Everything at this sleek and attractively curvaceous restaurant points to the grill — 10 metres of open fire fuelled by wood and charcoal. Here, fire is no prop. Just about every dish is built around items cooked over flame or ember. It looks simple enough, but this level of open-fire cooking requires much discipline and experience. Fortunately, chef Steven Molnar and his team are up to the challenge. Quetzal is settling comfortably into its eighth year, its upscale Mexican cuisine seemingly getting better and better. Dinner begins with flavourful, aromatic and correctly elastic tortillas, made daily from imported Mexican corn nixtamalized and double-ground on-site. Ceviches and aguachiles are bright and refreshing, texturally complex and well balanced. Newfoundland scallops are seared and enhanced with green garlic butter, popcorn and Tajín. Patagonian squid is dressed in fermented corn miso with salsa macha and clarified butter, ginger and salsa verde cruda. Empanada oaxaqueña (made with blue-corn masa from Tlaxacala in central Mexico) is stuffed with 72-hour-marinated lamb neck layered in orange slices, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted in a wood oven, then served with radish and salsa de ajo, a tangy blend of guajillo, chipotle, garlic confit and fermented habanero. Even vegetarian dishes crackle with flavour. Desserts are finessed and imaginative (tres leches cake and horchata cream meet sea buckthorn).

Chef tells an exceptional story of Mexican cuisine through open-fire cooking, using traditional techniques and local products.” Susanna Cheng

The room is boisterous and the atmosphere vibrant. Service is highly professional. Thoughtful non-alcoholic beverage options encompass homemade libations, mocktails and re-imaginings of Mexican drinks and old classics. The wine list is solid and rich in smart choices to match big flavours. The cocktails do an admirable job as well.