Where there's no smoke, there's a lack of fire

Laurus, a plush multi-level modern Chinese restaurant on the CBD's edge, opened late last year, tumbling into a difficult summer. It's not quite fine dining but it is a little dressy. There are delightful glimmers and the effort is evident, though perhaps that's part of the problem.

Owner Boyang Fang's family owns tea plantations and resort dining in Jiangsu. Chef Roger Lu was born in the same eastern part of China and joins Laurus in his first head chef role. He was previously chef de partie at Atlantic so this is a huge step up, like a school nurse suddenly called upon to do brain surgery.

The project is to meld southern Chinese cuisine with contemporary Australian sensibilities, which may explain the lack of chopsticks and rice.

French concepts with Asian angles kick off the starters. Chicken liver is gently – imperceptibly – cooked in masterstock before being turned into parfait; it sits on discs of soybean cake.

Beef tartare is dressed with grilled tomatoes and lime and served with tapioca crackers. The beef is lost in the acid.

Larger dishes are dressed-up, toned-down versions of Chinese classics. Usually, the wok hei ("wok breath") of chow mein noodles is key to their charm, but building regulations mean it's not possible to use a wok at Laurus. It's a shame.

Southern Chinese cooking can thrill with its subtlety and restraint but there's timidity here. Whole John Dory is a spin on a famous Hunan dish of steamed fish head with fermented chilli; this fish is decently grilled and the chilli topping is pretty good.

Fried eggplant with vinegar caramel – a dish Melbourne fell in love with at Lee Ho Fook – is enjoyably crispy and giving.

Laurus lacks thrum and throughline, missing not just the flash of a wok, but the spark of living out its own intentions. The concept isn't bad; hopefully the execution will come.