Expect unexpected

I DON’T know where to look.

To my left, head chef James Brady is up to something with a smoke machine, chips and a wooden box, to my right cocktail maestro Shane Finnegan is tossing shakers like an extra in a cheerleader flick.

The narrow Chevron Island cranny re-opened as Samphire Bites just five weeks ago and feels like it’s bursting at the seams.

This is fine dining on steroids, where energy, passion and imagination have as much place as technique and tradition, and it’s attracting full houses.

They don’t take reservations, but if you arrive early you should get a seat. There are a couple of alfresco tables and some lining the wall, but the modern tapas bar is where the magic happens.

Diners have front row seats as clever chefs plate London-trained James’s whimsical, yet extremely precise, creations.

They’re happy to let you peek into their world by answering questions or providing a running commentary

Choose your own adventure from a menu divided into small, savoury and sweet bites – the share plates hiding under pristine white napkins are there for a reason.

While some of the food’s a bit “tricky”, it’s never at the expense of flavour. The attention to detail is incredible.

Tempura zucchini flowers ($16) are filled with vividly green oregano mousse, for a self-saucing effect when sliced. Crumbled goat’s cheese, lemon and olive oil join the symphony of flavour.

A salty crust gives way to expertly cooked Moroccan-spiced lamb, with eggplant caviar and tomato ($16). A last-minute shaving of peanut brittle is behind a subtle sweetness.

James coaxes my seafoodfearing sister into her first-ever encounter with Moreton Bay bug, albeit disguised in a mousse amid chicken and palm heart ($18).

It’s a stunning dish, with more chunks of the bug meat resting on a pickled salad.

You’ve got to do

a

dessert, or three. The deconstructed Not Your Everyday Cheesecake ($10) pairs creamy vanilla-bean puddles with astringent lime, while banoffee pie ($10) is reinvented in a cocktail glass.

I like the thought process behind the wine and beer range, but it’s showman Shane’s complex cocktails that provide the best marriage with the menu.

Highlights include a sugarrimmed lemon meringue martini that teeters between sweet and tart, and a bounce-off-the-walls blend of espresso and butterscotch.

James sums things up well on Twitter (as today’s philosophical chefs are wont to do): Samphire is a place where the chef and the diner work in harmony to create the perfect experience. You’ll get out of it what you put in.