Parramatta on a weekend night is humming. To put it another way, it’s near impossible to find a park. But the endless circling is justified for Lilymu’s scallops in sweet, tangy nahm jim that kick off a lively evening of punchy snacks and share plates.

The kitchen looks to China, Japan, Korea and South-East Asia for inspiration, so roasted cauliflower is served with miso and fiery gochujang, barramundi is roasted in a banana leaf with turmeric-yellow curry, and fried rice holds your interest with tart, pickled mustard leaf.

Highly marbled rump steak is beefed up further with salty-sweet galbi sauce, while every second person in the modern neon-tinged dining room seems to be photographing a bowl of wispy liquid nitrogen. Inside is coconut sorbet, apple granita and soft, chewy pearls of sago – a multi-textured treat that will likely never leave the menu.

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