Coast, Glenelg Pier Hotel | SA Weekend restaurant review
The southern rock lobster roll is terrific value – but otherwise, the seafood at this restaurant is no match for the stunning views, writes Simon Wilkinson.
Food & Wine
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The sinking sun drops towards the ocean, painting the horizon in exhilarating shades of pink and orange.
It’s a sight you won’t find in Sydney or Melbourne, Brisbane or Hobart. A metro coastline that faces the west is one of the countless advantages Adelaide has over those other capitals – and none of them can steal it.
Long-term locals might become a little blase about this phenomenon but when the conditions are right it can be truly wonderful.
Looking through the open windows of Coast, a hotel restaurant perched just beyond the sand at Glenelg, this is clearly one of those occasions.
Throw in a buttery roll loaded with lobster and a glass of something cold and bubbly, and life doesn’t get much better.
This kind of relaxed, breezy dining experience seems to be Coast’s raison d’etre. It’s popular for birthday gatherings and does a roaring trade in cocktails.
However, a beachside showcase for the state’s best seafood it definitely isn’t.
Taking up the prime position on the ground floor of the Pier Hotel (at the end of Anzac Highway), Coast is a long space decked out in blonde timber and a mix of white and mint decor a bit like one of those clever striped toothpastes. On one side, the chefs in an open kitchen are elevated as if performing on a stage. On the other, windows are folded back to open the room up to a terrace with additional tables and, beyond that, the sand and sea. Even facing the opposite way, a salty breeze and the rhythmical lullaby of waves are constant reminders of the setting.
A single-page menu begins with raw/cold entrees, including two caviar options that are spruiked by staff. Following is a broad mix of Mediterranean styles, from Greek saganaki, to a pair of pastas, to French bisques and butters. While more than half the choices include seafood, as they should, the provenance and quality of some of this is open to question.
No such qualms with the southern rock lobster roll that, despite being the most expensive smaller plate ($25), is terrific value and easily enough for two. A pair of brioche rolls have been grilled until toasty and crisp and split open before filling with shredded cos and a couple of big scoops of chopped cray meat in a light mayo dressing. A dollop of caviar on top, while unnecessary, adds extra decadence.
A large octopus tentacle is cut into manageable chunks and then reassembled on a long metal skewer, one of those jobs no one would want in the kitchen. The tentacle has been grilled but, judging by its leaden texture and lack of smoke and char, most of the cooking has been done a while before. The herbs and vinegar tang of a red chimichurri dressing and squeeze of lemon help to a point but all those almonds flakes could easily be omitted.
Baby calamari, likely sourced from trawler bycatch, are lightly coated in crumbs flavoured with a touch of Szechuan pepper. The fried pieces, including clumps of teeny tentacles, are tossed with an aromatic slurry including chopped chillies and parsley. Strangely, given the Asian flavours, the accompanying salad is rocket, fennel and fried capers.
I have a special affinity with bouillabaisse, going back to a magical day in Marseilles and a little hidden harbour. It’s a high bar, I know, but the Coast version falls short in all the important areas. For a start, the “soup”, ideally a seafood-based broth, is more a thick tomato sauce. The only fish involved is slabs of anonymous white meat that might be hake, given it appears elsewhere on the menu. It is well overcooked, just like the prawns and the scallops. The only thing that really passes muster are the mussels.
I’d like to mention a dessert (burnt pavlova with strawberries and cream, possibly) but it’s getting late, the room has emptied and staff are otherwise occupied.
By now, the sun has long departed and the initial glow has faded. In more ways than one.
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