Elementary by Soul Co | SA Weekend restaurant review
A visit to this most unlikely regional restaurant will reward those prepared to take a leap of faith, writes Simon Wilkinson.
Food & Wine
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Spoiler alert. If you enjoy dining experiences with a few unexpected plot twists, then jump to the description of the food half way down.
Or, even better, don’t read this column at all before your first visit to Elementary.
Elementary? I didn’t know much about it either, other than some vague chatter about a new venture from the talented regional chef/entrepreneur Kirby Shearing and his company Soul Co.
His track record was enough to justify extending a holiday in the southeast and paying out the full $85 a head dining cost upfront which is necessary to make a reservation.
That leap of faith is stretched further on a dark, blustery night as we walk several blocks beyond Mount Gambier’s CBD and turn into a road lined with large warehouses and barbed wire fences. A small sign takes us down the side of an unremarkable brick box of a building with blacked out windows and a single door.
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It could be the entry to a secret club or speak-easy but walking in feels more like going through a portal to a parallel dimension.
The old gymnasium is finished in black on top, bottom and sides. Lighting is soft and moody, drawing attention to an open kitchen and dark timber cabinets bordering it on three sides.
Most diners sit in a row of 20 or so padded stools along this counter, like a panel of judges. A few separate tables cater for larger groups.
Any splashes of colour jump out: green tiles behind the chefs, a bonsai tree on the opposite wall, bottle labels at the bar, guests’ clothing.
.
Staff, however, are in black or the white shirts that normally signify a chef. As we eventually discover from the brilliant young bloke who wows us with his detailed insight into each element of the dinner, there is a crossover between either side of the pass. Makes sense.
He explains the set five-course menu has taken away all need for decisions, other than what to drink. Even then, there is a series of matches available, for wine, non-alcoholic and, less predictably, sake
Sake? Bonsai? Is Elementary Japanese, then? Hardly. In fact, the miso emulsion drizzled on a rice cracker beneath a spanking fresh seared fillet of Coorong mullet is about the only culinary link to that part of the world.
That snack shares a plate with two other starters – house-baked focaccia doused in virgin olive oil; and molten cauliflower cheese encased in a crunchy, salty dream of a croquette. All are terrific in their own way; no obvious connection.
Next comes a cabbage roll filled with finely minced cauli, broccoli, onions and herbs that have all been sourced from the backyard patch at Shearing’s home. After steaming, the roll is cut into pucks that are grilled until the brassicas take on some char, then placed on a puddle of buttermilk and nasturtium oil. Light and uplifting, it’s a pure expression of the season.
The same could be said of another vegetarian dish, tender pasta parcels of slow-roasted pumpkin and parmesan bobbing about in a delicate broth that Shearing says has “all sorts of bits and pieces” from the garden.
That’s underselling it a bit.
A decent piece of local grass-fed Angus sirloin is grilled, sliced and then laid on a bed of chickpea puree with a solid spice kick. It is crowned by a salad of raw shaved fennel that, given the way it quickly makes everything tepid, would be better placed to the side, or switched for something more complementary.
To finish, the richness of a swirl of dark chocolate delice is offset by a tang of lemon marmalade, crumbled lime meringue and, particularly, a scattering of fried saltbush leaves, before finishing with a flurry of grated macadamia. The balance is something confectioners would die for.
The following morning we go in search of coffee and run into Shearing once again. “The Tuck Shop”, we discover, is part of his house.
It previously fed the school across the road and he now uses it to supply simple daytime meals. It’s one surprise after another.
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