Two decades in the Barossa and more delicious than ever
An addictive snack is one of many reasons to visit a Barossa restaurant that is better than ever after more than 20 years, writes Simon Wilkinson
We’re halfway through demolishing a ridiculously good bowl of fried pigs’ ears when my mate across the table comes up with the following little gem.
“Like a pig-dog eating custard,” he says to describe the indecent haste with which we’re grabbing for the crunchy/chewy/sticky/spicy strips that would sell gazillions of packets if sold as a TV snack.
Yes, perhaps our manners did leave a little to be desired, but one of the great things about dining at Vintners is that you are not going to be judged.
The lack of formality is one of the reasons Barossa locals, particularly its winemaking community, love this place so much and continue to support it after more than 20 years. That and the fact that co-owner/chef Peter Clarke, who has been there from the start, keeps coming up with stuff that people want to eat.
Reports from the Valley suggest Vintners has never been better, a remarkable effort in an industry where maintaining standards (and personnel) requires great devotion and energy.
It’s always had good bones, this place – as well as a prime location, in front of the vintners shed that is home to the Barossa Farmers Market each Saturday.
From the outside, the building is an interesting mix of styles, part Spanish hacienda, with its red roof tiles, but also incorporating a few truckloads of local stone. Inside, the dining room is dominated by seven extraordinary recycled beams overhead and the stone fireplace on one wall, while a series of tall, arched windows lets in plenty of light.
A vast rack of bottles and assorted posters emphasise the links to the wine trade (Yalumba’s Robert Hill-Smith is another co-owner). No surprise, then, that the drinks list is impressive, with equal focus on producers from the Barossa and France.
A glass of bone-dry Spanish manzanilla sherry, however, is the best match for nibbling on crumbed green olives stuffed with a sliver of anchovy, and a parmesan biscuit bearing a salted and smoked sardine fillet that is as shiny and supple as a new Gucci bag. The rest of Peter’s menu splits evenly between East and West.
It would be easy to construct a meal with chilli and coriander in every dish, but equally feasible to leave them out.
An inspired take on tartare has a foot in both camps, with a melba toast cylinder holding a mix of hand-cut beef, pickled celery and two types of wood fungus, black and white, all livened up with a chilli nam jim and drizzle of wasabi oil. Each mouthful tastes – and just as importantly feels – slightly different, with all those textures dancing merrily together.
King prawns, from the deeper open waters off Venus Bay, are fabulous in a Vietnamese-style salad of shredded banana blossom, coconut, peanuts and herbs, a lime dressing applied with great care so nothing loses its crunch.
Fried quails are dusted with five-spice salt and stacked on a wonderful Chinese-style radish cake studded with pieces of lap cheong (sausage). We love the lingering note of Szechuan chilli but not the breast meat of the little bird that is, unfortunately, rather dry.
An overlooked comma in the “Roasted veal, ox tongue” means the dish isn’t as expected, with a thick medallion of rare loin and only a teeny parcel of the more interesting tongue, rolled in crisp brik pastry. Beetroot poriyal, a southern Indian relish, pops with mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves, on the side.
A barely sweet goat curd mousse, poached and dried quince, and pomegranate seeds are topped with a pistachio crumble that wouldn’t be out of place on a particularly flash breakfast table. With the deep red of the fruit and a dusting of sugar, the plate has a definite festive feel.
If there is room for improvement at Vintners, it is with the waiting staff, a few of whom, while engaging and helpful, weren’t across all the necessary details. Still, this is one establishment that can be recommended without hesitation. Get there soon, and do order those ears.
VINTNERS BAR & GRILL
752 Stockwell Rd, Angaston
8564 2488; vintners.com.au
OWNERS Peter Clarke, Rami Heer and Robert Hill-Smith
CHEF Peter Clarke
FOOD Contemporary
SMALL $17-$22 MAIN $36-$110 (share dish) DESSERT $14-$16
DRINKS The Barossa meets Burgundy on a list built with the wine-making fraternity in mind. BYO Corkage $20
OPEN LUNCH Daily DINNER Mon-Sat
SCORE: 16/20