PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAThere is not a laminex table or paper serviette in sight at Concubine. What you will see are well-spaced tables set with linen and plush upholstered seating. The walls are not papered with fluro-coloured “specials” sheets or etchings of intertwined carp. Silky wallpaper patterned with lotus flowers features on one wall and hanging from the ceiling is a beautiful cluster of decorative birdcages. Atop the stairs is a private dining area called the Shanghai Room and one glance will make you wish to secure it for your next soiree. Portraits of smiling beauties adorn the walls and, concubines or not, the lovely ladies are a delight to have in the room.
The refined interior design reflects the menu. You won’t hear someone ordering dish #98 at Concubine as the menu is short and sweet by any standards. Proprietor, Audreen Lee, is wise to the value of top-notch produce used well and she has given chef, Kenneth Ting, the green light to use the best locally sourced meat, seafood and vegetables. The results are contemporary dishes such as South Australian mussels in brown beans and chilli, finished with no less than Chivas Regal, thank you very much. Barossa pork belly is slow braised in dark soy while Robe farmed barramundi is steamed whole with ginger and shallots. Hay Valley lamb cutlets come char siew style and salt and pepper bean curd gets showered with pink crystals from the Murray River. South Australian prawns make a star appearance dressed in lime-infused salt and Sarawak pepper. Finish things off with a cleansing lychee martini.
Roz Taylor, June 2008
