For the price of a pub meal, owner/chef Daniel Blencowe turns out dishes that are intelligent and generous, reflecting his global travels but avoiding the cliches. Whether it is Italian gnocchi, Scandi beetroot or Japanese-style ocean trout, nothing costs more than $28. And that’s for the larger dinner plates.

At lunch, a Sri Lankan curry, made with fillets of Coorong mullet, cardamom and curry leaves, is a crazy $18. And, while NLE might not be in the running for a design award, the dining space is warm and welcoming, with tables spread around a central bar and art on the walls.

An Indian chaat-style snack is given its daily intake of greens in a combination of broccoli, green beans, fried potato cubes and cherry tomatoes, touched with a garam masala dressing and loaded on to a crisp, charred disc of paratha. Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, rolled with garam masala and yoghurt, sits in the middle of intersecting pools of rogan josh sauce and pomme puree.

For dessert, an Indonesian chef working with Blencowe is behind the traditional banana leaf parcel of sticky rice, finished with palm sugar caramel and toasted coconut.

To read our full list of reviews for South Australia, head here.