Drove across town and went in intending to just get a burger and chips (no joke, it’s available for $26 from their “deli”) but ended up sitting for a full $125 tasting menu.

So, this is a psychotic amount of food even for groups and is extreme value for sole diners. Wandering in, dressed in my daggy ripped jeans, hoody and dusty black Nikes (after spending the morning shovelling mulch), I wasn’t really prepared for a long lunch. However when the maître d’ told me that a table was available I figured, why not?

After committing to the tasting menu, the man serving me came back to the table and asked if I wanted half portions of the mains because it would be a “lot of food”. I was surprised they were even giving me the option of having both mains as opposed to just making me pick one and heartily agreed to both the steak and chicken.

Food wise, everything feels very approachable – you could almost imagine this being an extremely well cooked home meal.

As is often the case, the snacks and entrees were more interesting than the mains. The focaccia was a bit average, but imagining yourself in someone’s home, you would sincerely compliment them for taking the time to make something from scratch. The taco was noteworthy simply for tasting like a McDonald’s cheeseburger. This is not intended as insult as I loved it. The nori cracker was rich and crunchy, the burrata sweet and creamy. The tartare was good but I was surprised by how over salted and not-crispy the chips were. Again, another instance where store bought would have been better.

Coming to the mains, the pasta was great. I’m glad this was on the tasting menu as I would never voluntarily order it. My understanding was that it was an eggplant based sauce and it was light and vibrant.

Then came the meat dishes…

Both steak and chicken came out at the same time, with a big leafy salad, beetroot and chips. I was embarrassed by how much food was laid out before me but also impressed – they did not hold back on account of me dining solo.

The steak was superb, melting in your mouth and perfectly paired with a generous sauce boat of béarnaise. Unfortunately everything else in this set was a bit disappointing.

I am starting to get the impression that chicken in these sorts of institutions is soft breast meat in a pale salty gravy. I don’t get it, but this consistent with my experience at Botanic Lodge.

The chips, like the preceding crisps, were over salted and additionally hard and in some instances, chewy. They were extremely disappointing. The leafy salad was probably a good foil for the steak, but I have yet to find a context in which I enjoy radicchio and raw radishes. The beetroot was okay, though not worth packing into the take-away container.

Thankfully after this was the clean and delicate citrus dessert – perfectly intense mandarin (?) flavour, offset by creamy ice cream and a fine granita. It was honestly fucking amazing and together with the steak, worth coming back for alone.

So after finishing my meal, I considered the use of Optima Nova as the font in use at Magill Estate Kitchen. This is an appropriate extension of the overall ethos – simple, maybe even slightly daggy, but elevated and timeless.

Menu

• Focaccia, Olasagasti anchovy and smoked hummus
• Beef short rib taco with mustard and pickles
• Nori cracker with market fish
• Burrata, caramelised onion jam, Brassica
• Steak tartare with crisps
• Pasta alla Norma
• Mayura Station rump cap with béarnaise sauce
• Nomad chicken, onions and tarragon
• Leaf salad, shallot vinaigrette, Ernabella radishes
• Hand cut chips
• Smoked beetroot with goats curd and barley
• Citrus curd ice cream, Aperol caramel, granita

Location

78 Penfold Road, Rosslyn Park SA 5072