Ondeen kitchen and distillery, Onkaparinga Valley Rd, Verdun | SA Weekend restaurant review

A new restaurant and distillery boasting one of SA’s most exciting chefs has opened at the former Maximillian’s site. Our reviewer says get in quick before the secret is out.

Ondeen at Verdun offers a relatively simple and stripped back dining experience, but it is one to truly savour.

There must be something in the water at Ondeen. And I’m not referring to the floating golf hole that is moored in the middle of an otherwise pristine spring-fed dam on this mysterious Hills property.

Rather, it is the contagious spirit of the place, the untapped potential, the way it gets under the skin of those involved and brings on dreams of orchards and orchestras and suchlike that somehow seem possible.

All a bit airy-fairy? Well, Ondeen doesn’t conform to the usual categories.

It’s not a cellar door, as such, or, initially at least, a restaurant.

And, in an era of hyper-marketing and oversell, it is frustratingly low-key.

The Sun Room dining space at Ondeen.

Information online has been scant, the offering vague and ever-shifting.

If not for the effusive praise of a few trusted sources, I might well have missed out on a lunch that won’t soon be forgotten.

The story begins with an old homestead and landholding at Verdun that, for almost half a century, was the restaurant/wedding venue Maximilian’s.

When indefatigable owner Maximilian “Max” Hruska finally retired to a neighbouring farm, the lease was taken on by a mixed bag of operators, until closing abruptly a year ago.

Enter Rose Kentish, whose ongoing interest in wine and then beer has now evolved into a new venture, the boutique distiller Full Circle Spirits.

When she and business partner Deborah Kingsbury went looking for a permanent base, they were quickly won over by the property’s potential.

They named it after Ondeen, a mythical water nymph, in reference to the spring.

Food, they realised, would play a vital role in their plans, so they brought in chef Kane Pollard whose interest in produce, place and sustainability was a good match.

Nannygai baked in cabbage and saltbush butter is one of the delicious creations at Ondeen.

Which brings us to a table in Ondeen’s enclosed veranda, now appropriately called The Sun Room, and a view down to the dam, where an autumnal tree has covered the bank in crimson and gold confetti, and ill-fated balls from the driving range splosh into the water.

Pollard’s menu, developed with input from head chef Matt Wishart, is short and typically understated.

This is cooking that is honest and ego-free, more about the when and where than the who.

It is guided by strongly held values but doesn’t wear that as a badge of honour.

The idea of zero waste, for instance, makes complete sense when presented with a bowl of superb green olives (thanks to local heroes Patlin Gardens) soaked in a marinade including pine needles from the property, alongside another snack of peeled tomatoes that are preserved in the leftover olive brine.

Add a slice of herb-flecked focaccia, a spread of whipped Woodside goat’s curd and a glass of grapefruit-y spritz made with one of the estate liqueurs, and it becomes aperitivo time, Hills style.

Lamb neck skewers, yoghurt on flatbread.

The surplus starter from the sourdough, meantime, forms the base for a loosely shaped tart shell that is piled with cubes of apple and radish bound in a plant-based (soy milk) mayo.

It will make you feel good about the world.

What happened to the tomato skins, you might not be wondering? They are dried and added to a seasoning mix that is sprinkled over grilled lamb neck skewers served with smoked yoghurt and flatbread, like a mini yiros.

Pork scotch, celeriac and celery.

Moving up in size and substance, fillets of nannygai are roasted “en papillote” in a heavily charred cabbage leaf.

A compound butter containing finely chopped saltbush is also in the parcel, as well as flavouring a sauce lightened with fish stock and green onion oil.

Not flashy or over-complicated but my goodness it is something special.

Pork scotch is brined, poached, brushed with nduja oil and then grilled to order, before laying back on a bed of super-smooth celeriac puree and pulling over a blanket of the sliced veg.

The crème caramel is a delight.

Pickled blueberries and half-moons of celery form a quirky looking arrangement on top but any doubts are dispelled when tasting it all together. To finish, a crème caramel, made with some of the estate honey malt liqueur, is the new reference point for silky perfection. Like the rest of the meal really.

I’m struggling to think of a relaxed lunch of this type that has left such a strong impression.

Ondeen’s owners have 10 years worth of plans to turn the property into an all-encompassing food and tourism experience.

Word will get out. Things will change. For now, however, it is our little secret.