Mike's Table at Ici et La

In a suburb full of canines, Marcel the French bulldog is more famous than most. His big, baleful, bloodshot eyes, bat-ears and little sticky-out tongue have made him as much a signature at Surry Hills French interiors store Ici et La (it means ‘here and there') as the antique French deckchairs, zinc letters and industrial light shades.

As you walk through the laneway through the back of the shop, you'll be greeted by rolls of colourful canvas, old top hats, boxes of espadrilles, mannequin heads, and, of course, the charming Marcel, lounging, lolling and scratching. This is the unlikely but enchanting setting for Mike McEnearney's pop-up restaurant. The ex-head chef of Rockpool, McEnearney is now happy doing these dinners every second Sunday while thinking about opening up a restaurant of his own.

Omerta's Glen Davis works the floor and pours the wine, including one he makes himself with the help of boutique Geelong winemakers, Gary and Nick Farr, called Ici et La by Farr. The main showroom, which doubles as the dining room, is a clutter of old signs, antique wine punts and other ephemera with big bowls of heirloom carrots as the centrepiece of each table – it's all a bit of an industrial, French farmhouse vibe. It makes you want to live in the store. The carrots turn out to be the first course, served with Lescure butter and salt. The key to the food here is simplicity – it's share-style stuff McEnearney wants to cook, and you'll want to eat.

Bonito takati translates as hunks of raw fish with little cheeks of green olive, capers and a judicious hand with the herbs. It's that balance between the acid, and slight oiliness from the bonito that makes this dish pop.

Every fortnight, the menu changes completely, which keeps it super seasonal as well as being exciting. And hey – it's the rare restaurant that changes its menu so often. The main event is the huge platters of pot-roast quails, wrapped in Schultz bacon, served on a bed of petits pois (tiny French peas), braised with lettuce. The quails, by the way, didn't fit in McEnearney's oven at home, so he took them to Iggy's (sourdough bakery of the moment) and cooked them in the big bakery oven. There's something steadying and comforting about this kind of cooking. The quail is served with a little jug of pan juices. Having been slowly, gently roasted in that big oven, the little birds retain their rosy flesh and the meat falls straight off the little wings in tender, sweet pieces.

A soft, snowy granita of red plum and pinot noir has all the flavour of the plums and pinot and none of the alcohol. This palate cleanser is followed by a little jar of fluffy, light buttermilk jelly topped with a little scattering of fresh pistachios and a thin slice of fig tart on the side (also cooked in the Iggy's oven). Everything's finished off with a big plate of bitter chocolate shavings and glasses of fresh mint tea.

Going to Mike's Table is like going to the dinner party you always wished your friends were talented enough to throw, in a room more attractive than any restaurant in Sydney. Book in while you still can.

Seats by invitation only. For an invitation, email Mike's table

Price includes matched wine, by donation. Mike's Table is currently booked out until 4 Sep 2011.