Herringbone chefs continue a pattern of success

Acclaimed chef Quentin Whittle and partners Ben McLeod of Peel St renown and Paul Tripodi, formerly of Stone’s Throw, have created a cool, no-fuss space where the service is smart, friendly and fast.

Herringbone's baked scallops with nori butter and nduja

We have keenly followed the journey of Adelaide chef Quentin Whittle. He has been notable at The Melting Pot, George’s on Waymouth, The Stranded Store, Stone’s Throw, and is now a co-owner at the deservedly acclaimed Herringbone.

Quentin and partners Ben McLeod of Peel St renown, and Paul Tripodi, also formerly of Stone’s Throw, have created a cool, noisy, no-fuss space that spills to a courtyard, as well as high tables on the footpath, where the acoustics are easier and the service is equally smart, friendly and fast.

We visit with friends who love to eat, lots. It’s not a problem because the sharing plates are loaded with generous tumbles of deeply flavoured fresh ingredients pulled together with simple sauces touched with influences ranging from Mediterranean to Middle Eastern.

 

Quentin Whittle and Ben McLeod. Photo: Naomi Jellicoe

Rustic is the word, all attention given to spice and the mix of flavours rather than fancy form.

Scallops on spicy sausage, on shell, cannot help but be pretty, and they are delicious. The plump flesh is doused in a creamy nori butter and smoky dust. A tower of rarely seen, moreish “Spanish pepper roulette” padrons, is drizzled with cooling soubise (an onion bechamel), so handy because most are of gentle heat, but the gamble is that one in 10 tends to be a little hot. Our plate yields two that zing our tongues.

Pan-flashed fish, Ceduna nannygai, is sweet under a fruity tomato sauce with a superfluous garnish of three prawns. There’s also shoulder lamb roasted so slow that it falls about in a soft mound of also-perfect eggplant, given Moroccan punch with ras el hanout, pomegranates and toasty tomatoes. It’s comfort food extraordinaire.

Our guests worried there might not be enough, but the roast chicken and braised cabbage kicked with harissa almost spoils us for dessert.

Manjari 63 per cent chocolate and hazelnut tart, summer berries and creme fraiche

We persist, sharing a wow dish of toasted fennel-seed ice cream, so savoury sweet and then sharp with citrus curd, and just enough biscotti crunch. It upstages my choc choice, despite it being a lush and nicely bitter tart with summer berries.