Somewhere in the kaleidoscope of snacks and larger dishes that make up dinner at Orana, you will come across a sensory trigger that rouses a vivid sense of place. A place that’s unmistakably Australian.

Perhaps it will be the campfire aromas of damper that sits on burning coals, then is split to slather in a lamb butter straight from the shearing shed. Maybe it’s the sea spray saltiness of beach succulents or a midden of empty shells crowned by skewers of scallop meat that sit you on the beach. Or the scent of eucalyptus in the now-signature buttermilk dessert.

With its native pantry well established, and its reputation spreading far and wide, Orana is moving beyond the role of pioneering new ingredients to presenting a more detailed, evocative version of a home-grown dining experience.

The irony is that it has taken an outsider, Scottish owner/chef and occasional TV star Jock Zonfrillo, to realise this potential as he catalogues and experiments with the species he finds like a restless culinary anthropologist.

Put all that aside, however, and this modestly proportioned and furnished dining room, sitting above a sibling bar, delivers surprises and moments of supreme pleasure with a consistency that rivals almost anywhere in the country.

The 15-or-so snacks are a revelation in themselves: the mussels set in a savoury custard; the kangaroo tendon puffed “cracker” to wipe through a startling native pepper emulsion that looks like Vegemite; a sprig of salt-and-vinegar saltbush leaves; that grilled scallop served with a creamy puree of its smoked trimmings.

After a transitional salad of palate-stripping astringency, the larger courses allow a more sustained appraisal. There will be kangaroo, of course, most often served in raw carpaccio style with some of the greenery on which the animal grazes. But the clear standout this night is a seared breast of magpie goose from the Top End, its novelty matched by ruby flesh similar to duck with a hint of pigeon-like funk.

Sweets come in several stages, finishing with a barely-set sphere of buttermilk in a pool of eucalyptus and strawberry juice that comes close to outshining all that has come before it.

A matched flight of wine and a cider (or alternative juice selection) is remarkably successful considering the many uncharted ingredients and flavours. The drinks are now in the hands of a new sommelier, one of several recent changes in personnel as Zonfrillo and his team expand with other brands in South Australia and interstate.

Despite the transition, the Orana experience remains remarkably consistent, making it a must on an itinerary of this country’s elite restaurants.

Social Feed