Fourteen seats. Sixteen courses. Three floors. A 156-year-old converted church. Restaurant Aptos, the highly anticipated debut (as owner-operator) by former Restaurant Botanic chef Justin James is on track to be one of the most ambitious Adelaide openings in recent memory.
When Broadsheet last spoke to James, he hinted at a “multi-level, multisensory experience” where diners move through different spaces over the course of the meal. When the restaurant opens this winter in Stirling – in a historic sandstone church with an architectural-award-winning extension, previously the Aptos Cruz Galleries space – guests will move between three levels during the almost three-hour dining experience, which is set to bring a dinner party vibe to the fine dining space.
“It’s almost like it’s a house,” says James. “It’s not a traditional restaurant at all.” Dinner will begin on the first floor (there’s a lift for those who can’t take the stairs), with a series of snacks that “awaken the palate” with “bold, strong, acidic, bitter and salty” flavours. And guests will be able to move around and mingle.
“Sometimes in restaurants, we feel like we’re strapped into our seat for the next four hours,” says James, who catapulted Restaurant Botanic to national and international acclaim with his four-hour culinary journey of Australian native ingredients before his departure last year.
“I really love the vibe of a dinner party – that’s what I like to do in my time off – so there’ll be lounge chairs and couches, and a big display of champagne and sparkling wine … so you can walk up and see what’s on offer. I’ll also have a bucket full of beers and sodas.”
The main event will unfold on the ground floor, where diners will sit inside the open kitchen – all stone and wood and gothic church windows – but instead of perching at a counter overlooking the cooking, there’ll be no barrier between chefs and guests. “I want to strip that back,” says James. “I want you to feel like you’re immersed in our kitchen. Everything’s a chef's table.”
Custom tables made of 500-year-old French oak will be set up throughout the room, where diners will tuck into “hotter, more substantial” dishes with a focus on proteins and umami flavours. Fans who dined at Restaurant Botanic can expect to see James work his magic again with key ingredients like kangaroo and marron. “Marron was probably the first ingredient I fell in love with in Australia,” says the American-born chef. “We have another dish idea that’s going to focus on native fruits.” His American heritage might also work its way into the menu, including a fine-dining riff on fast food.
After the savoury courses, it’s up to the glass-walled second floor for dessert. “There’ll be something to cleanse you, but we also have something sour, then something really decadent and bitter, and we’ll finish off with a little variation of sweets,” says James. “There might be a dish where we focus on sweet and umami as well.”
Take, for example, the roasted-wattleseed-and-potato ice-cream with Vegemite caramel he served at his Eleven Madison Park pop-up last year. “Growing up in the Midwest, potatoes were a staple almost every dinner,” he says. “That one is definitely on the list of what could be on the menu. It’s vegan and delicious and theatrical without being too gimmicky.”
That list is currently sitting at 53 dishes, which James and his French-Canadian head chef Pierre Verret (who was James’s sous at Vue De Monde years ago) will whittle down to 20 before starting work on the menu.
The dining experience will end with a selection of amari and other digestives displayed on a table fashioned from an antique 19th-century Japanese gate James purchased from Aptos Cruz Galleries when it closed.
The fit-out will merge Japanese and Scandinavian design elements with an earthy colour palette in tune with its Adelaide Hills setting. “We’re letting the building speak for itself,” says James. “It’s wabi-sabi style – we’re not fixing the cracks but embracing them.
“We’re not taking ourselves too seriously,” he continues. “Dining should be fun. It should feel like a big, warm hug. I want the building to feel like a big, warm hug as well. I’ve felt uncomfortable in restaurants before … as though I need to wear a $5000 suit to be in there. Even the music: it’s often like, ‘don’t play music that anyone knows’.”
As for the playlist at Aptos? You can expect anything from classic ’70s rock and ’90s grunge to mellow hip hop by J-Cole and Kendrick Lamar. “I’m a millennial … that’s what I like,” says James. “It’s trying to create a vibe. We just want everyone to have a good time.”
Restaurant Aptos will open this winter at 147 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.
