Winter has been nipping at our heels here in Adelaide for the last couple of weeks and shows no sign of letting up any time soon so when I received an invitation to take a peek at the winter menu for Redsalt Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza I really didn’t have to think too hard about it. The Crowne Plaza opened it’s doors in Adelaide in April 2010 and is one of 16 Crowne Plaza hotels Australia-wide. Redsalt Restaurant stretches out generously along the ground floor of the hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the greenery of Hindmarsh Square and, while obviously part of the international hotel chain, it works hard to embrace a very local emphasis thanks to an internationally recognised, but locally born, Executive Chef – Bradd Johns.
Adelaide-born Bradd originally trained right here at home at Regency Park, but has had a remarkable career which has taken him through Europe and on to London. There he found himself appearing on UK Masterchef, working as a freelance chef for a catering company which was used by the royal family and working for three years in the Michelin starred restaurant “Putney Bridge” under the “Ramsay-esque” (Bradd’s description) Anthony Demetre. While Bradd’s time working with Demetre was enormously stressful – Bradd threw up most days before service – he credits it as giving him the kind of experience and training that he would have struggled to find elsewhere.
Happy to be home again, Bradd is delighting in his access to South Australia’s world class food and wines and is using many of these to create signature South Australian dishes including, where he can, his own jams, biscuits and preserves for use in the restaurant. He is also keen to share his skills, knowledge and passion and is using these to encourage South Australians to engage with our fabulous local produce by hosting monthly masterclasses at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Market.
An appropriately cold, grey winter’s day last week found me perusing Bradd’s winter menu which offers a broad selection of entrees, including a couple of ginger influenced dishes that are bound to warm from the inside, but I couldn’t go past the goats cheese tart with honey roasted vegetables, thyme and parsnip puree. Using Chris Lloyd‘s Woodside goats curd, this golden topped, light and creamy tart was a perfect blend of the saltiness of the cheese with the sweetness of the root vegetables – a blissful pairing and very happy use of a wonderful local cheese.
Redsalt has an enviable grill selection, showcasing Richard Gunner’s very fine meats, but the new winter options are certainly designed as full-on comfort food with roast venison loin, homemade pasta and risotto amongst the dishes on offer. Some around me opted for the beef short rib bourginion which came out looking rich, dark and sticky, making me wonder if perhaps I might be sorry with my own choice, but for pure comfort food I just cannot miss out on cassoulet – ever. Causing some eyebrows to raise, Bradd serves his cassoulet in a deconstructed form and when asked why, he points out that it is easier to make the dish look more attractive in this form – a point hard to argue. Thanks to generous use of duck fat, the bean component of the dish is every bit as rich, unctuous and tasty as I would expect. This was accompanied by a beautifully tender duck leg and thigh, pork belly and slightly spiced sausage with a sprinkling of pan gratta – every bit the hearty, comfort dish it is meant to be.
Dessert choices presented us with a very happy dilemma, offering perfect winter dishes such as spiced apple doughnuts and a creme brulee selection, but it would be a brave Adelaide chef who neglected to offer a sticky date pudding and our Bradd is not so rash. His sticky toffee pudding with tea-soaked dates and home-made clotted cream is simply sublime, being both abundantly sticky and datey – a very fitting end to an entirely proper winter meal.
Redsalt and Bradd Johns are a very welcome addition to the Adelaide dining and food scene and I’m sure will have much to offer in the future – so keep an eye on them!
Prices – $$$
Redsalt Restaurant & Grill
16 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide
8206 8888
Lambs’ Ears and Honey dined as a guest of Redsalt and Crowne Plaza Adelaide.
Lamb's Ears and Honey | A food Blog ♥
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like just the trick to warm up on these very cold nights!
How wonderful to read about a chef who’s incorporating his own preserves and jams into his meals!
Lorraine – The sticky Toffee pud is guaranteed to bring a smile.
Celia – I love the current trend towards a more local food focus and it’s good to see chefs embracing it, too.
That dessert looks like heaven – perfect comfort food !
Wow, I bags that dessert!
Arh memories. I worked at the Crowne here in Canberra for years. Although, I didnt know they were all called Redsalt. Going for the Maccas type branding I guess. Thanks for sharing lovely.
I love how he can incorporate his own products into the menu, it shows his heart and passion. And of course duck fat makes everything taste better!