Estelle Bar & Kitchen

With its pink, black and grey tiled walls, spindly legged furniture and tabletops made from a recycled bowling alley, the Estelle looks very much like the retro Northcote cafe it once was. There's still a laid-back, unpretentious feel to the place, but owner-chefs Scott Pickett (ex-The Point) and Ryan Flaherty (ex-Fat Duck, Arzak) deliver a tasting menu-only format (anything from three to nine courses) and a wine list enamoured of the Old World and sake. Pickett and Flaherty love a bit of molecular experimentation - sardine 'fossils', like misshapen, tastier prawn crackers, or compressed melon encased in a tube of clear potato starch - but never at the expense of flavour or substance. Think excellent cauliflower sausage teamed with curry-flavoured cauliflower cous cous, fat scallops served with salmon roe and black miso butter, venison with a bitter chocolate sauce or hugely addictive olive oil and vanilla sponge served with frozen sour cream. It's smart and interesting but best of all, a whole lot of fun.