The crew behind Mother Vine and East End Cellars (Vardon Avenue and Norwood) are putting down roots in the west end with their new restaurant Station Road, opening in November on the ground floor of Festival Tower, next to the Adelaide Railway Station.
The team, which includes co-owners Michael Andrewartha and Mathieu Smeysters, have appointed New Zealand-born head chef Baine Stubbs, who’s clocked time at Parisian restaurants Ellsworth and Clamato – sibling to Septime, which is currently number 11 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Stubbs will deliver brasserie-style dishes such as lobster cannelloni with Iberico ham and mornay sauce, quail ballotine with foie gras and pancetta, and Wagyu 9+ eye fillet with sauce au poivre and pommes dauphine (crisp puffs of mashed potato in choux pastry).
The opening menu will also include hand-picked mud crab served with coral mayo (made with tiny lobster eggs) and betel leaf; dry-aged tuna with red pepper reduction and cultured cream; and raw A5 Wagyu with leek, ponzu, wild garlic and egg yolk. Eventually there'll be tableside dessert trolleys, too.
Smeysters, who’s also general manager, wants the new dining destination to strike a balance between approachable and grand. Designed by Studio Nine Architects, the impressive fit-out includes a central marble bar that will greet guests upon arrival. The light and bright dining room will have light textured walls dressed with feature artwork displays and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to Festival Plaza. The moodier wine room will have dark timber finishes for a more intimate setting – complete with booth seating and high tables – for those after a glass and a snack. There’ll also be a temperature-controlled wine vault, which will be visible from the outside, filled with traditional and more obscure Australian and international varietals, says Smeysters.
“Wines poured using a Coravin system will be available both for sparkling and still wines, enabling patrons to savour some of the industry’s most exceptional and hard-to-find wines without having to splurge on a full bottle.” Most of the wines will also be available to take away.
Station Road will open in November on the ground floor of Festival Tower. Chef Baine Stubbs will also participate in East End Cellars' annual soup kitchen initiative on Thursday August 22 – following guest stints from Africola’s Duncan Welgemoed, Fino Vino’s Sharon Romeo and David Swain, and Chianti’s Josh Cooke – to help South Australians experiencing homelessness and raise money for Hutt Street Centre and Catherine House. More information here.
