Vine + Essen has added to Adelaide’s ever-growing group of wine bars, opening an intimate Adelaide Hills venue where simple stand-out food puts local produce in the spotlight. Head chef and venue manager, Fin Sims, tells us more.

Congratulations on the opening of Vine+ Essen! Tell us about the venue.

Vine + Essen [has had] multiple pivots since its conception pre-COVID.[Originally] it was to be a breakfast and lunch venue. However, they’d built this gorgeous bar [and] it didn’t make sense to waste it on mimosas! I pitched to shift to lunch and dinner – and here we are. Vibe-wise, we’re going for the neighbourhood wine bar but with more substantial food offerings. My background is in Greek and Middle Eastern kitchens, and my wife and sous chef Tess began her career in the kitchens of Orana and Restaurant Botanic. We’ve worked together to create a menu that features things we like eating.Tess refined it, and I’ve funked it up a bit.

The Vine + Essen ethos is that everything is better shared. How does that translate onto the menu?

We’ve tried to embrace that style of eating where diners are encouraged to try different complimentary flavour combinations and contrasts of hot and cold dishes. We’ve also chosen larger tabletops – it was important to me that the setting provided enough space to have multiple plates at once and that people have time to relax and enjoy themselves.

What are some of the stand-out items on the menu?

That’s always a hard one! I think the half chicken with harissa and preserved lemon [paired] with Brussels sprouts with pancetta and date syrup.

You’ve previously worked at Yotam Ottolenghi’s Rovi restaurant in London.How has that influenced the menu you’ve created at Vine + Essen?

The Rovi kitchen was bloody fun. It was the largest brigade I had been in, but still so inclusive and intimate; the food didn’t feel mass-produced or forced. It was still authentic to its intent. Simple vegetables were elevated to stunning dishes but were still unapologetically themselves. I hope to give produce the same level of respect.

What sets SA’s hospitality scene apart?

The best part of the South Australian hospitality scene is the thing that made me want to leave as a kid. It’s small, intimate and nothing seems very far away.You can live in the eastern suburbs, work in the Adelaide Hills, go to the beach for some seafood and on the way home, go to the Central Markets for some fresh produce. You’re hard-pressed to find that sort of diverse offering in such proximity anywhere else. We’re spoilt for choice here.

What’s next for Vine + Essen?

Tess and I love collab dinners with wineries and other venues. It’s such a fun thing to do as a kitchen – to bring in other people who have a product they’ve put their heart into and smash it with our soul project. Hopefully, we can get some of that going!

Vine + Essen
33 Main Street, Hahndorf
08 7192 8199
vineandessen.com.au
@vineandessen