Art Gallery Restaurant in Adelaide, SA

OVER this end of the world, Charles Saatchi is best known for living the fantasy of many blokes as the hubby of Nigella Lawson.

art gallery restaurant

OVER this end of the world, Charles Saatchi is best known for living the fantasy of many blokes as the hubby of Nigella Lawson.

But, long before Nigella, Charles made a fortune as an advertising guru, and started spending large chunks of that money buying the art that caught his eye.

More than 100 of these pieces paintings, sculptures, video and installations are now on display at the Art Gallery of SA. It's a collection that gives an insight not only into the artists themselves, but also the man who selected these pieces that are, by turn, beautiful, grotesque, funny, touching and offensive.

At the rear of the gallery, in the display-case restaurant, another kind of curator is at work. For more than a decade, Cath Kerry and her team have been channelling culinary influences spanning time and place to assemble menus that are continually surprising.

Cath taps into a repertoire grounded in a lifetime of travel and constant inquiry. She treats each dish with respect, understanding its origins and context, but not afraid to tweak it for a contemporary setting.

On her menu for the Saatchi exhibition, British Food Now, she notes that the bundles of liver and other bits, known as faggots, were her favourite growing up in the English countryside.

Now they are born again, this time as exquisite little packages of oxtail, bound in a transparent wrapper of caul fat, with two tiny sage leaves inlaid on top. That fragile wrapper vanishes in the mouth leaving the moist shreds of meat, lightened with a few breadcrumbs and delicate spicing. Pease pudding, a mash of dried peas and red-wine sauce complete a pleasing dish.

As well as the faggots, there is haddock, kedgeree, black pudding, beef and stout pie and Eton Mess, with chicken tikka masala included as a nod to more multicultural times.

They've all been rendered with a modern eye and the best possible ingredients.

The devilled kidneys are fabulous, large orbs, tender to bite, perfect rosy pink in the centre and no sign of the graininess or rank flavour that can put people off offal. The mustardy sauce has the right amount of zing but it's the flaky, house-made pastry that really elevates the dish.

Kedgeree, traditionally a comfort food of smoked fish, egg and rice, is turned into a small tussock of risotto in a pool of creamy sauce with the barest hint of curry, lovely moist flakes of smoked trout (from Harris Smokehouse in the Hills) and a sprinkle of grated egg. It stays true to the homely origins of the dish, though I'd like to have turned the spice dial up from 1 to 2.

Harris also supplies the smoked haddock, a substantial main serve with potato and a parsley-flecked white sauce. Two fillets flake into white, waxy chunks with none of the yellow dye used in many imports. The fish is smoky and salty, and a little goes a long way. We reckon it might have been better as a smaller entree.

Sitting outside is helped immeasurably by a bottle of Ulithorne "Corsus" Vermentinu. Our waiter is excited by the choice of wine and his smooth, well-informed service also contributes to the mood.

However, I've been spotted walking in, so it's no surprise to be well-looked after, and a colleague tells a different story of her recent experience that ended with her table leaving after nearly an hour without anything to eat or drink. The kitchen, she says, had run out of many items from what is already a short menu.

That would be a shame if it meant missing a pretty little mandarin trifle that comes to the table in a preserving jar displaying its layers of custard, cake, jelly and mandarin segments. The rich creaminess of custard and the booze-soaked cake find a good foil in the juicy tang of the fruit.

A chocolate and pear pudding is based on a recipe from Nigella L., but, served in a low-sided dish, it looks like something that didn't rise when it should have, and is very sweet. The ball of vanilla ice cream is excellent.

Cath Kerry and her team have a great affinity with this food and have done their homework. But I prefer food when the influences are wider and results more surprising.

--

HOW IT RATED

ART GALLERY RESTAURANT

Food 15/20

Staff 8/10

Drink 3/5

X-factor 4/5

Value 7/10

Total Score: 37/50

Address: Art Gallery of SA, North Tce, city; ph 8232 4366; www.artgallery.sa.gov.au

Food: Modern British, but will change at end of exhibition.

Drink: A short list but with plenty of interesting diversions.

Hours: Lunch Sun-Fri, noon-2.30pm (Saturday deli menu only)

Open for coffee etc Sun-Fri, 10am-4.30pm

Parking: Street parking or carparks on North Tce

Prices: Entree $19.90; Main $30.90; Dessert $13.90

Ticket and meal deals available

Snapshot: Food that sustained an empire is given a new twist by a well-versed kitchen team.