Now Open: Odé Brings “Simple Luxury” to North Adelaide

When Simon Ming told his parents that he was quitting his engineering job in China to follow his dream of becoming a chef, he knew it was a pivotal moment in his life. “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” he tells Broadsheet on the cusp of opening his very first restaurant, Odé, in North Adelaide. “But I’ve never regretted it for a day.”

After moving to Australia and training at Le Cordon Bleu, Ming cut his teeth at a string of highly acclaimed restaurants including Brae in Victoria, Jock Zonfrillo’s Orana and Arhke. It was at the latter that he met award-winning sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj. Together they have opened Odé.

Odé is named for the poetry but accented in a playful nod to French and Spanish cuisines, both of which are close to Ming’s heart. The restaurant is designed to feel like it’s always been there. The interior is intimate but comfortable: filled with rich greens, moody lighting and wooden features. After years of working in fine dining, Ming believes high quality dishes and a relaxed atmosphere should not be mutually exclusive. “I’m not saying fine dining is going to be history, but after the pandemic, I feel like people want more casual, less formal dining,” he says. “And I want to break down the image of what people think of fine dining … [it] doesn’t have to be everyone dressed up, spending four or five hours on one lunch.”

The menu is largely modern Australian with distinct French, Chinese, Italian and Japanese influences. It’s full of reimagined classics, or elevated versions of crowd favourites. There’s flamed shallot pancakes with spiced yoghurt; udon with blue swimmer crab; and fish en papillote with a eucalyptus beurre blanc. A torched Hiramasa kingfish dish with celtuce, celery, tomato consommé and apple granita is a highlight. “We dry-age it for a couple of days, and we slightly cook one side of the flesh. We slice it super thick,” says Ming. “Then we have the celtuce... It reminds me of my hometown in China, where we’d eat [the stem] pretty much every day.” Once its first layer has been peeled off, the inside of a celtuce stem is crystal-clear, juicy and sweet. The tomato consommé, which completes the dish, has been turned into a sort of jelly, adding a delicate, soft, translucent layer to the fish.

A twist on the classics extends to the cocktail list, too (try the Aldinga Spritz or Bloody Maria). And when it comes to the wine, Dheeraj has focused on bottles from small producers.

Odé
Shop 7, 147 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide

Hours:
Wed & Thu 5.30pm–8.30pm
Fri & Sat 5.30pm–9pm
Sun 12pm–3pm

www.odebistro.com.au/
@ode_bistro