There’s something admirable about sticking to your roots. But sometimes it’s just as exciting to veer away from the rules. Mon Taste of Japan veers without ever careening out of control.

Owner Takayuki Takahashi and his all-Japanese team are well versed in the cuisine of their homeland. Their noodle, meat and seafood dishes feature few elements, but everything is prepared with customary precision. It comes together best on the Sakura sashimi share plate for three – pearlescent slices of tuna, salmon, kingfish and scallop are allowed to speak for themselves, enhanced by house-made wasabi paste and pickled ginger.

Mon’s expertise shines through in the classics, but it’s not afraid to experiment with flavours that appeal to Western palates. Cheese, potato and miso gyozas showcases this. They’re a clever nod to croquettes, which have been interpreted in countless ways, but rarely with as much savoury richness as here.

Drinks include a limited selection of whites and reds from notable Australian wine makers. Chilled and hot sake, shochu and umeshu are also on offer.