South Australian winery Bird in Hand recently welcomed diners back to its on-site restaurant, LVN. With chef ex-Restaurant Botanic chef Jacob Davey heading up the kitchen, Anastasia Santoreneos had the task of testing the nine-course degustation.
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A one-hour’s drive away from Adelaide’s CBD sits the iconic South Australian winery, Bird in Hand, known for its signature shiraz and Instagram-worthy gardens. Once upon a time,
the hotspot, owned by Susie and Andrew Nugent, was home to a restaurant, but after lying dormant for years, it’s reopened as LVN.
Named after the owners’ daughter, Lalla Victoria Nugent, LVN officially re-opened in January this year after tapping up interior designer Georgie Shepherd to fashion the room and Jacob Davey
to lead the kitchen.
The menu, which can be an eight to 10-course degustation depending on the day, is inspired by the three homes of Bird in Hand – Woodside (SA), Finniss (SA), and Tasmania. And, of course, by what produce is seasonally available from the on-site garden and the local area.
The Nannygai (Red Snapper), accompanied by a house-made croissant with fermented garden butter, is a stand-out – and chef Davey confirms it’s a real crowd-pleaser.
“It’s line-caught by Jack Henderson out of Port Lincoln and is an incredible product,” he says. “We age it for one week and cook it over coals, then serve it with a sauce made from lobster and prawn, split with lemon myrtle and galangal oil.”
A duck dish followed the Nannygai, and then two delicious – and refreshing – desserts. But the smaller courses are just as appetising – a tuna ceviche, grilled oysters or fresh abalone. What’s key is that the menu is in a constant state of change, Davey says, depending on what’s available to harvest.
The service is certainly up there, too, something Davey, who was most recently the head chef of award-winning Adelaide restaurant Restaurant Botanic, is passionate about.
“We view each service as an opportunity to be better than we were the day before. After every service we reflect as a team and discuss how to improve our delivery,” he says. Sustainability is also a key factor of LVN, with much of the produce grown on-site, limiting the food miles of items like root vegetables, fruits, herbs, native Australian plants and edible blooms. The team also preserves as much food as possible by fermenting, pickling or dehydrating food items to reduce waste.
“We forage for wild ingredients and use wild game meats, such as Wallaby and Deer, both of which are considered pests in the areas where they are shot,” Davey says.
Davey’s kitchen is mostly visible to patrons, so you can see the chef preparing your dish as you await it. Having an open view of where the kitchen’s theatrics take place was key to the Nugents – and its interior designer Shepherd’s favourite aspect of the restaurant. “It was designed to connect patrons to the kitchen, the chef and the kitchen staff,” she says. “I love the view of the kitchen, the marble and the open fire. You also get a great vantage point from which to view the restaurant and the gardens beyond.”
It’s an interesting time for the hospitality industry, which is seeing a number of closures. In Sydney, Kylie Kwong’s Lucky Kwong famously shut shop in May and Tetsuya’s had its final service on July 31. Davey puts it down to a challenging economic backdrop, making it tough for diners to fine-dine. The degustation is about $195 a head, and the wine pairing is an extra $ 95 per person. It’s a steep feed, so you could forgo the pairing for a few glasses instead. Davey’s favourite is the 2021 TED Chardonnay, but he recommends any by Bird in Hand.
“When customers visit our restaurant, we want them to have the best possible experience from the moment they arrive at Bird in Hand because we feel honoured that they have chosen our venue in these trying times.”
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