RESTAURANT
NEWSHains & Co’s Crimson Mainsail
Don’t be fooled – this cocktail looks pretty but packs a punch fit for a pirate.
Hidden down a laneway in Adelaide, Hains & Co is a nautically themed bar without the
naff. Yes, there are model ships and an anchor present, but there’s also an impressive
selection of gin and rum, and a long list of stellar cocktails. One of them is the Crimson
Mainsail. “We created this cocktail to showcase sloe gin,” says owner Marcus Motteram.
“We’ve made it with Plymouth and Haymans, and are currently using Elephant sloe gin
from Germany.” A word of warning: don’t be fooled by the drink’s good looks. “It’s boozy
enough to make you feel like a real pirate.”Hains & Co, 23 Gilbert Pl, Adelaide, SA,
hainsco.com.auSAMANTHA TEAGUE
> Combine 45ml sloe gin, 15ml bourbon
(Motteram suggests Maker’s Mark),
30ml lemon juice, 25ml sugar syrup (equal
parts caster sugar and water) and aneggwhite in a shaker. Shake once without
ice, then add ice and shake again. Strain
into a chilled coupe, garnish with viola
flowers, and serve.SIGNATURE DRINK
HAINS & CO’S
CRIMSON MAINSAILCOCKTAIL
Veritas Coupe from Riedel.
All other props stylist’s
own. Stockists p175.
MAKING TRACKS The Indian Pacific hosts two epicurean itineraries in June.
The first of the three-day train trips departs Adelaide bound for Perth on 1 June.
All aboard for gin, local wine, cheese and chocolate. greatsouthernrail.com.auMELBOURNE
Kiwi chef Hayden McMillan
has opened Etta on
Lygon Street with his
wife, Dominique Fourie
McMillan (Cutler & Co)
and former Rosetta staffer
Hannah Green. The menu
at the 80-seat bistro is
mainly vegetarian, with
dishes such as mozzarella
pasta with zucchini and
black olives, and charred
carrots with smoked
cheese and macadamia.
IF Architecture is behind
the room’s design, which
features a statement bar,
banquettes and a mural
by artist Robert Bowers.
SYDNEY
After Sepia closes its doors
on 31 December ahead of
the lease expiring on its
Sydney CBD site, Martin
Benn and Vicki Wild will
move to Melbourne and
set up shop with veteran
restaurateur Chris Lucas
(Chin Chin, Baby, Kong,
Hawker Hall). The new
restaurant will trade under
a different name, but the
couple’s commitment to
fine dining will live on.
“Martin’s style is Martin’s
style,” says Wild. The new
restaurant is slated to
open in Melbourne’s CBD.
CANBERRA
East Hotel’s dining options
have been given a lift with
Agostinis, a new pizza and
pasta restaurant on the old
Ox Eatery site. The menu
bounces from focaccia al
forno and frico, the potatoand cheese roasted snack
from Friuli, to traditional-
leaning pizze, pasta and
a one-kilo bistecca. The
wine offering includes
three Italian wines on tap
and a house red made
by Bryan Martin from
Ravensworth Wines.
MARGARET RIVER
Aaron Carr, chef at Vasse
Felix for a remarkable
21 years, will leave the
Margaret River winery at
the end of May to open an
eatery in Dunsborough,
15 minutes from Yallingup.
Carr says Australian
producers will feature
heavily in both the kitchen
and the cellar at the new
digs (he’s joining forces
with new-wave wine label
Snake & Herring for
the venture) and cites
Sydney’s Ester and
Fred’s as inspirations.
The restaurant is tipped to
open in November. Carr’s
successor at Vasse Felix
is yet to be announced.
NEW YORK
Former WD-50 and Alder
chef Simone Tong has
opened Little Tong,
a casual Yunnan-inspired
noodle house in the
East Village. Mixian rice
noodle pots are central
to the menu, with half a
dozen variations on offer
including Grandma Chicken,
with fermented chilli, confit
chicken, and black sesame
and garlic oil, and Little Pot,
with minced pork belly.ETTA’S TAMARI-ROASTED
BUTTERCUPgourmetNEWS
PHOTOGRAPHY BEN CHRISTENSEN (ETTA), ADAM GIBSON (ON THE PASS), RODNEY MACUJA (BOTTLES & ICE-CREAM) & ROB SHAW (SIGNATURE DRINK) STYLING AIMEE JONES (SIGNATURE DRINK)24 GOURMETTRAVELLER.COM.AU