Restaurant review: The Daniel O’Connell
Walking into The Daniel O’Connell, it is easy to feel like one is back in the Old Country, bar hopping around Camden and Covent Garden.
Guinness is poured in the proper half-and-half fashion in the cosy, dark-wood-adorned bar. Food menus are scrawled on blackboards, pickles in jars line the walls and golden beer taps drip with condensation.
It is a refreshing change from Adelaide’s pub scene of schnitzel, super-dry and plasma TVs.
After purchasing the pub in February, the aspirational group behind the gastro-pub re-creation of The Daniel O’Connell may have toned down the menu somewhat from its initial shock-and-awe “nose-to-tail” offering, but the food has lost none of its flavour or ambition.
The sprawling, disjointed layout opens out back to a large, barn-style dining area; big Chesterfield-style couches run along the middle, while wonderfully set tables line the perimeter. Further out back is a large and open beer garden.
The day we dined we began at the bar, ordering a “pint” of prawns with pink sauce, and pork crackling with apple puree and vinegar salt.
The pork skin was seriously still crackling and popping as it was delivered, with the fine blisters, the vinegar salt and the apple purée all combining to turn the ultimate bar snack into thirsty work.
The pint of prawns was just that – a large glass of small but sweet prawns with a thick, mayonnaise-style sauce. The prawns were disappointing: unpeeled, they were a messily unsatisfying snack, to say the least – particularly when a water bowl wasn’t provided.
You might like
We transferred out back to settle in for the more serious side of the night. There were a few groups scattered around the large room. The high ceilings made conversation easy, and the room was bright from the natural light beaming though the large windows opening onto the beer garden.
Service was prompt, the single waitress delivering a well-constructed wine list with a heavy emphasis on McLaren Vale and Barossa reds. There was also a great selection of pinot and other not-so-bold varietals.
The food menu isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it is definitely a conversation starter. Ox heart tartare (nicknamed “dead romance”), tripe, trotters, marrow and even head were on offer.
It is an intriguing, shopping-list-style menu that leaves a lot to the imagination and requires a genuine leap of faith from more conservative eaters, however any questions are confidently and easily answered by the staff.
We chose a selection of starters: yabbies, trotters, parfait, croquettes and a salad.
The yabbies were served with an earthy chunk of chicken from the wing, a cucumber tasting foam and fresh tomatoes: it is an interesting combination but the chicken seems out of place on an otherwise fresh and light dish.
A large slab of roasted pumpkin sat in a pile of mixed grains, a dollop of chevre adding a delicious finish to a nicely textured and satisfying salad.
The rich and creamy chicken liver parfait was wonderfully balanced by a sweet brioche and prune jam, while the croquettes were passable but nothing special.
The trotter, however, was amazing: intensely rich, smoky-flavoured flecks of trotter balanced with a fried egg, and a slab of bread soaked through with the juices – it would make a wonderful breakfast.
Among the mains, an eye-catching dish of mackerel with pickled beetroot and fine potato salad with hints of horseradish is one of the best fish dishes going around.
Stay informed, daily
A rich, reconstructed beef shin, with a green salad and dumplings of bone marrow, is a hearty and complete meal. It is similar to the lamb, which has been braised, shredded and then pressed back into a long rectangle with greens. It is delicious – the meat moist and rich.
The fish bourride (a zesty version of bouillabaisse) features barramundi, mussels, potato and sea greens. While the barramundi is beautifully cooked, the cubes of potato submerged in the green broth are visually and textually unappealing.
The night wasn’t overly busy but there was a large gap between ordering and receiving the food. It seemed the kitchen was struggling to maintain the pace, which is probably not surprising considering the complexity of the main courses.
Although it is a pub setting, the food is bold and imaginatively presented and is far removed from the ordinary schnitzel and burger pub fare. The overall theme of the cuisine is extremely hearty and rich; food prepared with passion and care and, most pleasingly, different.
The Daniel O’Connell, in forcing diners out of the usual pub-comfort-food zone, is a rewarding and memorable experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Three-and-a-half out of five.
The Daniel O’Connell
165 Tynte Street, North Adelaide,
Ph: 08 8267 4032
Monday–Thursday, 12-3pm and 5pm–9pm
Friday–Sunday, all day dining
Cuisine: Hearty, adventurous, gastro-pub
