SA Weekend restaurant review – Hnly at Henley Beach

This new venture by a trio of city-based restaurateurs puts SA seafood front and centre, and a different perspective on the Henley Square precinct, writes Simon Wilkinson.

Dining room at HNLY, Henley Square, Adelaide

The worries of the world melt away as quickly as a double-scoop ice cream on a summer afternoon in Henley Square.

Couples canoodle on picnic rugs, sun-kissed tots tear about and the large expanse of outdoor tables is doing a roaring trade.

It’s not hard to see the attraction, then, for a trio of city-based restaurateurs who, like the vast majority of their CBD colleagues, have been through two exceptionally testing years.

George Kasimatis (Georges on Waymouth), Peter Louca (Louca’s Seafood) and Angela Papas (Diaspora Kouzina) are the wise heads behind HNLY, a newish upstairs venue that puts a different perspective on the precinct.

A clever blend of informal Mediterranean restaurant and a bar that comes to life at the weekend, HNLY has taken over an old apartment space directly above the indefatigable Estia. A balcony on two sides that looks over the square to the jetty and ocean is the ace up its sleeve, and the handful of small tables out on this dress circle the prize for those with the organisational capacity to book early.

The rest of us will sit in a pleasant enough room that, rather than the overt blue-and-white maritime or Greek theme, has the neutral palette of beige/stone/mocha and swathes of timber veneer you might find in a modern display home.

Deep sea perch with brown butter and sage.

Fritto misto calamari and fish and chips.

The cooking, on the other hand, has its focus firmly on the ocean, as should be the case. Seafood features throughout the menu devised by Louca’s executive chef, Grant Schooling, and he and the owners have used their contacts to ensure that it can be delivered at prices comparable to a decent pub meal.

On top of that (and the view, of course), you will get proper table service that is friendly and attentive from go to whoa.

Extra plates, cutlery, clean glassware and water all are brought without asking, adding to the pleasure of a shared grazing selection.

Blue swimmer crab spaghetti.

Raw cubes of Port Lincoln bluefin tuna, marketed under the KIN brand, sit atop a nest
of julienned daikon smothered in a pesto-like salsa of basil, pistachios, pecorino and chilli. The fish impresses with its yielding texture, though its mild flavour plays second fiddle to the summery dressing.

Fritto misto of local southern calamari tube and tentacles are the deep golden colour of cornflakes. Dunking the squid into a small dish of fragrant, mildly acidic chermoula – as opposed to the standard aioli – takes it to a more exotic part of the Mediterranean.

A hefty fillet of “South Australian deep sea perch” is floured and fried to create a coating that sucks up the brown butter emulsion with which it is finished.

It’s inlaid with fried sage leaves and pine nuts, while a bed of wilted English spinach works to cut through the richness.

Popular for its mild, waxy flesh, the perch (better known as orange roughy) has faced sustainability issues, but this specimen comes from a developing fishery in the Great Australia Bight.

A selection of the dishes from HNLY, Henley Square, Adelaide

Yellowfin whiting is caught in much shallower waters off Ceduna and works a treat for fish and chips. A pair of the delicate fillets is cooked perfectly inside crisp batter sarcophagi and the accompanying tartare has the right level of capers.

Blue swimmer crabmeat, from Port Broughton’s hand-picking processor, gives a bowl of spaghetti a lovely aroma but its impact is a little lost among breadcrumbs with an intense mix of chilli and “sun-blistered tomatoes”.

Finally, eton mess is given a health-conscious makeover, with fresh and poached berries accompanied by a tangy yoghurt-based mix, rather than the usual cream, and a brown sugar meringue tempering the saccharine-sweetness of the usual glossy white confection.

Of course, you could also walk downstairs, turn right and choose a double scoop from Royal Copenhagen or Bottega Gelateria (pistachio, please).

Just watch out for that dribble down your fingers.