Fried buttermilk chicken wings tossed in XO; mini pork katsu banh mi; beef tenderloin pho dumplings. This is how fusion fun starts at XO, the quirky Narrabundah hotspot run by a small group of millennials on a mission to bring a large exclamation of joy to the plate.

In its spruced-up contemporary space, staff deliver an energy-packed expression of South East Asian cuisine that crosses borders, techniques and ingredients on the plate without resulting in confusion. It’s not experimental for the sake of it; it’s going out on a limb with deliciousness in mind.

Asian bolognese, for instance, sees udon noodles stir-fried in a big XO chicken ragu, topped with a gooey egg to toss through. Meanwhile, nasi goreng emerges as squid-ink fried rice with flecks of sweet spanner crab and fluffy egg floss. It’s satisfying, packed with umami and cooked with sharing in mind – something you might not want to do, once you get a taste.