Thanks to Theo, East Terrace, Adelaide | SA Weekend restaurant review

Former politician Nick Xenophon has opened a new restaurant in Adelaide’s East End with deep family ties. The question on everyone’s lips now is: How does it fare? Find out here.

Former politician Nick Xenophon is co-owner of new East Tce restaurant Thanks to Theo with Andrew Ferrara and Alessandra Nardi.

Tributes following the death of a loved one come in a variety of forms.

Some will be remembered with a message in the paper, a plaque on a park bench or perhaps even a generous bequest.

Few, however, will have their name and passion for life attached to a fully-fledged restaurant.

That, in a pistachio shell, is the story behind Thanks to Theo, a new Greek taverna on the eastern edge of the city, named in honour of the builder and developer Theo Xenophou, who died late last year.

Its trio of owners include Theo’s son, the lawyer and former politician Nick Xenophon, a dab hand at grilling octopus for a crowd himself.

The dining space at Thanks to Theo on East Terrace in the city.

The other stakeholders are a family friend since childhood, Allesandra Nardi, and her partner Andrew Ferrara, a young and committed chef.

The restaurant’s link to Theo goes deeper than these personal ties. He owned the building in East Terrace where it is located, in a ground-floor space that for many years was home to East Terrace Continental, before becoming Siberia and then the mercifully short-lived Karen’s Diner.

Most remnants of that social experiment have been wiped away with the application of several cans of white paint, some fairly basic plastic chairs, a large mural of a festive crowd in the midst of dancing Zorba and a collection of old portraits and other pictures from the different families involved.

The staple Greek tradition of fresh pita bread is a hit at Thanks to Theo.

Family is everything here. The mix’n’match pieces of antique crockery come from a variety of relatives, while Ferrara credits his dad for picking the wild garlic that gives punch (and colour) to the skordalia, and frequently refers to his yaya (grandmother) in conversations about the cooking.

The other big influence on his approach to food, he says, is high-profile chef/entrepreneur Andrew McConnell (Cutler & Co, Supernormal) for whom he worked over four years in Melbourne.

He returned to Adelaide for a job at Leigh Street Wine Room and then moved to Luigi Delicatessen.

At Thanks to Theo these two worlds – homespun tradition and contemporary dining – come together.

Chargrilled octopus and green garlic skordalia at Thanks to Theo restaurant, Adelaide

It’s a few of the Greek staples, in the end, that make the biggest impression, starting with the most basic – heavenly fresh pita.

Ferrara prepares the dough early each morning and finishes his flatbread on a grill, so it develops a deep golden crust and puffed interior that is almost like roti.

Sprinkled with salt and fresh oregano, it is irresistible on its own but also splendid when lathered with a dip such as a lovely white tarama.

“Yianni’s halloumi” is made in-house each week when the restaurant is closed. Experience the difference from the shop stuff in a simple salad with watermelon and mint, or fried saganaki-style into a melted, gooey delight, finished with salsa of oregano, mint and parsley.

Pork souvlaki and rainbow chard.

Prawn zucchini flower dolmades are far from your traditional dolmades.

Then there’s the “dolmades”. Forget the usual vine-leaf parcels of rice and herbs.

Here zucchini blossoms are gently prised open, stuffed with a chunky mix of king prawn meat and steamed like nature’s own dumpling wrappers.

The result is a wonderfully pure expression of both the crustacean and the vegetable, underpinned by a subtle smoked fish broth and whipped sesame and lemon cream. Sensational.

Other plates are more workaday. Leaden pork and lamb keftedes (meatballs) might benefit from more fat in the mince blend.

The grilled octopus tentacle has plenty of char but I’d prefer if it had not been tenderised quite so brutally and still had a little spring in its step.

Skewers of marinated and grilled pork neck and belly cubes are fine but it’s the pile of lemony wilted rainbow chard alongside that really grabs me.

The baklava ice-cream sandwich is a modern twist on a Greek classic.

Lamb comes in two forms: a trio of full-length cutlets with almond skordalia and jus ($43) and the slow-roasted shoulder to share ($65) that, on paper at least, seems a better value proposition.

Dessert takes inspiration from baklava, with an almond biscuit base, wedge of extra-strength honey ice cream and a squiggle on top of the traditional pastry pulverised to a paste that is perhaps being a little too clever.

Truth be told, I’d rather have tasted a regular baklava, made fresh with the chef’s own filo.

Therein lies the challenge for a Modern Greek restaurant.

Too many people come expecting this style of dining to be cheap and cheerful, with mountains of grilled meat thrown on a platter.

Thanks to Theo is doing a good job of changing the perception.