A top Adelaide chef is steering Kingsford’s Orleana in a new direction, approaching local produce with a refined touch.
Spotted – a kangaroo, lazing beneath a shady tree. A hare darting across the grassy patch. Birds gliding through dusk-tinted skies.
“Do you see it?” asks Alex Errazquin, Orleana’s assistant restaurant manager, who’s pouring the wines this evening. He’s talking about the ’roo, of course, a novel sight for tourists who come through Kingsford the Barossa.
I might be an Aussie, but the novelty never fades – especially when these scenes are found in unexpected places, such as from inside this sophisticated restaurant dining room.
The 34-seat culinary showpiece at Kingsford the Barossa estate has had a glow-up in recent months with the appointment of Jake Kellie as executive chef. Think bespoke handmade crockery by Ringwood Arts Co, custom steak knives from Dog Boy Knives, and a menu that elevates regional cooking to destination dining. Expansive windows offer panoramic views of the rural landscape and set the scene for a special occasion meal.
In crafting the menu, Jake – best known for his fire-fuelled fare at Norwood restaurant arkhé – took the opportunity to get a little fancy. Take the petite “raw fish tartlet”, shatteringly crisp and filled with milky stracciatella cheese made in-house with Dairyman Barossa milk, and diced SA nannygai. It’s punctuated by piquillo peppers and chives that threaten to take over that delicate fish.
In bold contrast, a two-bite zucchini flower shatters any notion of the trumpet-shaped bloom being delicate. Bite through the crisp petals to find a fragrant mousse of Spencer Gulf prawn and Thai-inspired aromatics – ginger, green chilli and lemongrass. The lightly battered and fried flower sits proudly atop a fiery diavola-style sauce that brings fermented chilli to the fore. Satisfyingly daring and delicious.
Jake and the owners want the restaurant to remain approachable, and the warm, attentive service keeps the dining room at ease. A table of two – one guest from the United Kingdom – is revelling in the rural outlook, while a larger group of women are selecting dishes to share. Pork shoulder with a side of hand-cut chips? You got it.
Dishes progress from single snacks to larger starters and mains, allowing diners to curate their own journey. If celebration calls, there’s the option to splash out on the $180 degustation.
Either way, the lamb rib starter is a must. Sourced from the Fleurieu Peninsula, it’s trimmed and marinated in lemongrass and miso, then gently steamed overnight. It’s then caramelised over fire to serve. The result, a deceivingly simple piece of meat that’s incredibly tender, tasty, and a lesson in letting quality produce shine.
Calamari “noodles” reimagines the seafood favourite. The Port Lincoln squid is cut into ribbons and cooked over fire before being bathed in luxurious reduced duck jus and a generous dose of lemon that gets the taste buds raring. The noodles are then piled atop a pinkish puddle of jalapeno-spiked tomato salsa and finished with a liberal grating of salted cheese.
Things progress in size from here.
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King George whiting from Streaky Bay feels less relaxed in its form – rolled into a log and steamed – but flakes beautifully. Swipe each forkful through the bed of scorched corn kernels enhanced by a decadent beurre blanc.
Duck, prepared two ways, all but steals the show. It starts with free-range Peking ducks that are raised on Kingsford’s vineyard near Lyndoch and treated with utmost care, right down to a bespoke grain diet.
For the restaurant, the duck crowns are dry-aged for 10 days before being briefly marinated in shio and koji. They’re roasted and slicked with an umami-rich lacquer of housemade garum (fermented fish sauce) and smoked honey, resulting in a beautifully burnished skin that glistens in the light. Slices of the meat, still perfectly pink, are arranged on the plate alongside a “choux farci” – picture a sausage roll made with confit duck legs, offal and chicken thigh, wrapped in radiccio leaves that soften upon cooking. It’s luxurious eating. The dish is finished with a quenelle of bitter orange puree that adds a layer of brightness and complements the slightly gamey meat, plus sherry vinegar-spiked jus.
It’s near impossible to fit in another bite. But then, a macaron to enjoy beside the roaring fireplace in the bar lounge … the arm twists. Delicately smoked, crisp-and-chewy macaron shells house a gorgeously nutty pistachio ganache and sweet pickled blackberries – it’s a joy to eat, and the ideal full stop to an elaborate meal that showcases South Australian produce with fine dining flair.
Time now to take inspiration from those ’roos out there and laze beneath the starry night sky.
Orleana
Chef: Jake Kellie
Cuisine: Contemporary, European
Wines: Vast wines; excellent cocktails
Cost: Smalls $12-$35, mains $42-$70
Must try: Zucchini flower
Hot take: Among SA’s top degustations – and not just for Kingsford guests
This article first appeared in the April 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.
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