PROFILE BY BEST RESTAURANTS
A fabulous eatery in the swish suburb of Unley, BarZaar has been a post office and a Red Cross store in its former incarnations. Owner John McGuire laughs with a customer who used to come here to hunt for bargain clothes, and now comes seeking delicious food. It is a place for everyone: the large courtyard has an impressive water feature to soothe the ladies that lunch, the bar and plasma screens suit the suits. Sundays even bring live entertainment with your meal. On the plate, chef Kristian Nesbit presents sleek, contemporary Australian cuisine to be enjoyed in sleek, contemporary surroundings.
Start with a BarZaar platter, overflowing with piquant marinated vegetables, salty prosciutto, tender pickled baby octopus and salt ‘n' pepper squid. Hummus and beetroot dips will be nestled in and among chargrilled Lebanese bread. But let us return to the salt ‘n' pepper squid, Kristian's specialty dish. It's pink. Not so much the creature itself but the salt. After studying it on the menu I learn that the squid is marinated in kaffir lime leaves and Szechuan pepper. Served on mixed lettuce, hazelnuts and Spanish onion, it's balanced with a sweet mirin dressing and an apple-saffron aioli. Also from the water, Barramundi is chargrilled Cajun-style and joined by herb butter, chips and your choice of salad or vegetables. Nori Tassal Atlantic salmon is an eclectic choice with shitake mushrooms, broccolini, miso broth and a Californian wild rice roll. Carnivores are tamed with veal scaloppini, pork rib eye or scotch fillet of steak with vanilla jus. Finish your BarZaar experience with a cleansing trio of sorbets – a medley of passionfruit, blood orange and mango will leave you feeling light and refreshed.
Roz Taylor