Essen, Artisans of Barossa | SA Weekend restaurant review

The appointment of a new chef with a stellar CV makes this Barossa cellar door with a difference a must-visit destination.

Essen, the restaurant at the Artisans of Barossa cellar door. Picture: Adam Bruzzone

For almost all his adult life, one of my best mates has refused to drink any wine that isn’t red. While the rest of us will usually start the night with a sprightly riesling or rose, he wouldn’t go near it. Not even a sip. That is until a dramatic change of heart a few months ago. And for that, credit should go largely to the Artisans of Barossa cellar door.

Beyond this breakthrough moment, I have a few other good reasons to give thanks for this wine-lovers’ wonderland that brings together eight regional producers of differing persuasions.

In recent times, I’ve tangled with a Tripelpunkt (riesling) from Chaffey Bros on a sun-kissed afternoon; been introduced to varieties that usually fly beneath the radar (hello Clairette); and splurged on a 12-year-old red blend from the brilliant John Duval. All possible because Artisans has more than 50 bottles open to pour at any time and a savvy waiting team who know them intimately.

It’s not the wine that has prompted this latest visit, however, but the arrival earlier this year of an impressively credentialed head chef, who is overseeing the venue’s Essen restaurant and more impromptu snacking selection.

It’s a lovely spot to spend a sunny afternoon.

Robin Wagner grew up and trained in Germany but, since shifting to Australia in 2017, has worked in the revered kitchens of Sydney’s Sepia, the Lake House in country Victoria and, most recently, Magill Estate restaurant. The promise of this stellar CV is heightened further by a few random browses of an online menu that, while short, has the telltale signs of high-level dining. One recent Sunday afternoon, then, we settle into a table looking out to a lawn where a few brave souls (mostly children) brave the winter bluster and the resident border collie does his best Messi impression.

While the wine choices demand some serious contemplation, sorting the food side of things is far simpler. With only two starters, three mains and a single dessert (plus affogato) to pick from, the offering is even briefer than normal – a temporary measure, we discover, due to Wagner heading briefly overseas and not wanting to overwhelm his newly appointed deputy Julian Larsen-Smith (also from Magill).

Beginning with a few snacks helps add variety. Miso-marinated sardines fried in a translucent tempura veil are dotted with blobs of charred leek puree. Crunch … munch … gone but not forgotten. Crisp pastry butterflies (or palmiers) have been brushed in melted marrow that just might have come from the hollow of the bone in which they are propped like playing cards. The fermented apricot slurry beneath provides a mellow fruit relish.

Nannygai, camomile, pickled muntries at Essen restaurant.

Raw nannygai (red snapper) is cured in salt and camomile, before finishing with finger lime and pickled muntries (native berries) that also provide the dressing. The combination has the leaf-and-petal aromatics of stomping through a garden bed but doesn’t require the shroud of rose gel draped over the top.

Whipped ricotta with roasted hazelnut and wilted baby spinach is much more straightforward but would be immeasurably better if those tasteless, slimy leaves were replaced by something more robust like chard or cavolo nero. An easy fix.

Mains are beyond reproach. The pure white, buttery flesh of a perfectly cooked fillet of Murray cod shines beside roasted peppers, caper leaves and an olive salsa.

Crispy sardines, miso, leek at Essen restaurant.

Gumshire pork loin, pepper salsa, bacon broth at Essen restaurant.

Even better are slices of locally-raised and slow roasted Gumshire pork loin. The strip of fat across the top has contracted into something you won’t even consider cutting off.

The accompaniments – a bacon broth and a salsa of peppers fresh and dried – are wonderful even after the pork is gone.

To finish, the firm variety of persimmon is infused with fermented honey and then grilled. Its blackened surface is then topped with a disc of rosemary ice-cream.

The fruit, to be honest, doesn’t have much flavour but that honey-based sauce is amazing. And guess what? There are wines to go with this course as well – though for my red-loving mate these sweet nectars are a joy still waiting to be discovered.