Before we Australians knew Alice Waters and her movement of local, real, slow food – back when Sydney restaurants were rife with smears and dots and foams – we thought it quite darling when a cube of candied meat arrived on a carrot purée squirt. No more. But Sean Moran, the titular chef at this beachside nook – who splits his time between his Bilpin farm, his Mount Tomah restaurant and the Bondi restaurant – always knew better. Sean’s has been around for 25 years, setting the standard for real, home-style food long before local produce was cool.

Which begs the question, is this the restaurant that Sydney forgot? It’s hard to beat a sparkling Sunday on Bondi Beach, but even better when you can duck into this relaxed would-be cottage with its loose-woven linen serviettes, its casual but attentive staff and chalk-board featuring four entrées, four mains and four desserts. The curated menu also allows the miniscule kitchen to handle with precision and perfection orders from the 45-seats it regularly fills.

Whatever is fresh from the farm is on the menu. Moran presents his food simply; it’s produce on a plate. Hiramasa kingfish tartare is salty and fresh, muddled with an impeccable selection of textured things – radish and samphire for crunch, salmon caviar for more salty pops, and a crisp oily house-made cracker makes the perfect scooping companion.

A wedge of corned beef from the farm is tender, and comes with a wedge of cabbage, perfect little de-choked artichokes, chopstick-thin heirloom carrots and “our mustard mayo”, which turns out to be a beautifully light dollop that is perfect for dipping everything else on the plate into.

Sean’s remind us what food is supposed to taste like, that provenance matters and that fuss does not. It’s a cheery, sparkling place to be, and even more so if you have the chance to meet Sean on one of his brief and rare wanders from the kitchen. Is there a more genuine, more humble chef in the eastern suburbs, or even on the east coast?

It turns out one of the most charming places in New South Wales was under our noses all along.

Must eat dish: kingfish tartare
Instagram: @seanmoran64