Elbow Room

This review rounds off my 5 star McLaren Vale weekend …
I was taken here for my 40^th birthday by my partner, who selected it because the head chef used to be the chef at D’arry’s Verandah, which is another of our favourite restaurants. And wow, this place certainly didn’t disappoint!
I only have one criticism of Elbow Room (though it’s not enough for me to deduct a star) — the online menu is not up to date, therefore what I was going to have for dinner wasn’t actually available. Saying that, the food was so amazing, it didn’t bother us too much.
We had bread for starters, which was freshly baked and served with salted butter — mmmmm! For entrée, I selected Coorong Mullet, which was served with a bacon cream and various vegies (such as radish and carrot). Now, this in itself doesn’t sound absolutely amazing — but believe me, the flavours were like nothing I have ever tasted before, they were so surprising and delightful! I should have taken a picture (but I don’t consider that to be polite in a fine-​dining situation — sorry fellow Unilocalers!), so you’ll just have to believe me ;)
For main, I tried the pork belly — absolutely stunning and very very rich (I confess I couldn’t finish the whole thing!), with the perfect crackling! The wine list was wonderful, though not as extensive by the glass as the website would have us believe.
This is definitely a ‘special occasion’ restaurant, and one that I will definitely be visiting again — just amazing!

Food was lovely and stunning view so you could really sit back and relax. Was a bit of a shame that the lady serving us clearly was having a bad day and had nothing but a face of annoyance. She did not want to be there and made the day unpleasant. Not sure I would return because of this.

Wow! Just wow…
Where to begin?
Best dining experience of my life by far. Incredible food and incredible service and a gorgeous view. There was a choice where for $ 75 per person you could get a sample of basically everything on the menu. It included various starters and mains and so many interesting, varied, amazing dishes so we went with that. I don’t even have words for how incredible the food was.
I’m pregnant so wasn’t drinking but they had a wine list with at least 100 different wines. Also, I highly recommend the nicker bicker glory desert. It was just the best thing ever!!! I will definitely be back! Obviously for the price it’s for special occasions only (unless you’re rich) but I can’t wait for the next time!

My first 5 Stars!
Caveat: This is not going to be a an impartial review, this is probably not even going to be a useful review for most diners, in fact, it’s probably going to sail close to the ‘advertorial’. But I’m going to write it anyway and I’ll do my best to be balanced.
Let me explain. In real life, I’m an alpaca farmer. I have a reasonably large farm in Hindmarsh Valley and later this year we, together with a couple of partners are going to be launching Alpaca meat to the restaurant-​going public of South Australia. All this Week ABC have been filming at a partner’s farm, looking at all aspects of the business for a piece that is due to air, probably towards the end of the month. To finish off, what could be better than than a meal of alpaca served up at a great South Australian restaurant.
Nigel Rich, at Elbow Room, was an obvious choice to prepare a special menu for us. Given some alpaca shoulder to work with, he produced two wonderful slow-​cooked winter warmers — a traditional braise and a Vietnamese-​influenced, marvelously aromatic curry. All plates were thoroughly scraped clean, some of us would probably have licked them if we thought we could get away with it.
Enough of the one-​off special (although, hopefully, diners will be able to try at least one of these later in the year), what about the restaurant?
Great location, just off the Victor Harbor Road at the new McLaren Vale exit, it’s easily accessible but not close enough to the main road for it to be an issue. The restaurant is surrounded by vineyards and, with each table close to a window, everyone gets that wine region dining experience.
Even though we were eating a set meal, I took time to check out the menu. Varied and imaginative, I’ll certainly be back to try out the Cider & Lime Roasted Pork Belly, Green Apple & Ginger Salad or the Macanese Suckling Pig, Shaved Radish, Pickled Carrot & Blood Orange Salad. Everything was well presented and it was clear that other diners were enjoying their meals.
Service was very good indeed, efficient, friendly staff who clearly knew their product. Keeping customers happy when you have a camera crew filming in the kitchen and dining area is always going to be a challenge, but they coped admirably.
The wine list matches the menu — extensive with a mix of comfortable favourites together with with some exciting discoveries. I was very glad to see the Petagna Wines Mourvedre, not cheap but well worth it.
Downside? I’m trying hard but I’m struggling to find anything. Possibly the wines are a little pricey but not exceptionally so for the sector.
Oh and, whatever you do, make sure you leave some room for the local cheeseboard, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t.

Very smart establishment. I am told they are in a new location, I didn’t see the previous restaurant but their new digs are very tidy and make the most of the scenic outlook.
Service was smart, as is the ambiance but on this visit we didn’t feel like we had an above average experience; which left it feeling overpriced.
To kick off and to soak up the wine sampled around McLaren Vale that day we started with some bread and at $ 2.50 per person it seemed a little OTT. We were a hungry bunch and after feeling a little deflated with the bread experience we decided to speed things up and jump straight to mains so we could be back out tasting wines.
Menu options for vegetarians were limited, one entrée and one main. I had the stinging nettle, ricotta, spinach & gorgonzola tortellini with sage, parsley & blistered tomatoes which was delicious, but very rich and heavy. I thought the dish was on the expensive side for what was presented. I was hoping for something with a little spring-​time lightness that reflected the bounty of fresh produce in the region.
If you are a meat eater you will be in your element. That seems to be the focus here and a strength of the kitchen. It also seems to be where the value is. So much so that you cant help but think ‘what about me?’ vegetarians are people too?

Nigel Rich, who was co-​head chef at d’Arry’s Verandah (in McLaren Vale) for many years has taken over Producers and added Elbow Room. There is so much that is great about this place. When you first arrive, the entrance hypnotically pulls you in through the court yard and into the restaurant where you can’t help but marvel at the magnificent views. The whole wall is covered with windows so don’t worry about asking for a table with a view, they all have them.
Of course Nigel knows food, but I don’t know Nigel and I’ve never eaten his food. Needless to say I was eager to know what all the fuss was about. I first heard of Elbow Room through facebook where I would find myself drooling over the photos of the meals. When I was sitting at the table reading the menu, I was so excited to finally try the awesome flavours for myself. Nigel did NOT let me down but you would all be happy to know I didn’t embarrass myself by licking the plate, although I REALLY wanted to! The food was unpretentious yet stylish and jam packed full of taste.
The staff were brilliant. Their friendly personalities, knowledge of the wines, local products and menu made me feel relaxed and like I was in good hands. All I had to do was sit back and eat. It’s a hard life :-) I can’t get the tortellini out of my mind! I also tried rabbit for the first time and really enjoyed it. I twisted my own arm behind my back and ordered dessert, which was right on par with the rest of the meal; OUTSTANDING! The ginger ice cream rocked my world.
Yum! Yum! Yum! If you’re looking for a stylish place to eat I can’t recommend the Elbow Room enough. Their current menu is on facebook but it is adjusted from time to time seeing as they use seasonal products. I could rave on all night about how great it was :-)
They’re open for lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Groups by appointment.