Stem – the ultimate outdoor entertaining space indoors
Enjoy lunch in a garden setting without worrying about wind or rain at a new Hindley St wine bar and restaurant, writes Simon Wilkinson
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Imagine what you would do if, by some freak occurrence such as a lottery win, or an inheritance from a hitherto unknown relative, you became filthy rich. And, in addition to planning a long vacation at an exclusive island resort, you wanted to have the ultimate entertaining space in the backyard.
It would have to include a wood oven. Somewhere to store the wine. Little nooks to slip away to when the party becomes too much. And plenty of lush greenery that, even if it isn’t helping save the planet, is surely beneficial to health and wellbeing.
That pretty much sums up new wine bar and kitchen Stem, except this “outdoor” space in the western end of Hindley St has a roof and four walls.
On a day when a dry and dusty north wind is making the city particularly unpleasant, walking through Stem’s sliding door and easing into a booth surrounded by foliage feels like a holiday escape.
Designers Sans-Arc may need to find more room to hang an award or two for taking a property that had been empty for two years, stripping it back to the rafters and bare bricks of its warehouse days, and then contriving to turn untold tonnes of concrete into sweeping garden beds, booths and hidey-holes that look soft and inviting.
Other parts, I guess, respond to the wishes of the quartet of owners, who include two doctors with ties to the nearby RAH. Only a wine nut would devote such significant floor space and expense to a temperature-controlled cellar with a central tasting bench. It’s a great place to take a few mates, I’m sure.
Given that many of the neighbouring venues are tailored more to uni students with limited spend, Stem is an ambitious proposition for the precinct. It’s not necessarily expensive (small pizzas start at $14) but the overall vibe would be more likely to lure in those giving the lectures than listening, along with a few medicos of course.
A substantial drinks budget will certainly add to the occasion. The wine list is a beauty, not bound by geography or any particular stylistic creed. Around 20 choices are available by glass, some under Coravin, so it’s easy to hop, say, from an Austrian gruner veltliner to a pinot noir from the Adelaide Hills to other labels less known.
Getting the most out of this requires a talented tour guide and Imogen Henning (Oggi, The Pot, d’Arenberg Cube) is skilled at turning boring wine jargon into good-hearted banter. The same goes for selling a menu that hedges its bets by incorporating both wood-oven pizzas and an on-trend, loosely Mediterranean sharing menu.
Pizzas come in two sizes and, along with the regular tomato/cheese/olive type combos, include such toppings as barbecued jackfruit with tahini (hello vegans) or pulled-pork, fennel and rhubarb chutney.
A comparatively straightforward version with prosciutto and rocket added post-oven is OK but no more, the base a little dull and biscuity at the rim compared with the better Neapolitan examples around town.
In keeping with the Stem theme, other plates are crammed with greenery, the thinking behind them solid but occasionally including one too many good ideas.
Supple crescent-shaped pasta parcels are stuffed with roasted mushroom and stracciatella cheese, and plopped on to a bed of celeriac purée. Threads of fried enoki and red elk leaves play well with these mellow, earthy flavours but the sweetness of (candied?) walnuts stand out like brown shoes with a black suit.
Slices of raw kingfish are matched with pomelo (like grapefruit, but less acidic), broad beans, pomegranate and a punchy green olive salsa that acts like a bully unless applied with care.
Slow-roasted pork shoulder is torn into chunks of meat as relaxed as a layabout teenager. They are hidden away (like the teen) beneath a bundle of grilled broccolini and asparagus, as well as a lean-to sheet of the pork’s crackling. A lemon and caper cream works well across all elements.
To finish, a block of chocolate semi-freddo with maraschino cherries and cherry sauce hits the right black forest cake notes.
Dessert service was hampered somewhat by a power cut. The room warmed quickly and with all the surrounding foliage feels a bit like being stuck in a greenhouse. Maybe add solar panels to the wish list.
STEM
188 Hindley St, Adelaide; 7077 3039; stembarandrestaurant.com.au
OWNERS Lachlan and Chris Farmer, Tom Paxton, Paul Barber
CHEF Michael Proud
FOODMediterranean, pizza
SMALL$12-$25MAIN $28-$40
DESSERT $14-$14.50
DRINKSGo for a glass and the rest will fall into place. Great choice across different
budgets and styles.
OPEN LUNCH and DINNER Tue-Sat
SCORE: 13.5/20