to a stylish package that cannot be beat at the price.

Must eat dish: Calamari noodles
Instagram: @ramblrmelbourne