Omelet. Or omelette. Either way, it’s not a dish that’s going to quicken many pulses. An egg pancake, folded over a wholesome filling. Not exactly sexy, is it?

The “omelette” at Leigh Street Wine Room is another matter entirely. A small cast iron gratin dish, still super-heated, is covered by a cheese and truffle hollandaise glaze, its surface scorched like a crème brulee. The Vegemite- looking black blobs dotted across it are an unctuous black garlic paste. Dig in and there are slices of mushroom in an eggy ooze. It smells ridiculously good and tastes even better. Cue eye rolls and cries of wonder. Ooh la la.

But don’t break out the berets or the stripy t-shirts just yet. This second iteration of LSWR, with new owners and a new chef, does have moments that are pure Parisian bistro (for good reason, as we shall see). The overall package, however, is more worldly and nuanced, a sophisticated take on what a food-loving bar or a wine-loving eatery can be.

LSWR is now part of an emerging group, headed by Jay Patel and his highly regarded manager Meira Harel, that has also purchased Peel St and Press Food & Wine. In contrast to the latter, which has just re-opened after an overdue transformation, the existing fit-out in this former dry-cleaner is still more than fit for purpose.

The long, narrow room has bar and bottle racks down one side, and a wonderful vaulted ceiling that makes the space feel even more like a tunnel. Diners are spread between the bar and a handful of tables at the far end, or taken upstairs to the mezzanine. An open kitchen at the back is tight but chef Peter Orr certainly isn’t one to complain, reckoning he has coped with worse in a career that initially took him from Adelaide to London as a teenage apprentice, before expanding his horizons in the Middle East and then back in Europe. In Paris, he took a position at famed restaurant/bar Au Passage, met his wife-to-be and opened a restaurant with her, a venture that ran head-long into COVID. 

Back in Adelaide with his family, Orr has brought a little of that Parisian magic with him. As well as the omelette, his brief menu includes an excellent pork terrine, studded with pistachios, lightly spiced and accompanied by grilled bread and an intense beetroot relish.

Neatly trimmed cylinders of leek have been steamed and finished on the grill to bring a smoky, barbecued onion edge to the natural sweetness of the veg. They are blanketed in a beurre blanc pepped up with a dollop of miso and scattering of chives. Grains of toasted buckwheat add some bite.

Raw scallops from WA’s Abrolhos Islands are crowned with slices of green tomato and placed across a splatter pattern of yoghurt and chive oil. With potato crisps and a few crumbs of dried chilli, it’s an unlikely partnership that comes together like Bogart and Bacall.

Potato gnocchi are tossed in a tomato sugo with basil leaves and a big blob of milky stracciatella. It’s not exactly revolutionary but those little dumplings are as delicate as a prima donna’s ego. Lamb rump is given the briefest of introductions to the grill, leaving it provocatively rare, with a cap of fat barely rendered. Deliberately so, the chef says, but I reckon many diners will at least appreciate some forewarning. Kale, whipped labneh and a mint oil complete the picture.

Dessert, however, is a guaranteed crowd- pleaser, with a gelati-style brown butter ice cream, figs and a salted yeast caramel combined to create a grown-up sundae.

LSWR has taken time to introduce new bar staff and get the right chemistry. It has also moved the wine selection from a focus on natural/minimal intervention to a broader, more accessible spectrum. Like that omelette, it is the right kind of surprise.

Related review: Experience a tour de force of the French classics at Adelaide’s Bistro Francais