ARTICHOKE RESTAURANT AT EPHRAIM ISLAND

The pictures on plates at Artichoke may look too good to eat, but the taste lives up to the promise

JUTTING Jetson-style from the Broadwater, apartment development Ephraim Island could be miles from the mainland.

But a short skip over the bridge from Paradise Point brings you to the modern monument, home to the equally modern Artichoke Restaurant & Bar.

With lofty ceilings, extensive glass on to a waterfront alfresco area and heavy white tablecloths, it’s the epitome of understated elegance.

The unique space seduced seasoned chef and restaurateur Grant Madgwick at first sight, as did the promise of a better work-life balance.

The father of two, who used to cook with highchairs in the kitchen, now runs Artichoke to his exacting standards on abbreviated opening hours.

He spends the mornings prepping for the intricate menu, making the stunning sauces from scratch, before leaving the kitchen in capable hands and sailing out on to the floor as frontman.

He’s got a salivating knack of selling his dishes as only a chef can. Every morsel we tried lived up to the verbal promise.

The special is “swingtail” snapper, a whole fish served upright with a twist in the tail that makes it look like it’s about to swim from the plate.

Twice-corked pork belly ($19) is a little parcel laced with naughty flavour, ringed by vanilla carrot puree and rich vindaloo bouillon.

Mud and spanner crab bellinis ($22) are pops of indulgence, with horseradish cream, avruga caviar and wasabi pearls.

Squid-ink saffron pasta ($22), salt and pepper duck ($24) and grass-fed lamb ($24) are popular, but the tortellini ($24) is on another level.

It’s infused with Persian fetta and buffalo mozzarella and topped with a generous portion of mud crab and spanner crab. You’ll need a spoon so you don’t miss a skerrick of the decadent tomato cream bouillon.

The service is impeccably mannered, down to the oldschool crumbing, with a taste for the theatrical. Sauces are ceremoniously poured and brulees flambéed at the table.

Wine buffs have Grant’s impressive private cellar at their fingertips, although the signature orange Veuve branding around the restaurant has a way of making you feel like French fizz.

The cocktails are classic, but the presentation is far from conventional.

Wow factor on a wooden board, the deconstructed lychee martini would blow James Bond away.

Desserts are served with a tipple as a matter of course.

Try a double choc brownie with Frangelico and Kahlua choc smear, cherry ripe chocolate fudge and homemade vanilla bean ice cream ($22) or sticky fig pudding ($22).

Expect quality over quantity, although with luxury ingredients and a French propensity for rich sauces, I found three courses more than enough.

Artichoke is currently open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and Wednesday to Saturday for dinner, but with Grant’s plans for growth, his work-life balance may soon be back under threat.