The Smallest Food Critic stayed up past her bedtime to accompany me to the opening of Mr Good Guy, and we liked what we saw (and tasted!). The bar and dining area is open-plan; bright and modern, with more personality than you’d expect from a hotel restaurant. The open kitchen is central; this is cooking as theatre, an intrinsic part of the dining experience. This is an expensive fit-out, but the money has been well spent.

The Smallest Food Critic very much enjoyed hanging out at the pass and watching the chefs at work garnishing plates and grilling the chicken satay skewers. Her favourite morsel of the evening was the pork crackling, although she was also most enthusiastic about the pork belly bao and the salt & pepper tofu. I thought the prawns nestled in betel leaves were very good but she wasn’t convinced. Neither of us felt that the son-in-law eggs worked very well as finger food for people standing around with only tiny napkins to protect their nice clothes from the sudden gush of runny yolk, delicious as they were.

The Chinese Buddhist Academy of Hobart were on hand to perform a blessing ceremony, including dancing lions, which so enthralled my tiny sidekick that I spent the duration trying to restrain her and so was unable to take any photos.

Mr Good Guy has the goods. We’re certainly keen to go back and explore the menu more thoroughly.

Our previous preview of Mr Good Guy