The Lion is an establishment that has been a vital part of the Adelaide scene for almost 150 years. Established in 1871, chances are your parents have been here, your parents parents, and even your parents parents parents. As beautiful as the old heritage building is, the Lion has stayed relevant by constantly updating the interior, drinks and food offered as the times change. One thing that is forever changing is their gourmet Chef’s Experience.
Designed to showcase the outstanding produce of Australia and the talent of the resident chefs in The Lion Restaurant, The Chef’s Experience is a tasting menu that is hardly ever the same. For an extremely affordable $65.90 diners are able to enjoy multiple sharing plates per course of original dishes created in the kitchen of The Lion Restaurant.
To give you an idea of the variety of unique dishes diners are able to enjoy, we documented our experience at The Lion Restaurant.
Bites
Oysters Kilpatrick
The first course consists of a variety of entrees which arrive one by one for patrons to devour. Our first dish in this course was South Australian Oysters Kilpatrick, one of the most popular ways to serve oysters. The sauce was both sweet and sticky, which was offset by the saltiness of the bacon and the soft texture of the oyster. These oysters were full of flavour, and one is more than enough to start the meal.
Beef Tartare
Beef Tartare has been popping up on lots of menus lately, and we were excited to see it presented not in the traditional cake with raw egg perched on top. The Beef Tartare was mixed with fermented chilli and radish and served on top of rice crackers. We ate this by piling the beef tartare on top of individual crackers and eating it with our fingers. The little raw ribbons of beef were delicious and the squishy texture paired well with the crunch of the rice cracker.
Ocean Trout and Smoked Mussel Bruschetta
This was an interesting take on the traditional italian bruschetta dish. Made with ocean trout, smoked mussel and preserved lemons on toasted bread, these bite sized delicacies will make any seafood lover weak. The smokey mussel and the fresh slices of ocean trout had brilliant flavour, and the bread gave an otherwise light dish a bit of substance.
Cured Meats Board
The meats board is a standard but neccessary part of any meal. This one consisted of a salty, chewy and delicious combination of cured meats from Salumi and marinated olives from Coriole.
Scallop Cerviche
The Harvey Bay Scallop Cherviche was served with cured pig cheek, seaweed tapenade and salmon roe and presented beautifully on a bed of pebbles. These mouthfuls were a refreshing way to cleanse the palette before the following courses but were packed with just enough fishy flavour to keep tastebuds interested.
Larger Bites
Goat’s Cheese Cream with Heirloom Beetroots
Beetroot is a surprisingly substantial vegetable, which is why this dish appears under a separate section to the lighter entrees. Serving beetroot with goats cheese cream is always a winning combination, as the sweetness of the beetroot and the firm texture is complimented by the saltiness and creaminess of the goats cheese. To make each mouthful different, the dish is garnished with figs, candied walnuts and saltbush for diners to add to their forks and see which combination they enjoy best.
From The Rotisserie
Coorong Black Angus Scotch Fillet
As fun as trying amazing new dishes is, sometimes there’s nothing better than a simple, well-cooked steak. This scotch fillet had just enough fat to retain all the delicious juices, the outside was grilled to perfection and the medium-rare inside held plenty of meaty flavour. Served with fries and three sauces; Tasmanian Gourmet Co Mustard, red wine jus and a tangy relish, no bite of this scotch fillet was boring.
Murray Valley Pork Rack
The combination of serving pork rack with black vinegar, coconut yoghurt, sambal belacan and kimchi cabbage blew everyone at the table away. Presenting a heavy meat like pork with something sweet and light like coconut yoghurt was a risk that certainly paid off. The sometimes overpowering texture and taste of pork was rounded off by the light sweetness of the coconut yoghurt, and everyone loves a good bit of salty pickled kimchi on their fork.
Main Bites
Linguine with Chilli Prawns
Chilli prawn linguini has been on The Lion Restaurants menu for many seasons now, and there’s a reason for it’s reoccurring appearance. A favourite dish of many diners, the bright orange sauce is made with riesling, ginger, capers, citrus leeks, baby spinach and just a touch of cream for that smooth texture. There was a generous amount of prawns throughout the pasta, and the dosage of chilli was mild, but enough to give the dish a bit of a bite.
Forest Mushrooms
The presentation of the mushroom dish was more like art than food, and we almost felt bad for ruining it. Such an abstract dish consisting of a variety of forest mushrooms, truffled custard organic spelt and rye crumbs is either a love or hate dish, but this one managed to come out well due to the variety of flavours and textures provided by the different species of mushrooms. The truffled custard accompanying the mushrooms added another element to the dish and the dried shiitake on top created some interesting crunch.
Dessert
Honey Roasted Pears
A dessert based on the flavour of pear doesn’t sound too interesting, but just by looking at this dish it’s clear it’s much more than that. The honey roasted pears had a firm outside and soft, warm inside that was sweet and fruity. The vanilla labna and pear sorbet worked together as accompanying flavours for the pear, and walnut crumble added a nutty crunch to each mouthful.
Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jelly Ice Cream Sandwich
The peanut butter and raspberry jelly ice cream sandwich with bitter chocolate ganache and scorched banana requires a strong sweet tooth to be loved. Every element on this dish is rich and sweet, and after a few mouthfuls any dessert craving will be fully satisfied. Definitely one that belongs on a sharing menu!
Caramelised White Chocolate with Lemon Curd
This dessert was like a little shortbread and lemon curd sandwich. Presented as two biscuits of spiced shortbread filled with zesty lemon curd and surrounded by rum syrup and coconut sorbet, this little treat is a great one for lemon tart lovers and pairs well with one of The Lion Restaurants tasty coffees.
Click here for more info on The Lion Restaurant, and click here to make a booking.
