The Odd Plate | SA Weekend restaurant review

From the house-made pistachio pesto to the kingfish and charred broccoli, this is a set menu with welcome twists that celebrates local produce.

The dining room at The Odd Plate, Kingscote.

Listen closely. Can you hear it? The flack of thongs … the excited screams and giggles … the hypnotic rhythm of gently breaking waves.

The sounds of summer holidays past echo through the passageways and dining rooms of Kingscote’s marvellous old Seaview Hotel, now restored to a contemporary version of its former glory.

A display of framed photographs and clippings in the corridor of the old guesthouse sets the scene. One shows the original owner Flo Ellson, who looks like she would have kept a tight ship, expecting excited children dragged from the beach by their parents to have proper manners over dinner.

She was one amazing lady, opening the doors of what was then Kangaroo Island’s first hotel on her own after her husband died during the building works.

The young team behind the Seaview’s revival seem to have similar levels of resolve. New owner Yen Leow has overseen the transformation of two daggy wings of units, added in the 1960s, into rooms full of Palm Springs retro glamour. And, in the guesthouse, his friends Dylan Pitallo and Yolandi Cronje have done a terrific job of turning the old dining rooms into their restaurant, The Odd Plate.

The Seaview Hotel, the home of The Odd Plate, Kingscote.

Confronted with spaces that hadn’t been used for 30 years, the couple tore out carpets and drapes, repainted or papered the walls and added a row of banquettes. Original features, such as cornices and sash windows, have been retained, as has the hatch through to a revamped kitchen.

Pitallo and Cronje are South Africans and came to the island to work at Southern Ocean Lodge, where they met Leow. By the time that property was destroyed by the devastating fires, they were smitten with their new home and found a variety of jobs that allowed them to stay.

In a small town where numbers can be unpredictable, the pair have been pragmatic, minimising waste by sticking with a set menu that is recited in flawless detail by staff at the table. Still, given diners have little choice and might come with different expectations, the chefs are still happy to throw in a few welcome twists. More important is the kitchen expertise on show, and the impressive commitment to make as much as possible in-house and track produce, however rare, from around the island.

House-made focaccia, pistachio and mortadella at The Odd Plate.

The beef fillet with corn puree. Supplied

House-made focaccia, for instance, is loaded up with house-made pistachio pesto, house-made stracciatella cheese and house-made pickled onion, all giving fine support to dainty, folded slices of pale pink mortadella. It’s a snack you would never tire of eating.

Fried kingfish wing, most often seen smothered in assertive Asian soy and chilli flavours, is paired here with the most softly-spoken of companions, making it all about fish that has been simply dusted with seasoning before hitting the oil.

A green puddle of zucchini cream sits underneath, while a super-fresh salad/salsa including cute little cuc-melons, watermelon radish and lightly pickled onion shows off produce from new specialty growers on the island.

Fried kingfish wing with zucchini cream at The Odd Plate.

Two vegie dishes are served side-by-side. A sharp knife carves up the charred head of broccoli that comes with its fried leaves and a fabulous Spanish/Moorish mash-up of silky almond cream, roasted chickpeas, sweet/sour currants “escabeche” and a sprinkle of tangy zaatar. The other is a medley of tomatoes, drizzled with chilli oil and finished with a crunchy sprinkle including puffed wild rice.

Creme fraiche parfait and marinated strawberries at The Odd Plate, Kingscote, Kangaroo Island

The carnivore’s course of beef fillet, sliced to show the rosy core of medium rare meat, can be swiped through a smooth corn puree, a well-balanced reduction or, best of all, a bit of both. Charred flanks of corn, spring onion and a zesty blob of chimichurri complete the plate.

To finish, a triangle of creme fraiche parfait cosies up with marinated strawberries, strawberry granita and chocolate beads filled with salted caramel and shortbread.

If that doesn’t make the children sit still at the table, I’m not sure what will.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout