Upon the recommendation of our good friend D, we had lunch at the Salopian Inn whilst we visited McLaren Vale.  I’m glad we did, although perhaps my jeans weren’t so happy about it.

The place was packed for Sunday lunch and we didn’t have a booking but we were fortunate enough to grab the last table.

We had learnt our lesson (somewhat) from previous meals in SA, so passed on bread and entrees.  Ultimately we passed on dessert too.  Our mains (with a side of beans) turned out to be more than enough to keep us full until dinner.

Beef cheek is one of those fantastic cuts for slow-cooking.  When it’s done well, the meat almost dissolves in your mouth.  The chef at Salopian Inn knows how to cook beef cheek!  And the accompanying duck-fat potatoes and parsnip were delicious.  I couldn’t pinpoint what was in the sauce accompanying the beef cheek but it was so good.  It’s times like these that I realise the inadequacies of the English language (and my own skills!).

  J had twice roasted duck, pink peppercorn, baked quince, beetroot, witlof, pomegranate sauce.  I’m not a fan of duck, so I didn’t taste his dish, but he assures me it was wonderful.  We now understand why Salopian Inn came so highly recommended and was so busy.  And the wines from the adjoining cellar door (Gemtree and Dowie Doole) weren’t bad either!

Salopian Inn
Cnr McMurtrie & Main Rds
McLaren Vale   SA

Ph: 08 8323 8769
Web: http://mvbeer.com/the-salopian-inn.html