New Local Eatery review: Obscure Port Rd restaurant takes diners on a delicious global tour at a budget price

It tastes a million bucks, but nothing on the menu is over $28. Simon Wilkinson savours the flavours at one of the Adelaide dining scene’s hidden gems.

Paratha, broccoli and crisp potatoes at New Local Eatery, Hindmarsh.

One of the minor pitfalls of this gig (and not that I’m complaining) is that the self-imposed code of prioritising restaurants that are recently opened makes it difficult to revisit an old favourite. New Local Eatery, however, makes the rule worth breaking.

Hidden away in an unremarkable shop front next to the Entertainment Centre on Port Rd, this suburban gem has never developed the kind of profile it so thoroughly deserves.

That needs to change. This meal only reconfirmed my belief that NLE offers value unsurpassed anywhere in town. For the price of a pub meal or Uber Eats feast, owner/chef Daniel Blencowe turns out dishes that are intelligent and incredibly generous, reflecting his travels across the globe but avoiding the cliches.

Whether it is Italian gnocchi, Scandi beetroot or Japanese-style ocean trout, nothing on his menu costs more than $28. And that’s for the larger dinner plates. At lunch, a Sri Lankan curry, made with fillets of coorong mullet, plenty of cardamom and curry leaves, is a crazy $16. It makes those expensive sandwiches look silly.

And, while NLE might not be in the running for too many design awards, the dining space is warm and welcoming, with tables spread around a central bar, eye-catching art on the walls and soft light from the lamps hanging overhead.

Sticky rice, coconut and mango sorbet at New Local Eatery, Hindmarsh.

A single waitress works the room, answering the bell at the open kitchen pass, ferrying bottles and glasses, happy to share recommendations and a laugh even when clearly busy.

She confirms our random selection of spice-led dishes looks the right amount and suggests a logical progression.

“Dip” is an unsatisfactory description for “muhammara”, a robust North African blend of roasted capsicum, caramelised onion, lemon and earthy spices that is finished with walnuts. Dark, toasty nuts such as these are a signature touch.

An Indian chaat-style snack is given its daily intake of greens in a combination of broccoli, green beans, fried potato cubes and cherry tomatoes, touched with a garam masala dressing and loaded on to a crisp, charred disc of the flatbread, paratha. Small dollops of tangy coriander chutney help bring it all together.

The Sri Lankan curry, a few dollars extra at dinner, is based on a rich, coconut-based gravy finished with tempered mustard seeds and curry leaves. Only a fish with the perky texture and distinct flavour of the mullet would survive here and, cooked for only a minute or so, it shines through brilliantly.

Saffron cauliflower, yoghurt and zhoug at New Local Eatery, Hindmarsh.

Hazelnut parfait and chocolate wafers at New Local Eatery, Hindmarsh

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, rolled with garam masala and yoghurt, sits like an island in the middle of intersecting pools of rogan josh sauce and pomme puree, split like one of those two-part soups fashionable in the 1980s. The flavours are still there but the presentation seems out of kilter with the rest.

Roasted caulis are dime-a-dozen but not many have spent two days marinating in saffron and lemon. Big wedges of the veg are partnered by an aged basmati pilaf, roasted almonds, spiced yoghurt and the chilli and herb salsa from North Africa known as zhoug.

Dessert offers two different trails to follow. An Indonesian chef working with Blencowe is behind the traditional banana leaf parcel of sticky rice, finished with palm sugar caramel and toasted coconut. A golden globe of mango sorbet takes the place of the fresh fruit.

The other option is more Euro-style, with a log of hazelnut parfait sandwiched between two thin chocolate crisps, a choc-caramel sauce and roasted hazelnuts.

Beyond the value, it’s the care put into the small details that stands out. The fresh salad leaves, the balance of a dressing, the biscuit that could only have been baked a few moments earlier. That’s why New Local Eatery deserves the strongest of recommendations. Again.