Edward Teh and Jason Tan left careers in engineering and accounting respectively to fulfil a long-held dream to serve Japanese food in a fresh way. With the 2015 opening of Modern Eatery in Fremantle, they achieved their goal.

When they opened a Mount Lawley outpost the following year, the friends went one better. Like the Freo original, the north-of-the-river version puts a contemporary spin on Japanese cuisine and hits that sweet spot for price, quality and ambience.

Aburi sushi is Modern Eatery’s main point of difference. It’s a style where raw seafood is briefly seared with an open flame to deepen its flavour. To accentuate this taste, it’s served with Modern Eatery’s own umami-rich sauce.

The sushi rolls are presented with flair and feature interesting combinations such as chicken tempura with cucumber, avocado and seared breadcrumbs. Whole fish such as West Australian tuna and South Australian kingfish are used for all of the fish dishes.

BYO booze ($3.50 corkage per person).