Something old, something new at Jane in Surry Hills

"Jane's pink cake". The headline dessert at the new Jane in Surry Hills is plainly writ but resonates with the thrill of birthday parties and sponge, gooey cream and grandmothers.

Which is all very appropriate, because Tristan Rosier's new little neighbourhood restaurant, on the site of the former Ume and Bistrode, is named for his grandmother, Jane. You can almost hear her saying, "It's about time too", given that his first little neighbourhood restaurant down the road was named for his grandfather, Arthur.

The cake that Rosier's nan used to make for him is not the only nostalgia being channelled. There's a strictly '70s vibe to the music (Bowie's Gene Genie, Fleetwood Mac's The Chain, Chic's Good Times), and even the food ducks back to the '70s, while taking in ferments and indigenous flavours.

Oysters ($5.50 each) are zipped up with desert lime, and good old prawn cocktail morphs into a cute little honey bug (like a cocktail Balmain bug), cloaked in a creamy tarragon dressing ($8.50).

The must-order is a three-bite panisse ($6 each), with a topping of spicy wild boar 'nduja, creamy parmesan custard and a shower of parmesan that tickles all your oily, creamy, cakey fancies.

Head chef Victoria Scriven, formerly sous chef at Arthur, works alongside Rosier in the narrow kitchen to the rear of the big, beautiful marble bar. Their dishes are marked by extremely compatible flavours – it's like date night on every plate – and textural contrast.

A tartare ($25) is not beef, but fruity, not-gamey kangaroo meat, hand-chopped and flavoured with astringent bush tomato and pickled cucumbers, crowned with crisp shoestring fries for crunch.

Hibachi-blistered shishito peppers come with a fresh chutney-like mix of peaches, grilled chilli, green olives, mandarin oil and chardonnay vinegar.

Lamb rump ($50) is a switch-in for the menu's double Barnsley chop and it's a joy, the skin crisp over a comforting layer of fat, with a full-throttle lamb jus and tangy mizuna and rocket pesto. Shards of La Dame goat's cheese lie at the base of nicely bitter mustard leaves, for no apparent purpose.

Luchetti Krelle has built in loads of detail, with tiles, dark timber, upholstered banquettes and the glow of metallics. It already feels like everybody's secret little neighbourhood place, and effort is made to keep 30 per cent of the tables for walk-ins, though as Rosier says "people do want certainty at the moment".

But where to sit? If you're on a swivel stool at the broad marble bar, you can check out the shelves of esoteric Tasmanian gins and watch your Australiano cocktail or alcohol-free NOgroni being expertly made.

The little back room is lined with covetable two-person boothettes, though pity those in the one next to the door to the outside loos. And I'm calling it: the round table in the window for six to eight people is the cutest in inner Sydney; a tiny vintage chandelier hanging over it like a sequinned earring.

Wines are minimal intervention, with Dominique Portet's 2021 dry Provencal-style rosé​ from the Yarra Valley (well-priced at $13/$66) and a bright, juicy Dune Cactus Canyon Grenache ($13/$77) among the more mainstream.

A second visit sees a fine dry-aged fillet of Murray cod ($45) with a pan-fried roof of skin so crisp you could skate on it. It's teamed with a velvety puddle of curry sauce, a blend of garlic, ginger, pepperberry, anise and lemon myrtle, and bush tomato thickened to a smooth gloss with macadamia; a very together dish.

And the pink cake ($18)? Deconstructed into layers of vanilla sponge, meringue, macerated strawberries and a lovely bay leaf cream, with pink notes of ruby chocolate and candied rosella flowers, it's way too much of everything – which means it's just right.

It's like the restaurant itself, in that certain key elements of the past have been retained and combined to create something charming, new and refreshingly different. What a lovely spot.

The low-down

Jane

Drinks Cocktails built with cult local spirits (Starward Whisky, Brookie's Mac), local crafties and 80 artisanal Australian wines.

Vegetarian A few options, with more available on request.

Pro tip The top table is the one for six to eight in the window.

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.