A diner for when we’re back on the rails

When life begins to return to normal, passengers at the Adelaide Railway Station will have a new place to linger, writes Simon Wilkinson.

The Guardsman at Adelaide Railway Station. Picture: Meaghan Coles

I have zero interest in spotting trains but spotting stations is another matter. Witnessing rush hour at Grand Central, for instance, is one of the great thrills of New York. The same goes for London’s St Pancras or the Gare du Nord in Paris.
 Adelaide has a pretty special station of its own, though I suspect its magnificent ceiling arches and marble are lost on those running late for the 5.46pm train to Seaford, particularly in these trying times.

Earlier this year, the opening of The Guardsman finally gave rail passengers and others a place to linger – that is until the regulations announced last weekend forced it to close its doors and restrict operations to selling coffee via a kiosk-style window at the front.

When business does return to normal, visitors will find a beautifully finished, user-friendly pub/café/diner that commands centre stage on the station concourse. The Adelaide Casino has reportedly invested $6m in restoring the venue to a reminder of its glory days as the Overland Dining Hall, originally opened in 1928 but closed for more than 30 years now.

The project is a triumph of sympathetic design (another win for studio- gram) and fine craftsmanship.

Sink into the green-and-gold leather booth seating and imagine you are on the Orient Express. Run a finger along one of the softly curved corners of the gorgeous polished brass sideboards on either side of the central walkway.

Admire the original jarrah floors that have been brought back to life and even the typography of the signage and window stencils, created by a local specialist.

It’s a vast space divided loosely into two zones in the style of a mullet: party at the back, with casual seating and TV screens, and more refined lounge/dining at the front.

Given the classic styling of The Guardsman, the wide-ranging menu we encounter on a recent visit comes as a surprise. While it namedrops local companies and places wherever possible – Mayura Station to Mount Pleasant, Port Broughton crab to FruChocs – culinary influences travel from the traditional Aussie or English pub all the way to India or South-East Asia.

Serves are generous and prices reasonable, with plenty of options for under $25.

A brisket and shiraz pie with trimmings and a longneck of Coopers from the all-SA beer selection will be $37.

However, you can also settle in for a longer graze. Perhaps kick off with a house-made taramasalata that is an off-putting strawberry-milk pink but luscious, salty, tangy and served with wedges of warm pita bread.

The five spice salt and pepper squid at The Guardsman. Picture: Meaghan Coles

Squid from the Fleurieu Peninsula could only be fresher if you jagged it yourself. Slender, tender sections of tube fried in a salt and pepper coating with a pinch of five spice are only bettered by the clump of tentacles. Fried basil leaves, filaments of chilli, lime and aioli complete a dish which is the unanimous MVP.

Chicken (aka buffalo) wings also have some support but I find the harsh heat and booziness of a whiskey sauce hard to stomach, even before dipping into a blue cheese aioli.

A beef short rib “rendang” needs to be given a different name. A rendang is a dry curry in which the spices (particularly dried chilli) and coconut have cooked down to an intense paste. Here the lovely, wobbly meat and the bone from which it has slipped are plunged into a swimming pool of runny curry sauce that still has deep, lingering flavour but doesn’t fit the description.

Designed to share between two, it is accompanied by a platter filled with pappadums, wok-fried greens, coconut rice and a fairly ordinary salad.

Coorong mullet fillets go on a tropical holiday in a crunchy, zippy salad including apple, fennel, coconut and grapefruit. With a miso glaze and a roasted shallot dressing, the fish just manages to make itself heard among all the competing voices.

The dessert list riffs on local nostalgia, with contemporary takes on a “Berliner” jam doughnut and “FruChoc” composed of dark chocolate custard, peaches, apricots and raspberry meringue. When we try to order one, however, we are told the kitchen has closed for the night. Our train has left the station. And unlike the 9.30pm to Seaford, there is no waiting for a later service.

From next week our reviews will look at new food/dining options during the pandemic - ed

THE GUARDSMAN

Adelaide Railway Station

8212 2811; theguardsman.com.au

OWNERAdelaide Casino

CHEFLuke Brabin

FOOD Contemporary

SMALL $8-$20 MAIN $18-$52 (to share)

DESSERT $12-$14

DRINKS Proudly parochial in an all-SA list of wine and beer in draught, can or bottle.

OPE N Bar and dining room closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Takeaway coffee available

SCORE 14/20