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No. 8

Larissa Dubecki
Larissa Dubecki

The restaurant is comfortable and genially contemporary.
The restaurant is comfortable and genially contemporary.Eddie Jim

Good Food hat15/20

Contemporary$$$

For a chef so young, John Lawson is no enfant terrible. His Eton Mess is more like an Eton Neat of meticulously arranged ginger meringue, with poached rhubarb and piped custard. And look over there, where a chicken liver parfait with just enough foie gras to make it interesting saddles up with a few like-minded friends: mulberries and hazelnuts and a sticky drizzle of madeira. Nothing to see here, officer.

Crown's PR about the reinvention of No. 8 calls Lawson an ''enigmatic'' chef, which I've decided must be a slip of the keyboard (did they mean exacting, perhaps?). We've stepped back to a world of tradition, where a chef's CV reads like the food answer to Penguin Classics: Raymond Blanc, Gordon Ramsay, Daniel Boulud. Lawson, at 31, has worked under all of them. And yes, he can cook.

So I certainly can't argue Lawson as the Crown captain's pick, shoved in the express elevator and given his ''own'' restaurant. His October arrival at the fading No. 8 was heralded by the Michelin-styled addendum ''by John Lawson'' - cursive script and all. It's a grand opportunity for the Brit, who arrived in the country four years ago as Josh Emmett's offsider at Maze, then stayed after the Ramsay ship went down and headed its successor, Mr Hive.

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John Dory with sea urchin.
John Dory with sea urchin.Eddie Jim

''Potential'' is another key word for No. 8. I remember precisely nothing about the last time I ate there. It was an experience swallowed into the general beigeness of uninspiring meals. But that's Crown for you. It excels at the upmarket, nicely appointed, coolly professional kind of restaurants you wouldn't dream of going back to in a pink fit.

The restaurant, which occupies one of the prime sites on the casino's Riviera, is all earth tones, with modern objects d'art and the rare appearance of sound-squelching carpet. It's comfortable and genially contemporary, without really grabbing you in the X-factor department. On the positive side, that makes it Lawson's blank canvas. His spiel isn't that different than that of a couple of dozen other chefs trying to make their mark within the same square kilometre, although the Crown clout means ''produce-driven'' extends to farmers growing things for them exclusively, as well as to some of the nicest sourdough (courtesy of EDS Breads) I've had all year.

Lawson's food is on nodding terms with trends without going the full sleeve tattoo. Ndjua, the spicy salami paste on a sell-out tour from Calabria, ballasts the meaty heft of charry octopus and the bold citrus of blood orange. His beef carpaccio (wagyu; is there any other sort these days?), with the tang of white anchovies, sliced gherkin and baby onion, is peppered with nutty popped amaranth. In a year dominated by gratuitous use of so-called ''ancient'' grains (quinoa, take a bow), it's an apposite inclusion.

All in all, it's not so much a brilliant reinvention as a little play that makes you remember what was so good about it in the first place.

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Stay away from the crayfish at the dreaded ''market price'' trap and you'll also find some decent value on the broad list of mains, which includes a choice of three cuts of their specially farmed lamb.

Pan-fried John Dory is buttery-sweet against the rich brininess of the sea urchin crowning each piece, with more big flavours via a garlic trio including the crunchy stems and the take-no-prisoners black garlic. It's a restrained use of big flavours that still manages to leave room for a pale, clear tomato essence poured at the table.

The duck breast is as traditional as Escoffier with shallot puree and green spring vegetables, the only surprise a puck of caramelised daikon. Perfectly crackled pork belly with carrot puree gets a bit of rev from smoked paprika and the curve-ball choice of preserved cumquat.

Being a Crown restaurant there's a big wine list at the usual mark-ups. There's plenty of temptation - and look, there's James Halliday hosting a wine dinner on the mezzanine - but I think it's the chef's flair for consistency that elevates No. 8 by John Lawson into the arena of restaurants to which I'd happily return. There's something to be said for relaxing into a meal and feeling confident the hits will keep coming. It's a different kind of X-factor, yes, but an underrated one. 

THE LOW-DOWN
The best bit
The chef
The worst bit
The tables. It's an aesthetic thing, OK?
Go-to dish John Dory with sea urchin, spring garlic and tomato essence, $34

Twitter: @LarissaDubecki or email: ldubecki@fairfaxmedia.com.au

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Larissa DubeckiLarissa Dubecki is a writer and reviewer.

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