The Resident

The Resident has just taken up residence in The Residence, a multi-million dollar apartment building on Hyde Park. It's a neighbourly sort of joint, if your neighbours are the sort who can afford dazzling harbour views, 24 hour concierges, 20-metre heated pool, gym, wine room and, as one resident has been quoted as saying, no back-packers for neighbours. Sorry guys, but if I'm dining here, they've just let in the riff-raff.

The dumpling-powered Lotus Group has opened this sleek, modern, Mediterranean eatery on the ground floor, installing Spanish-born chef, Pablo Tordesillas Garcia, best known for his work at Brisbane's two-hatted modern Spanish, Ortiga. Here, he's working Spain and Morocco, with a bit of Australiana as garnish.

Garcia's 'escabeche of mussels' ($11) smashes out of the gates and bolts down the stretch; a brilliant starter. It's just a stack of salty, thin, house-made potato crisps next to a glossy blob of squid ink emulsion and a little dish of plump mussels in a smoky paprika juices, but it's oh so dip-and-crunch good. 

A cute and crusty miniature baguette, or bocadillo, traps cured sardine, pickled cucumber, and red pepper ($8); and sumac-grilled octopus tentacle with a smooth-talking ajo blanco garlic and almond emulsion ($29) is smoky from the ratcheted Spanish charcoal grill. A bramble bush of potato straws, fried cuttlefish and creamy slow-cooked egg ($18) is a classy version of an egg-and-chips tourist breakfast on the Costa del Sol, and duck livers ($16) come from the plancha with winey juices, parsnip-like fingers of salsify and wilted and crisp saltbush in a great, natural pairing.

It's a slightly awkward space that's all bright and bustly up one end, where a stool-lined counter runs along a spot-lit open kitchen, and a bit dark and dull down the dining room end. Things are cheerier by day, when doors and windows are thrown open.  

Group sommelier Annette Lacey is behind the simpatico wine list, filling it with fresh, vibrant, easy-drinkers and worthwhile Spanish selections such as a silky, spicy 2014 As Laxas albarino ($14/$70).

A meaty Spanish mackerel fillet with a muddle of fruity red peppers ($24) nails its time on the charcoal grill with its just-set centre and scorched skin. Then it's off to Morocco with a big-flavour share plate of grilled lamb breast and chickpeas ($38); the ribs rubbed with ras el hanout, steamed for three hours with preserved lemon and smen (fermented butter) and finished on the grill. Good, but I'd love the meat to be more fall-apart tender.

Desserts are not your usual suspects, from a classic, crisp, layered milhojas (millefeuille) of spaghetti squash ($15) to sweet little orange and rosemary brik pastry triangles served with a lovely goat's milk yoghurt sorbet ($14).

So, yes, it's the sort of place you'd love under your own apartment block; clever, contemporary food, lots of seasonal and vegetal dishes, consistently excellent sauces, one major (1 kg dry-aged rib-eye) steak hit, realistic prices and polished staff. And – something of a miracle in this age of sous-vide and slow-temp cooking - a hands-on chef in residence who actually cooks, sautés and grills from scratch, making it all shine.

Best Bit: Flavours dig deep.
Worst bit: Awkward table angles

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.