A new beginning — so how does Hill of Grace stack up in 2018?
MORE than two years after THAT zero-stars review made national headlines, the Hill of Grace restaurant at Adelaide Oval has a new chef and a new philosophy. Reviewer Simon Wilkinson gives his verdict.
IN February 2016, Adelaide Oval’s Hill of Grace became, for a brief time, the most talked about restaurant in Australia. And not in a good way. There it was, pootling along, happily minding its own business, when WHAM! … a national review gave it an upper-cut right where it hurt. The scathing words were bad enough, but it was the score — an unprecedented zero out of five — that really ensured it gained attention.
There was outrage, of course, and mention of legal action, but the storm abated quickly and the restaurant went back to doing what it does, pretty much flying under the radar while continuing to appeal to those who appreciate its unique attributes.
So, two-and-a-half years later, it’s time to check in again and see how it is faring. With a price tag that puts it in the same category as Adelaide’s elite few, does it really stack up?
There have been some changes. The strong Filipino accent in the cooking, which was never in synch with the setting or the championing of Henschke wines, has all but disappeared following the departure of chef Dennis Leslie (though the characteristic Filipino sweet tooth is still evident).
Waiting staff have lightened up and been encouraged to show some personality, casting aside the name tags and other hotel-style formalities. While this is a positive, the constant presence at the table early in the night tapers off as service gets busier, leaving dirty plates and empty glasses uncleared.
And the stewardship of wine, given both the prices and prestige of the collection, needs to sharpen up. Bringing out a different vintage to that listed without apology or explanation doesn’t cut it. Nor does the sloppy pouring from a carafe that ends with splashes of red on the white tablecloth. By the end, we are pouring our own.
Picky? Perhaps. I’m sure many customers wouldn’t give a toss. They have chosen to spend their money here based on a different set of parameters, that starts and finishes with gazing over Adelaide’s field of dreams.
Down to business. “Hill of Grace is a degustation-style restaurant,” the waitress informs us, while handing around a copy each of the deg menu and only a single a la carte list. Talk about hard sell. And the set menu doesn’t include a price, so we need to ask to find out it is an eye-watering $140 for six courses, with no mention of snacks and add-ons you might expect for this money.
It doesn’t take a chartered accountant to work out that we are better off making our own selection and agreeing to share.
Chicken wings are hollowed out and stuffed with finely minced prawn until puffed out like little footballs. They are fried and then bathed in a viscous, brick-red fermented chilli butter that is wickedly rich and intriguingly flavoured.
An artfully arranged plate of roasted beetroot, its best mate goat’s cheese, and wedges of grilled pear is much more down-to-earth, particularly with a final sprinkle of toasted grains, seeds and nuts.
SA octopus is best-on-ground, the segments of tentacle barely cooked so the meat has the luxurious, luminous quality of a mysterious shellfish, while a concentrated slick of eggplant underneath is somewhere between babaganoush and Vegemite. Crumbs of dried mullet and even a pickled lotus root all play their part.
Duck breast is also handled with aplomb, the skin crisp and glossy, fat properly rendered and rosy flesh as tender as any I can recall. The plate has plenty going on, with cavolo nero, turnip and soy pickled shimeji (mushroom) all jostling for attention but it is the big blob of prune paste that dominates.
Variations on a fruity sweetness also underpin an adobo beef cheek (well cooked again) with oyster mushroom, muntries and quandong, as well as a slightly tough pork belly with fermented apple and desert limes.
Dessert, then, seems a stretch but a pretty plate based on stout sourdough turned into both an ice cream and toasted croutons has its sugar in better balance, with a dark, faintly bitter, treacly edge, as well as a verjus jelly, guava custard and marshmallow.
Hill of Grace, like tomorrow’s SANFL Grand Final at the oval, has had its moment of controversy and moved on. It is not going to win the flag — or the wooden spoon. Not everyone will be a fan but it knows what is required to keep the turnstiles clicking over.
HILL OF GRACE
Adelaide Oval (enter via door, Eastern Gate),
8205 4777, hillofgracerestaurant.com.au
OWNER Adelaide Oval CHEF Nigel Munzberg FOOD Contemporary
ENTREE $18-$22 MAIN $38-$48 DESSERT $17-$18 SIX-COURSE DEGUSTATION $140
DRINKS Henschke is the hero, but each variety presents a snapshot of other local benchmarks, as well as a few internationals
Open for
LUNCH Fri DINNER Tue-Sat
SCORE 7.5/10