Bistro Dom
Shop1/ 24 Waymouth Street,
Adelaide South Australia 5000
w www.bistrodom.com.au
t +61 8 8231 7000
open Monday to Friday from 7am, dinner Thursday to Saturday from 6pm, closed Sunday – tables do turn but reservations are recommended
FOOD Bistro food is currently fashionable in Australia, but getting it right is tricky because most Australian diners, chefs and owners don’t really understand the concept. Also unfortunately there have been some pretty terrible attempts at this old concept in the past few years, which has made acceptance difficult for those who actually get it right. Bistro Dom pitches it just right and it should come as no surprise to diners that owner and patron Ben Johnston has lived and worked in France for a long time, married a lovely French girl, Dominika, now his partner in business and life, and has fallen in love with the concept of the bistro.
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The long narrow room is well lit the tables are jammed together French style with a wooden banquette running the full length of the dining space. Classic Bentwood chairs on the other side, the walls plastered with huge edgy paintings by local artist Steve Langdon, and at the kitchen end is their wine storage usually littered with boxes waiting to be unpacked; nothing wrong with that it’s a bistro after all. In fact the only thing that is missing from the authenticity of the real French bistro is a cloud of blue Gitane smoke hanging low over the diners and of course a couple of dogs sitting up to lunch. Glassware is quality and it must be said that service, such a rare find in Adelaide, is excellent and informed. Bistro Dom works on many levels but it is important to explain the true concept of bistro food and make clear that a bistro is meant to be the local’s local and in France even in the posh areas around Chanel there are tiny bistros where the clientele have been going for years, even generations. Rather than complacent diners they are demanding because they expect their local to always deliver at all levels. It is a place were you always feel comfortable, go to eat and drink often because the food is reliably tasty and satisfying, the wines good, the price right, the staff remember your name and the patron welcomes you as a friend. In a good bistro you should (and do at Bistro Dom) find good bread that comes without and additional charge and food that is generous and seasonal. Add to that the menu, if written down at all, should never be more than a single page and whilst a couple of items might be permanent it should change fairly often.
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left — brains and right — mushroom tortellini
On two recent visits my love of offal was shamelessly indulged. Pan fried lambs brains with potato salad and confit onion $19.90 (entrée) and on my most recent visit a sublime roasted sweetbreads and sautéed livers, potato puree and green beans $29.90. One of the most annoying things for a sweetbread lover is that usually you are lucky if you get three pieces about the size of a small marble, you are just getting the taste and they are gone. Also it is difficult to cook small pieces of sweetbread perfectly so they are frequently disappointing. At Bistro Dom three heavenly great lumps of perfect sweetbread, and the liver was not as I had expected chicken or duck liver but three perfectly cooked medium rare slices of veal liver. I abhor the current fashion of serving raw liver and instantly know their chef does not share our passion for offal if they think that is how it should be served. Bistro Dom chef Andrew Davies has always been and offal master. The sauce was rich with caramelised onions and the beans cooked but still with just the right amount of resistance the dish was gorgeous and the only (nit picking) thing would have been to peel the liver before slicing and cooking it. The brain dish on the previous visit was delicious but I don’t like brains that haven’t been peeled because the outer layer takes on a rubbery texture that always seems at odds with the soft texture of the rest of the brain. Add to that the mushroom tortellini with Swiss Browns and mushroom bullion was so good it totally outshone the brains (for me at least). The tortellini presentation was unexpected with a perfectly textured subtle porcini sauce served as a respectful, and beautifully textured foam with a very generous smattering of fresh truffle. It is possible to suspect the chef added a few extra slices of truffle but the base flavours and textures were brilliant and didn’t rely on the truffle for taste or texture. A chocolate tart had a beautiful silken centre and a good taste, but was soggy bottomed. A dumb choice on my behalf since at home we make a chocolate tart that is made and eaten on the same day and never sees the fridge. Comparing commercial realities to good home cooking is often disappointing and I should have chosen a slice of one of their just baked tarts displayed at the front of the restaurant.
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left — gorgeous bread and fresh butter and right — sublime and perfect sweetbreads with veal liver
To summarise Bistro Dom is neither cheap nor expensive with all but one main, their dry aged beef, under $30 but it is absolutely value for money with generous portions and intelligent cooking that delivers individual flavours and textures with no nasty surprises. A main, a good glass of wine (or two) and a coffee (or no coffee) will not set you back more than $50, but because there is such fantastic temptation on the wine list at Bistro Dom we were obliged to list them under the $80 section. You can easily tailor Bistro Dom to suit your budget without going home either thirsty or hungry or unhappy. Bistro Dom is just entering into its third year and with the talents of Andrew Davies in the kitchen bringing classical skills to the food, Bistro Dom has settled nicely with a loyal and regular clientele who love the food, the concept and the wine. A good friend who knows a lot about food and wine loves Davies signature roast duck breast and confit leg the accompaniments varying with the season and admits to always looking forward to the same thing. As for me I can’t wait to go back to have the liver and sweetbreads again.
WINE Ben Johnston is a true Francophile and his list is the list of a real patron who only buys and sells the wines he loves. One might also reasonably suspect that Johnston is also in the process of building a formidable restaurant cellar with a wonderful back vintage list. Typically, he opens great bottles at random to sell by the glass happily knowing that what the clientele doesn’t consume in a day he surely will enjoy at the end of the day. The Australian wines listed are mainly favourites, all Australian benchmark examples of the varietal and show a real determination to find interesting quality wines. The list at Dom is very sexy. Whilst there is ample opportunity for indulgence on Johnston’s list wines by the glass start at just $9 and more expensive offer the welcome opportunity to taste a much more expensive wine where a bottle might not be within the budget but a glass can be written off to wine education without a so much as a second’s bad conscience.
the art of Steve Langdon is well worth a look!
PATRON — Ben Johnston
CHEF — Andrew Davies
OWNERS — Dominika and Ben Johnston
