No one else in Auckland is doing food like Sidart. The menu, which just lists the ingredients in each dish, doesn’t convey the ambitious scope of what eventually arrives at your table. It’s a surprise every time: things hidden under other things, sauces which pack an immense punch of flavour (but never enough to overwhelm your palate), pops of textures in places you’d never expect them. Even when elements are explained to you (and each dish does come with a lengthy explanation of its own), the artistically composed plates and bowls entice you to dig deep, mix it all together and, well, discover.

So it’s the Discovery Menu that you should be opting for, although à la carte provides for a much speedier (and no less tasty) meal. The snacks hit the nail right on the head, waking you up for what’s to come: entrées of expertly cooked quail in a tandoori spice rub cooked on charcoal, and mains like Wagyu sirloin with a swipe of laal maas, a curry from Rajasthan in northern India. The wine match, at both its classic and premium price points, are good value.

Sid and Chand Sahrawat recently announced a changing of the guard at this restaurant, their first, passing the baton to long-time employee Lesley Chandra on 7 September. He plans to keep the name and concept, but insert a little bit of his own Fijian roots into the flavours of the food. We look forward to what’s next.