The glasses are polished, the lighting finessed and the brand-new carpets spotless.
But for this institution, everything old is new again, as the family behind Ottoman Cuisine was preparing to re-open the doors of its old Barton stomping ground on Tuesday.
It's three years since owner Serif Kaya hung a sign on the door announcing the once multi-hatted Ottoman was "moving to an exciting new location and venue".
Serif and his wife Gulbahar sold the long-established Broughton Street premises in Barton and enjoyed a couple of years of relative rest.
But when the opportunity came up to buy the building back, they realised the world was telling them something.
"It was fate, if you want to say that," Mr Kaya said, as he chopped fish and vegetables and slung spices around dishes like the old pro that he is.
On Tuesday morning, the team was preparing to start serving its authentic Turkish fare, with its same a la carte menu and opening hours as before.
And the phone has been ringing with new bookings non-stop for the past few days.
It's a strange time to open a restaurant, even one as long-established and fiercely missed as Ottoman.
With several top-tier restaurants like Aubergine, Temporada and, most recently, Miss Van's announcing their closure, it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to open a restaurant at all in the current climate.
But for the Kayas, the timing is right, and they're confident their reputation outpaces the newer, edgier restaurant scene.
"People are reminiscing what they used to have," he said.
"Then if you can add something, new things to the cuisine, bring some new dishes, that's what people are looking for. But most importantly, it's consistency. And I think the whole package, if I may say - not just the food, but the ambience, and coming to the building itself is quite unique."
And, with its unusual gazebo-like entry, tall glass windows, landscaped gardens and fishpond, it's a building that has seen its fair share of political intrigue and glamour, with a steady flow of high-ranking VIPs, dignitaries and senior public servants.
Mrs Kaya said she had initially thought it would be easy to slip back into the business once they'd bought the building back, as nothing had changed.
But she quickly realised they'd bitten off far more than they could chew in just a few months, and pushed back the opening date from May this year to November.
"I must say, I must have looked at it with rose-colored glasses when we walked in, and I said, 'Oh, Serif, everything we have will just slide in," she said, rolling her eyes.
"We had to rebuild some of the base infrastructure and then refurbish the building and our equipment. And so it took longer, but it's fresher because everything's been touched up or fixed, the garden had to be redone."
But while there are new marble benchtops on the bar and pristine carpet and upholstery, the menu contains all the old favourites, from tuna tartare and zucchini flowers to chargrilled mushrooms and spicy lamb kofta.
Mr Kaya was born in Turkey, but moved to London to learn English as a young man, and later to Sydney.
Not long after he arrived, he joined a group of fellow migrants on a study trip to Canberra, and decided to explore the place.
He first went to Civic, where he met Gus Petersilka, the Austrian migrant who brought European coffee houses and al fresco dining to the capital. Then he went to Manuka, and decided, then and there, that Canberra would be his new home.
Twelve years later, he opened the Ottoman, first in Manuka, and later, in 2000, in the Barton premises.
For Gulbahar, it's important the memories come flooding back for any of the many people who've celebrated a milestone in the dining room.
"We're a good [institution], I hope," she said.
"And we give people lots of good memories. People have a connection. People come and tell us about their wedding they had here, their wedding anniversaries, graduations, everyone has memories connected to this space and our restaurant in Ottoman.
"And we know how the space works. It was designed to fit us."
- Ottoman Cuisine is open Tuesday to Saturday.
