Star of Greece | SA Weekend restaurant review

It already offered some of SA’s best dining room views. But Port Willunga’s Star of Greece has taken its connection to the sea to a whole new level, writes Simon Wilkinson.

Dining on the deck at Star of Greece restaurant, Port Willunga.

The ocean off Port Willunga looks in a foul mood, sullen and grey. Even then, from a gull’s-eye view at the Star of Greece, it’s impossible to stop staring.

The seascape looms large everywhere you go: filling the expanse of dining room windows … lapping beneath your feet, it seems, on the deck … even peeking through a narrow aperture into the toilets.

It’s like being aboard a cruise ship without the swaying.

The Star, of course, has long been celebrated for the splendour of its setting, perched on cliffs slowly sculpted by water and wind, above a pristine strip of beach.

Significant changes in the past year or so by owners Doug and Nikki Govan, however, have taken the restaurant’s connection to these surrounds to another level.

Part of this is structural: the yesteryear kiosk charm of the original dining room; a new space on the other side of the bar, complete with black-and-white prints of Port Willy circa 1925; the expansion of the deck to fit a dress-circle of tables; and, yes, even the addition of snazzy loos.

But the message has clearly been embraced by the kitchen, now in the hands of tag-team head chefs Michael Collins and Jason Coppin.

Poached rhubarb, caramelised ice-cream, marshmallow.

While still looking after those recalcitrant diners who want red meat and wine no matter the circumstances, their menu now seems drawn more than ever from the bounty in these and more distant waters. The cooking, bar one slip-up, is strong, even surprising in places, without ever threatening to drift too far from the safe mooring of the gastropub style of the Victory Hotel, where the relationship between owner and chefs was first cemented.

A bite-sized appetiser of braised satay beef dolloped on to a disc of cucumber signals another key influence, the zippy, fresh flavours of South-East Asia.

Pork fillet, for instance, is brushed in red bean paste, grilled and cut into juicy slices that are adorned with cucumber, herbs and a combination of chilli sambal and sweet fish sauce that has just enough acidity. A pair of sticky rice cakes hidden beneath the greenery have a crisp-edged chewiness that makes them the real highlight.

Coorong mullet, celeriac puree, black chorizo.

Coorong mullet is sufficiently self-assured to be comfortable in most situations but it positively laps up the attention of celeriac puree, shredded apple remoulade and a fried slice of black (blood) chorizo from local producer San Jose that is much more soft and subtle than you might imagine.

Visiting the Star without eating fried Kangaroo Island squid is like going to Naples and avoiding the pizza. Salt and pepper calamari is a permanent fixture among the entrees, with a wedge of lime and dish of aioli. The main course version adds a tickle of Szechuan pepper to the coating and drops a bigger serve of fried bits and pieces beside a salad that includes julienned greenish mango, cucumber, kimchi, mixed herbs and a gentle chilli dressing.

Szechuan pepper squid, green mango salad, chilli dressing.

A bowl of frothy, pale yellow soup/sauce inspired by New England chowder has cubes of potato and Goolwa pipis (as opposed to clams) hidden in its depths. Grilled swordfish steak, that should have been the dish’s hero, has unfortunately been brined before cooking, leaving it so saturated in salt as to be close to inedible.

A dessert of poached rhubarb, a choc-coconut soil, caramelised ice-cream, grilled marshmallows and raspberry floss sprinkle has the colour and playfulness of a visit to the lolly shop without overdoing the sugar.

View from the facilities at Star of Greece restaurant.

Sunset views from the dining room.

The Star has so much going for it. The location can’t be beaten, the wine list is an attraction in its own right and the waiting staff are excellent. One nagging question remains: whether the cooking could be, should be, more ambitious. Try making a booking at short notice, even in the cooler weather, and I guess that gives you the answer.