Lou’s Place review, Barossa Valley best restaurants | delicious.SA: Regional 50

This new venture from MasterChef favourite Callum Hann and business partner Themis Chryssidis is full of character.

Baby beets, hazelnut, hummus, black garlic, kipfler crisp at Lou's Place at Rowland Flat. Picture: Tom Huntley

Lou Miranda Estate, 1876 Barossa Valley Way, Rowland Flat

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lousplacebarossavalley.com.au

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This new venture from MasterChef favourite Callum Hann and business partner Themis Chryssidis is full of character – a fitting match for the family-run Barossa winery in which it has set up. They have taken over a lofty, open space with towering, arched windows and a sense of history thanks to the timber boards and beams sourced from the demolition of a railway station and market.

While the Italian heritage of the Miranda clan is an obvious starting point, Callum packs ideas from across the Mediterranean into his menu, particularly the healthy, veg-and-grain-packed Middle Eastern cooking of Ottolenghi and co.

The dining structure is clever, with three levels available, running from a “Feed Me Quick” antipasto and pasta at $35 a head to the “Feed Me Like Lou” option that is a herculean undertaking.

It starts with an antipasto, including house-made ricotta and focaccia, then builds gradually from small to larger plates.

A double act of jerusalem artichoke, shaved fennel pickle and herbs romp on a bed of baba ghanoush.

A trio of pasta options include ricotta-stuffed envelopes of agnolotti, tossed in an anchovy butter with capers and walnuts.

Sparkling fresh fillets of tommy ruff are spectacular alongside a white bean puree, a coarse salsa verde and mixed lentil “tabouli”. The same goes for a boneless piece of lamb neck that makes the slow-roasted shoulders that are so popular elsewhere look like they have the texture of Cliff Young’s sandshoes.

Along with sides that could easily stand alone, it makes a light-ish dessert of strawberries (fruit, sorbet and chocolate) and cream a test for even the largest of appetites.

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• Hours: L Fri-Mon
• Bill: Two courses $35, four courses $59, seven courses $79
• Wine: Wine list
• Chefs: Dean Zammit, Todd Jagger