PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAThe Tincat is snuggled among inner city Kent Town. An 1850s Victorian terrace, it once housed a brothel and bakery (though not simultaneously). When spruiking tarts of the jam kind it was also home to a tin “scare-cat” designed to send hungry birds skyward. She still patrols the front windowsill today, but within, three cosy dining rooms and a bar are decorated in restrained 50s retro. Laminated tables continue through to a shaded garden where a flamboyant lawn flamingo poses among a garden of prowling feline characters. Walls exhibit the work of local emerging artists, all of which contribute to this establishment’s unique ethos. The quaint setting is offset by a menu that could rival a high-end noshery.
Claire Graham is co-owner and top cat in the kitchen. She sings the praises of chefs Guy and Jane who share her devotion to innovative cuisine. Mobile menu boards illustrate the kitchen’s daily showcase of the season’s best produce, reflecting discerning taste in ingredients and energy in each dish’s compilation. Entrees inspire with Moroccan veal salad with frissee, pomegranate, peas, and dukkah-crusted egg. Atlantic salmon is coated in a wasabi pea crust with smoky chilli and guava glaze and polenta. Round off your meal (and belly) with glazed King Henry pineapple with coconut ice cream and angostura caramel. Slink back for breakfast, brunch, high tea or a degustation menu that will leave you purring.
Roz Taylor