Sth Restaurant | SA Weekend restaurant review

The train-inspired interior is beautifully crafted but some unexpected detours in the cooking need attention.

Dining room at Sth Restaurant, King William Rd, Unley

Bon soir, Monsieur Poirot … An encounter with Agatha Christie’s formidable detective doesn’t seem out of the question in a dining room that looks as if it could easily double as the setting for Murder on the Orient Express.

And as he sat in the corner of Sth Restaurant observing proceedings, Mr Poirot would have found more than enough mysteries to solve through the evening.

For a start, where did all this come from? And what is with that name?

Opened earlier this year at the city-end of King William Rd, Unley, Sth is one of the more improbable restaurants I can recall reviewing.

The name, pronounced with its vowels intact rather than as an acronym, refers to its location in the southern suburbs, its largely parochial wine list and the southern Italian heritage of its owner, Mark Zito.

A 30-year hospitality veteran, Zito previously operated the same premises as the casual Zefyr Cafe.

For the change to Sth, he secured designer Adrian Condina who has created a handsome, beautifully crafted diner. The extensive timber joinery is magnificent, as are the graceful curves of the padded banquettes and the rounded junction of ceiling and wall. Even the light fixtures and gold lettering reference a first-class train carriage. Why? The allusion, apparently, was inspired by both the tram running past the front door and the “journey” promised on the menu.

Lemongrass prawns at Sth Restaurant, King William Rd, Unley

Which brings us to the food, a collaboration between Zito and a chef whose tenure was about to end at the time of this visit. The theme is broadly Modern Oz, a blend of mostly classic French technique with random Asian touches. Given the setting and the prices (The Journey is $95, dessert $20-$22), expectations are heightened but in too many cases what is presented doesn’t measure up.

Sometimes this could be solved simply by leaving well alone and editing extraneous elements from the plate.

Take the trio of local king prawns that more than justify their regal moniker. The crustaceans have been stripped of shell between head and tail, exposing the midriff, then grilled until this meat is supple and springy. Across the top, a fragrant slurry of lemongrass works perfectly.

But the accompanying salad of mixed green leaves is topped by chunks of pickled cauli and cabbage that have been preserved with, uhhh, strawberries and blueberries. This explains why they are stained a strange cerise colour but not why they are so sweet, with nary a hint of sharpness for balance. Strange days indeed.

Fish roulade and crustacean sauce at Sth Restaurant, King William Rd, Unley

Lemongrass prawns at Sth Restaurant, King William Rd, Unley

A fish roulade is full of good intentions, with offcuts from whole kingfish and barramundi used for the shredded seafood. A larger, seaweed-wrapped disc turns out to be made up of multiple thumb-width cells, each containing a cylinder of filling. The creamy crustacean sauce underneath is very careful with its prawny flavour.

A third entree, eaten as a main, is a celebration of the variety of mushrooms being cultivated locally. Kings, oysters, enoki and a form of black fungus are briefly sauteed with butter and a touch of garlic. A spinach puree to one side, and an almond paste to the other, can be dabbed on where required. The only other adornment is a “pastry” semi-circle that is cold, dry and more like a stale cracker.

The ’shrooms, however, make a brilliant addition to a main course of scotch fillet, slow roasted over 24 hours, before a final grilling. The large 450g serve is priced accordingly ($72) but, cut into tender, blush-pink slices, it is ideal to share between two. With a beef and red wine jus and steamed green veg, it shows that the simple things can often be the best.

At $22, a vegan brownie is rich in more than one sense, especially when the dense choc slab is presented with nothing other than two strawberry halves and a ball of vanilla gelati that has shards of ice in the middle, as if it has been refrozen.

Sth fulfils a long-held dream for its owner who has clearly invested a substantial amount into the sumptuous fit-out. If it wants to succeed at this level, however, the cooking needs a rethink. The arrival of a new chef hopefully is a chance for things to get back on track.