The Lane Vineyard | SA Weekend restaurant review

In a bright, airy, glass-walled room with a movie-set view, a Hills vineyard and restaurant serves up meals that all include a pleasant surprise or unexpected twist.

The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf. Picture: Serio

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The view from The Lane Vineyard’s dining room rolls out like a movie panorama, from stands of statuesque gums to vineyards and paddocks to misty mountain ranges. Universal Pictures presents The Adelaide Hills. All that’s missing is the orchestral soundtrack.

By comparison, the patch of withered stalks in front of the deck looks, well, shabby. Ask chef Tom Robinson and his team about it, however, and their eyes light up.

This one-and-a-half-hectare block, until recently covered in cabernet vines, is set to be transformed into a kitchen dreamscape of vegetable plots, fruit trees, beehives, chickens and more, all designed to eventually sustain not only the restaurant but those needing help in the local community.

That, of course, is all in the future but it does show a commitment to the “provenance” that is not only the title of The Lane’s tasting menu but a key part of its mission statement. It also raises questions. What is local? Food that comes from the garden … the surrounding property … the next-door neighbour … the district … the state? Opinions will differ. But what I can say with more certainty is that, in all other aspects, The Lane, circa 2023, already rates among the top flight of the state’s regional dining experiences.

Squid and pea pie and avocado and buttermilk tart at The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf.

Ocean trout, kohlrabi and kombu at The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf. Picture: Duy Dash

That glass-walled room is bright and airy, a sense of place inescapable. Tables are given plenty of real estate and bentwood chairs are comfortable over a prolonged session.

Robinson and right-hand-man Cameron Ahl, who come to the table bearing plates at various stages, consistently hit the sweet spot for this style of dining. Everything looks enticing. And while creating a set menu to suit everyone means none of the flavours can be too audacious, each dish still includes a pleasant surprise or unexpected twist.

A trio of bite-sized snacks is a good introduction to the house style. Chicken liver pate and enoki mushrooms are layered inside a savoury “eclair”. A tiny tart contains buttermilk curd, cucumber and a swirl of whipped avocado. Squid and peas fill a flaky pie shell that is fixed to its serving spoon with a smear of overly pungent miso. The pastry in all cases has the crisp snap that can only come from baking that morning. And if there is a sourdough going around superior to the slices served here, I’m yet to meet it.

Next comes a baton of ocean trout fillet daubed with kombu and lemon butter, wrapped spring-roll-style in shaved kohlrabi and poached. Presented alongside an onion soubise, fresh radish and roasted kohlrabi, the fish parcel is delicate, butter-textured, luxurious. Could a local variety have done the same job? Maybe.

Sliced piece of striploin at The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf. Picture: Duy Dash

Honey, yoghurt, chocolate, buckwheat at The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf. Picture: Duy Dash

Optional extras are offered alongside the set selection. One is a sausage made from the minced belly and other parts of a lamb that was part of the property’s resident flock. Taking inspiration from the spice and underlying sweetness of a South African boerewors, the coarsely ground meat, dried apricot and sticky glaze of the spiral is something special.

By comparison, the provenance of the beef in the following course, from Queensland-based Kerwee, via a local butcher, is quite opaque. Still, the sliced piece of striploin has been well handled and the accompanying mound of pearl barley, kale and underlying potato puree is inspired. The same goes for the unlikely juxtaposition of chocolate sorbet, a honey-tinged hung yoghurt and cubes of a dense buckwheat cake, all cloaked beneath a light yoghurt foam dotted with cocoa nibs and sprigs of fresh thyme. The herb, in particular, makes all the difference.

The Lane Vineyard’s British owners are clearly prepared to support their investment, creating an impressive alfresco zone for casual gatherings and expanding the company’s wine portfolio to include varietals such as gamay and tempranillo alongside more traditional labels.

For the restaurant, at least, the kitchen garden project will be the biggest game changer. It will affect what the chefs cook and how they design a menu … give them the chance to be truly local. No question.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout