This is a chef that cares about produce and establishes great relationships with suppliers, as you’ll see in gleaming slices of ruby red Ulladulla tuna sitting on yuzu pannacotta under ponzu ikura, a tomato dashi jelly and nasturtiums. The tuna comes in as a whole fish and is broken down by the kitchen with all parts used across the week. Western Australian marron come split and grilled in shellfish butter, teased from their shells in one seductive tail. It’s not all about seafood either: Black Opal wagyu shin is slow-cooked for ten hours in master stock, sliced and laid across miso eggplant puree punctuated with crisp, peach kimchi. There’s also robust short soup made with ham bone consommé, gossamer-skinned prawn and pork wontons, wood ear mushrooms, ginger and shallots.
Newly minted as an Australian citizen but already well-inducted into the Australian sense of humour, chef’s multi-course menu also includes ironically kung pao cauliflower and a potato scallop dusted with bottarga. All that’s really left for the diner is to recline in a police cell on a nicely-padded bed-frame and sip wine while this well-orchestrated meal unfolds before you. The 2021 Tellurian Marsanne ($76) is an affable cell-life companion. I really couldn’t fault this meal.