If you were Ursula, the namesake of husband-and-wife duo Phil Wood and Lis Davies’s corner-terrace bistro, you’d be chuffed as all hell. She’s undeniably chic. Elegant and intimate in equal measure. And certainly living up to a reputation for technique over tricks. Time-honoured classics dolled up for the now kick off with egg mayo sandwiches on brown-butter biscuits topped with glossy salmon roe. Warm nostalgia, rich and precise sauces abound. Pan-fried whiting with tangy eggplant arrives in harissa butter that’s the same ochre hue as the dining room carpet. Roast beef cooked to a deep, dark pink finds an unexpected pairing in a mushroom-and-macadamia XO sauce, while deconstructed lemon meringue pie gets its tang from passionfruit sorbet and fresh ruby grapefruit. Profound care is felt in every direction – from every pop of colour in the room to the gentle service and notable Australian ingredients both on the plate and in the glass. A triumph.
