Who dares gins

McMurtrie Rd, McLaren Vale, soul food with a Mandarin accent.

Full of character: The Salopian Inn. Picture: David Solm

THE man behind the bar says gin.

“We have a selection,” he mentions, casually. In fact, there are 168 gins. “For a gin and tonic,” he says, “I’d recommend an American gin, with Fentimans tonic.” And so, he makes two G&Ts: one with dried cranberry and lemon rind, the other with lime cheek and Kangaroo Island pink peppercorn. It’s one of those “who cares what it costs” pre-dinner moments.

If you want to send a message you care about food and booze, this is a pretty good way to start. And an unexpected one. For Salopian is no city cocktail bar with beards, waxed moustaches and chalk-striped waistcoats; it’s a country hangout in wine territory, somewhere between pub and simple restaurant. From its ivy-clad 1853 brick walls to the walk-in cellar where you choose your own poison, the place just oozes character and relaxation.

Still, Adelaide designer Claire Kneebone (Press, Udaberri) has deftly woven a contemporary warp to the Salopian’s heritage weft, with little touches such as Brokis light fittings that are completely at home.

With its gnarly, wine-stained high bar tables, you may not want to leave the gin man. Try. When your appetite kicks in, his wife Karena Armstrong’s kitchen will help. Her interesting career at Lake House (Daylesford), Icebergs (Bondi) and Billy Kwong (Surry Hills) is reflected in a menu that is part Alice Waters soul food, part McLaren Vale with a Mandarin accent.

It’s not complicated; just nicely done, generous and full of flavour: the kind of food you want when you’re drinking a bottle of good wine with a friend. You snuggle into a bare little table and watch a very open, all-female kitchen (the chefs are all mothers who work flexible hours). You nibble excellent sourdough with equally excellent Hindmarsh Valley butter, gratis.

You may share the Chinese five-spice duck: a bastardised version of Peking duck with a steamer of sesame pancakes (too gentle on the sesame), a pot of plum sauce, ribbons of cucumber, fresh coriander and (not enough) spring onion. The duck has been poached, spiced and fried on the bone and, frankly, any kind of DIY dish has me at the first turn. Good. Not excellent, but good.

You might try expertly roasted, brined chicken of fine provenance, served in its own thyme and lemon-infused roasting juices with baba ganoush, a sort of herby radish and fennel salad and crisp sourdough crumbs, like pangrattato. Excellent. Or a dark, fragrant broth built around chunks of crab, mussels and fish with potato, chickpeas, charred sourdough and saffron mayo. Even more excellent.

Straight-up bistro classics? Nailed. Even a “salad” of grilled corn on the cob, beans and haloumi has style. And, having made the descent to the cellar and come out with a bottle of Tolpuddle pinot, at a very fair price, you can probably see why The Salopian Inn had me thinking.

Vanilla and salted caramel ice-cream sandwich, like a crunchy parfait with praline and a moustache of Persian fairy floss, is indulgent, rich. Delicious, but a sharer.

Every table is sent a little “something” from the bar, a “thank you”: we got thimbles of Punt e Mes, a little taste of Italian love. Bitter, but (as the kids say these days) sweet. Why can’t more restaurants be like this?

Where: McLaren Vale, SA
Address: McMurtrie Rd, McLaren Vale
Phone: [phone]
Web: salopian.com.au
Hours: Lunch Tue-Sun; dinner Thu-Sun
Typical prices: Starters $20; mains $32; dessert $15
Summary: Like quality gin: neat.
Like this? Try ... du Fermier, Trentham; Lolli Redini, Orange
Score (out of five): 3.5