Justin North dials up the flavours at new Forty Licks in the city

French and Vietnamese food go together like olive oil and salt, so Justin North's fingerprints on the Vietnamese menu at Forty Licks, which opens this week, isn't as strange as it sounds.

The Francophile pan-rattler, who made his name at Becasse about 10 years ago, admits it was a bit of a different brief for his Concept Hospitality consultancy business, but a good match for chef Joel Manton's strong Vietnamese food pedigree.

North says he's tweaked rather than fully created dishes. For instance, he's upped the aromatics on the crisp Vietnamese pancakes and dialled back the spice. Grilled skewers have a refined edge, with Blackmore wagyu and Berkshire pork on its opening menu. The bar-eatery slides into a basement at 24 York Street in the Sydney CBD, the space brimming with sculptural bamboo installations.

Owner Tony Mowad snared Manton – who cooked in Vietnam for six years – as chef, turning out dishes such as a blue swimmer crab tapioca crackers, coconut escabeche, betel leaves and jicama. Barman Kurtis Bosely has a signature Lick Me Forty (Reposado Tequila, dandelion and burdock bitters, vanilla syrup, lemon, egg white and caster sugar) on the cocktail menu.

Forty Licks, dinner only until May 20 then lunch and dinner Mon-Fri 11am-late. fortylicks.com.au