When is a bistro also not a bistro? When chef Max Boonthanakit turns soupe à l’oignon inside out, setting down toast covered with gently broiled Comté, Gruyère and caramelized onion mousse in a moat of duck broth. When a tableside pan that in traditional settings might hold boeuf Bourguignon instead arrives full of roasted maitake and shimeji mushrooms over basmati rice, all soused on Madeira. When roasted chicken is reconstructed into circles with preternatural textures closer to pâté, and beef tartare arrives glossed in lemon aioli, with lightly battered basil or mint leaves on the side as chips, Camphor, by design, resists fitting neatly into any category. Nearly every surface in the dining room has been painted white; walls and ceilings and tabletops take on a pearlier glow as daylight dims. The gracious staff helps decipher the ambiguously worded menu. It’s how you find understated knockouts like lentils simmered in a smoky broth made with lamb and spices — a dish introduced by Boonthanakit’s former co-chef Lijo George, who departed the restaurant this year. The luxury burger is just that, dripping in smoked Gouda and tomato remoulade and more caramelized onions. At the restaurant’s elegant bar, chase its excesses with a martini-adjacent cocktail splashed with absinthe and celery bitters. — B.A.

923 E. 3RD ST., #109, LOS ANGELES, (213) 626-8888 l CAMPHOR.LA

Bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.