The Salopian Inn has the perfect wine-region drinks list, showcasing the McLaren Vale vineyards that surround it while offering plenty to excite the local winemakers.
There are chefs who want to show you a resume on a plate – an edible round-up of all the fancy places they’ve worked, no matter how briefly. There are those who make you think they missed a calling in biochemistry and others who believe a rigid philosophy is the nourishment their diners need.
Then there are those chefs who just want to drown you in deliciousness, to match a deep understanding of flavour with an innate sense of the seasons. Karena Armstrong is one of those chefs. And this charming old building, an honest collection of comforting spaces, is the perfect place for her to ply her trade.
This is not food to deconstruct or dissect or to analyse. This is the food you desire when you want flavour as robust as the table conversation, combinations as compelling as the wines in your glasses and dishes to haunt your cravings.
The sense of hospitality at the Salopian Inn is so strong they’ll bend over backwards to accommodate the customers what most operators fear above all others: kids. They will modify the tasting menu for gentler palates, dialling down some of the more forthright flavours but none of the quality produce or perfected technique.
Or for those kids still on restaurant training wheels, they offer a collection of “kids’ menu” classics done the produce-focused Salopian way. Expect Nomad Farms chicken and hand-cut chips, those legendary dumplings, or grass-fed steak and fries.
