The General Wine Bar, situated in the heart of McLaren Flat, is a hidden gem dishing up some delightful must-do dining experiences.
Chef Joe Boas, the former Pastry Chef of the Current Shed, is now leading The General kitchen and launching an Asian-style Degustation every Saturday night, inspired by his own travels across Asia.
Manager of The General, Victoria ‘Vik’ Maxwell, said Joe led sold-out Thai and Japanese pop-ups at The General last year, which inspired the team to begin “Chef’s Choice” Saturday night dinners as a permanent offering.
“These Saturday night dinners give people a town experience at a local venue and without the town price tag,” said Vik.
“Unlike our other dining offerings, this is designed as an intimate, dining experience where we walk you through the flavours of Asia.”
The local venue is technically a cellar door for SA wine producer, Zonte’s Footstep – located where the original General Store once stood in the small town down South. After listening to the community’s calls for something different, The General stepped in and delivered.
“I always say to guests that not only does Joe create the most beautiful dishes for this menu, but he literally does. Joe made a range of ceramics for his previous pop-ups, and now we use them to serve his dishes in. I don’t know of anywhere else you would see this happen!” said Vik.
“These Saturday dinners are designed for just up to 18 people. We can create a stunning night spread over a few hours, and guests can leave feeling relaxed and full. Guests are even able to take home the wines they enjoyed with their dinner at cellar door prices.”
All ingredients are sourced from local Adelaide suppliers, with all meat provided by McLaren Vale’s Ellis Butchers. Joe said he selected ingredients that were authentic, bringing back memories of travelling through food.
“[When I] travelled through Asia, I loved the flavours and ingredients,” said Joe. In an effort to make guests feel like they’re on holiday again, Joe is bringing a little bit of the holiday to the plate.
“I try to use elements that people aren’t likely to be doing at home,” he said, and the guests should expect “mostly Japanese flavours with hints of Malaysian, Chinese.”
Some dishes that have featured on Joes choice menu are “sashimi freshness”, alongside gyoza, crispy eggplant, brisket hot pot, and Malaysian curries. For something sweet, you’ll be able to try the sticky rice and matcha tea desserts.
Currently the weekly Asian style Saturday night menu starts at 6:30pm, serving 6 courses for $80 per head. With optional wine pairing with Zontes foostep wines costing $40 per person, with a half-pour option also available at an additional $25.
This menu in its current form will only be available until the end of April. From May, with the dark night’s drawing in the menu will be modified slightly, to commence at the earlier time of 6pm for a 4 course chefs choice menu at $65 per head, to also include a glass of Zonte’s prosecco on arrival. Wine pairing is still an option.
To find out more about Chef Joe’s unique dining experiences and the other dining on offer, visit The General Wine Bar website, Facebook, or Instagram.
The General Wine Bar is located at 55a Main Road, McLaren Flat SA 5171.
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