Sugarcane

What a difference a renovation makes. Expose an old brick wall, slap on a coat of paint, design an elephant mural, hang a Thai streetmarket's worth of silk handbags from the ceiling, and replace most of the tables for long, shared benches where diners can perch on stools as they tuck in.

In doing exactly this, Sugarcane has transformed itself into a very accessible, vibrant local eatery. The food was always good here, thanks to chef/owner Milan Strbac's talent and experience in the Longrain kitchen, but the vibe was never quite right. Now Sugarcane is same, same but different, and super-sweet.

Strbac has overhauled the menu introducing tempting small bites and generous mains, all designed to share. With strong Thai and Cantonese influences it's a true pan-Asian approach.

On our Friday night visit by 7.30pm there's not a spare seat in the house. We kick off our mini feast with a trio of starters. I reckon my children would eat salt and pepper squid every day if they could, and Sugarcane's version is one of the city's best - large, soft pieces, intricately scored, and tossed in a dusting of Sichuan pepper, sea salt, cassia, star anise and roasted dry chillies. Yellow bean and soy dressing adds an extra dimension.

Pork dumplings are fat little parcels you can barely get in your mouth. Lulu decides therefore that double dipping into the gingery, garlicky yellow bean and soy dressing should be allowed.

A standout is the fried eggs (soft boiled, peeled then deep fried) tossed in a sauce of dark palm sugar and turmeric. Strbac says he's seen so many 66-degree sous vide eggs around and wanted to do something different. Archie tells me they're the best eggs he's ever eaten.

For Lulu, dish of the night is the blood plum chicken. Sugarcane's take sees the meat twice fried with super-crunchy skin in a fabulous sweet sauce of plums, Sichuan pepper, cassia, hoi sin, tamarind and soy.

Though seasoned restaurant diners, my kids are still a bit reticent when it comes to chilli, even though I cook with it regularly. So I order the Milly Hill lamb ribs with its glorious chilli jam sauce on the side. Slow braised for four hours to cut-with-a-harsh-word tenderness, then tossed in tapioca flour and deep fried - divine.

The only dish we don't absolutely adore is the coleslaw with crispy pork, which, after the dishes before it, lacked flavour. The cabbage is cut quite thick and the braised, pressed, then deep-fried pork hock is hard on the teeth.

We can't finish everything and there's no room for dessert. But we vow to return for more of the same.

THE LOW-DOWN
Do … Go with a group - you can try more of the menu.
Don't … Think you need to make it a big night out; it's so close to Central you could pop in on your way home.
Dish … Fried eggs with black vinegar and caramel.
Vibe … Buzzing pan Asian local with something for everyone.