Huxtable

For pure exuberance it's hard to go past Huxtable. Two years in and the early dishes-to-die-for (molten jalapeno and cheddar croquettes, spicy ribs) are rusted-on classics. Chef Daniel Wilson keeps exploring, backed by a team that displays a judicious mix of Smith Street savvy and service smarts. The small pseudo-retro dining room has a buzzy hubbub and the share-friendly globetrotting menu plucks from hither and thither, redefining fine dining and fast food with equal vigour. Steamed cod with exotic mushroom and dashi braise is topped with a dazzling sesame and wakame crumb. Pork cheek is slow-cooked, smoked and served warm with a clever contrasting salad of Thai basil, finger lime and toasted coconut flakes. Underpinning the pop flavours and punchy combinations are careful cooking and a hospitable ethic that showers vegetarians and coeliacs with love. Dishes from the long 'land' section may include unmissable corn and black-bean stew with chipotle cream. Desserts (jam doughnuts, icecream and fudge sandwich) sweetly express the hip Huxtable spirit.