Appellation Restaurant: Keith tries some of the "sharply focussed on the food - local of course" in the Barossa region of South Australia
Welcome to The Louise - the quietly understated private hideaway high on a hill at Marananga in the Barossa Valley. Just fifteen unashamedly private suites.
It's a 'top shelf' Barossa experience and rightly so, with views of the iconic vines and valley beyond framed from every room. And the same can be said of the other half of this Barossa equation. Appellation is the world class restaurant at the very heart of The Louise. Just as intimate, it only seats 28 diners, Appellation is as understated as the chef that runs it.
Mark McNamara might be the highly acclaimed ringmaster of the young kitchen brigade but he ensures Appellation's spotlight remains sharply focussed on the food - local of course.
Mark McNamara, 'Appellation': "I just love the sense of working in a region with the season and the produce coming from the paddocks to the plate. It's important. 80 percent of what we have on the menu comes from the valley and the rest comes from South Australia."
Born in the UK, Mark came to Australia as a teenager and graduated from our own Regency College before working in Asia and the UK but the draw of the Barossa was just too strong.
Mark McNamara, 'Appellation': "My first job in the Barossa was in the late '80s and I discovered the butchers and that was a huge eye-opener. The traditions and the flavours of the Barossa are very unique. Having worked around the world and to see that there's this place on the doorstep of Adelaide that has this wealth of culture is just an amazing place for a chef to be."
And he certainly knows how to use it. Ask him about anything on his menu and he can tell you where it came from. Mark's dinner tasting menu is legendary but with a little or a lot of encouragement from his Head Chef, Karen, he's now putting together a Sunday lunch.
Mark McNamara: "Sunday lunch is designed to be a little bit more bright and breezy, maybe slightly lighter portions, less reliance on butter which is probably my passion. Dinner is much more sauce drive, more complex and we offer the tasting menu dinner. Sunday lunch is a lighter expression designed for people grazing through the Barossa who'd like to stop, have something really nice, restaurant quality, indicative of the food we do but not necessarily be weighed down by rich, heavy portions."
There's no escaping the location - being in the heart of the Barossa - local wines are rightly on show - but here, the traditional link between the menu and the glass is a little skewed. Wine is usually matched to the food - but here, Mark's turned the equation on its head.
Mark McNamara: "We're in a wine region and all of our food is about being wine friendly so that's the key driver. With most tasting menus, the chef devises the menu and gets some wine to match it. Our Sommelier and Ruby, our restaurant manager choose the wines and give them to us in the kitchen and we create dishes around those wines - we do that every month…"
And with the tasting menu changing monthly and with the Sommelier being his son Mat, it makes for some interesting conversations around the table.
So how do you sum up an experience like this? The old proverb on the menu helps - a Sunday well spent brings a week of content. Say no more. Appellation is open for dinner nightly and Sunday lunches are a hit so bookings are essential. The Louise has a range of luxury accommodation options.If you have any further questions please email dine@appellation.com.au or stay@thelouise.com.au
The Louise Appellation
Cnr Seppeltsfield & Stonewell Roads
Marananga
Ph +61 8 8562 2722
Published 29th March 2009
