Maybe you’ve passed Ester on your way to the pub, noticing the warm glow of the pendant lights or the wood oven in the open kitchen. Or maybe your friends raved about the all-natural wine list and still-warm potato bread, primed to drag through cool kefir cream shrouded with salmon roe. Or if you have been, maybe those friends are you.

First time or fiftieth, it’s a memorable start to Mat Lindsay’s evolving menu of fermentation and fire, and what follows is an orchestrated flow of dishes balancing comfort with complexity: scorched cheddar pie doused in electric chilli sauce, with molten cheese that stretches and snaps with each pull; twice-cooked duck, caramelised skin sweetened by cherry-red muntries; and the crack of burnished sugar against a delicate, cream-filled crepe.

Taken with the relaxed professionalism of an unfailing service team, it’s small wonder this 12-year-old restaurant remains a firm favourite.

Good to know: While you can go all-in with a long Sunday lunch or $155 set menu, snacks and drinks at the bar are just as enjoyable.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.