Stanley Bridge Tavern review, Adelaide Hills best restaurants | delicious.SA: Regional 50

The team here has mastered the combination of old and new ways of going about their duties of “watering”, feeding and pleasing customers.

Garfish and panzanella salad at Stanley Bridge Tavern.

41 Onkaparinga Valley Rd, Verdun

[phone]

stanleybridgetavern.com

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The team behind Verdun’s little masterpiece of pub hospitality has mastered the combination of old and new ways of going about their duties of “watering”, feeding and ultimately pleasing customers.

The rustic front bar remains gloriously untouched, a few crusty locals, the local dog, a fire glowing and pints and pub classic plates as they ever were.

Out the back, one of the Hills’ best beer gardens is another drawcard, with its own caravan bar.

Through to the dining room and a subtle change of environment with more than a basic country pub affair and closer to smart provincial restaurant vibes.

Proper, and professional, table service, for instance, sets the tone, as does a menu that offers burgers and schnitzels as well as a list of more bistro-leaning dishes, be they French, Italian or Asian in tone.

Mains reflect the season, from a robust vegan cauliflower steak to crispy-skinned barra on lentils to slow cooked beef rib in a hearty broth draped in full leaves of cavalo nero, while cassoulet seems to be a permanent and popular fixture.

Desserts such as a sticky date crème brulee, or a chocolate ganache tart fit in perfectly with the dining feel.

A keynote to this pub’s identity is its wine story, with a bottle shop/wine room where you can buy to take away or add a fair-trade, house-corkage fee to many Hills makers’ finest as well as a tastefully curated choice from the rest of the world. Bravo.

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• Hours: L | D Mon-Sun
• Bill: E $16-$18 M $18-$30 D $12-$18
• Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $15
• Chef: Johnny Eime