Northern Light

Northern Light is a delicious conundrum. The tiny room, strung with light globes and giving the impression of a budding astronomer's sharehouse, looks like a promising place for a snack. Instead, the waiter (charmingly) pushes a nine-course banquet ($95). The menu mentions sushi rice, miso and yakitori but the food isn't really Japanese. The wine list is short and moderately priced (mostly $60 to $90) but the offerings are skewed to Europe and rather daring. Chef Adam Liston's food is creative and thoughtful but is so easy to enjoy in this casual setting that there's a risk of wolfing it down without due appreciation.

There are distinct Japanese and Korean influences and dude food tendencies (hello, fried chicken) but it all feels very Melbourne – and even very Smith Street.

The key snack is a tapioca cracker flavoured with prawn essence and topped with pickled prawn and seaweed mayonnaise. The prawn is flavoured with yuzu, a tart citrus that makes lime seem sweet as caramel, and the whole dish is tart, earthy, crunchy and flat-out tasty.

A zucchini dish is more wistful: raw, pickled and cooked zucchini are draped over cauliflower puree, with sour sorrel leaves and a dressing of dill oil and buttermilk. It's light and dancing but sesame oil and sansho pepper in the cauliflower add oomph.

There's an emphasis on excellent base ingredients: fish sauce is ethically harvested and soy sauce is created in house.

Desserts include simple jasmine-infused custard (cue stories about grandmothers) and a clever "broken ice-cream sandwich" with chocolate biscuit shards and malty mousse.

A couple of dishes lacked balance. Pumpkin oyaki (dumplings) were a little stodgy and fried chicken strips were dry but the snacking style of a meal here means the occasional rut is easily surpassed, and the overwhelming impression is of a personable, enthusiastic chef-run restaurant.

Rating: Three and a half stars (out of five)