Natural 9, Casino Canberra

We're seriously under dressed for dinner tonight. Or maybe we fit right in. There are arguments for both sides. On the one hand - we're in the glitzy, shiny, bright Canberra casino, where an enormous sparkling chandelier hangs above the circular bar.

A couple of tables down a couple of glamorous ladies on a night out sport perfect curled hair, evening pencil skirts and sky high stilettos. On the other hand, we're wearing jeans and big jackets - and if we're honest a lot of the crowd is too, middle-aged people in practical attire and comfortable shoes. 

This is Natural 9. The restaurant itself is a very small affair, more of an eating space really - two narrow lanes of tables next to the bar. There's one row on the floor level, and another row a few steps above. Both the tables and banquettes are a gleaming white, with thick silvery grey drapes framing floor to ceiling glass windows. There's a private room down the end of one lane.

Menus are equally sleek - a mix of contemporary Australian and a big section of Asian traditional dishes - the brainchild of chefs Chad Ogden and David Black, lately of the fine dining Artisan in Narrabundah. As it to prove the point, we get a little amuse bouche to start, a slice of kingfish with Buddha's hand citrus cubed on top, which manages to fuse smoke and lemon in one tiny package.

An entree of milk poached chicken ($17) starts everything off with a promising, velvety smoothness. The chicken is tender perfect in a frothy, creamy milk with a foie gras pate and a smear of sweet pomegranate sauce. 

Sake and citrus salmon slices ($17) offer a sharp, tangy contrast, cubes of sake jelly fragranced with a herby, grown-up rose. There's a strip of toasted bread on one side spread with creme fraiche and then more cubes of cured salmon and cucumber for freshness and zing. 

Mains keep things ticking along at a similarly high level. There's a gorgeousness to the translucent fat on a slab of kung pao pork belly ($28), served on a bed of black rice with a lovely tingling spicy heat that lingers on the palate without overwhelming.  

Miso braised cod with cos lettuce and soft nuggets of Jerusalem artichoke put me in mind of the pristine fish dishes that Black used to serve up in his previous time at Artisan. 

Duck breast ($35) is delightful with a rich mushroom puree, sweetly sour orange sauce and a sprinkle of nutty crunch from pistachios, nicely balanced with a glass of Eden Road pinot noir ($12). Wines here are pan-Australian with a liberal scattering of big winery names, although the by-the-glass section is crisp. 

Service is smart and desserts are quick. White chocolate bread and butter pudding ($13) is served piping hot in a cast iron dish, super creamy and good for sharing. I'm genetically predisposed to love Asian desserts but a bowl of cubed almond jelly ($13) with berries and flowers, while very pretty, is also very meh - the jelly bland and the fruit fresh but unadorned.

A smooth tumbler of Bakery Hill whisky ($25), to put us in a high rolling frame of mind, and it's time for a quick stroll through the gleaming roulette tables and poker games on our way out the door. As a dining experience, it's been pretty classy.