Anyone questioning the relevance of fine dining in the age of tapas should pay a visit to this stylish, sprawling room (plus bustling summertime patio) on downtown’s eastern fringe. Five years into his reign of the ambitious kitchen, chef Lorenzo Loseto is an unabashed apostle of cooking’s Intricate School. His dishes present precisely textured, multi-layered, carefully plated and often exquisite constructions. It’s a brainy (some would say fussy) style of cooking and a marked contrast to the minimalist, more casual approach that’s grown popular in recent years. That laid-back approach is better represented on George’s à la carte and lunch menus, but dinner here yields sublime moments. Loseto’s smoked beef presents a mound of hand-chopped, crimson meat, ideally tender, tossed with good oil and a chiffonade of basil just touched on its edges with smoke. Its bed of winter pears works beautifully with the oven-dried taro strands and dollop of pear mascarpone that top the dish. Although it’s busy, it’s also extraordinarily good (beef fanatics should run, not walk). A cauliflower flan that complements excellent roast rack of pork is so tender it dissolves on the tongue and adds more flavour than any nouveau foam ever could. Though Loseto doesn’t serve any clunkers, a few courses are far more notable for individual elements than for their entirety: a plate that puts seared foie gras atop a rabbit tart, which sits next to fennel salad, which itself sits next to a mound of curried confited rabbit, has at least three elements too many. Dessert here is an event. A standout: lychee-flavoured egg white custard (dense like custard, but light-tasting like mousse) decked with pomegranate seeds and surrounded by vanilla-flecked lychee reduction. Smart wine pairings and excellent service. Mains $18–$24.