Redfern has pubs and bars aplenty. One thing the suburb didn’t have – until locals Rebecca Lines and Hamish Ingham ( Tequila Daisy , Bar H , Banksii ) came along – was a Chinese restaurant to sing about. Redbird is just that, a polished neighbourhood diner with a menu drawing on Ingham’s extensive travels through China’s provinces.

One might be a cold salad of julienned potatoes with spicy chilli oil and Sichuan pepper; popular in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province. Other highlights include stir-fried iceberg lettuce with cucumber, black fungus and oyster sauce; and pipis with crisp noodles and XO sauce. The signature red-braised bird – the showstopper dish on the set menu – is poached for an hour in Sichuan pepper, star anise, ginger, cinnamon and mandarin peel.⁠

Lines has put together a 150-strong wine list encompassing both the classics and new-wave naturals. A lengthy selection of by-the-glass options means locals wanting to swoop in spontaneously for wontons and wine on the way home have plenty to choose from here.

The duo worked with Luchetti Krelle ( Woolly Bay Hotel , Jane ) on the interiors for their Barangaroo venue Banksii, and entrusted the designers to create Redbird. It’s a sophisticated but warm space, with recycled timbers, original exposed-brick walls, terrazzo tiles and a knockout stone bar. A feng shui master was even brought in for consultation on the layout, colour choice and opening date.