The Summertown Aristologist – Introduction
The Summertown Aristologist is a restaurant and bar that acts as a meeting place for winemakers, tradespeople and locals in the Adelaide Hills as well as curious tourists who have heard that this is a good place to eat interesting, ethically-sourced food and the local minimal-intervention wines. We find this place comfortable and comforting!
We can only use words like nourishing and comforting to describe the food here. We were looking forward to our meal very much because we have had so many so many great recommendations from our many friends in the area – and they were all spot on.
The Summertown Aristologist has been set up as a community resource by two talented, local winemakers and former chefs, Anton Van Klopper and Jasper Button. Anton was one of the pioneers of natural winemaking in Australia and has had an enormous influence on winemaking in this country. His wines grace the tables of restaurants in France, the UK, Denmark, Japan, Georgia and many more.
Jasper is a more recent convert to minimal intervention winemaking having started making wine on his family property after returning from cooking in Europe. His Community of Buttons wines are delicious and highly regarded.
So, it is no wonder that there is a very good cellar downstairs where patrons are encouraged to wander down and search through the selection available. Also, as former chefs Anton and Jasper have a very clear idea about the type of food they want to serve in their restaurant. And their chefs are definitely delivering on their vision.
Amongst the dishes, Goolwa pipis and fennel on finely-sliced fig, overlaid with paper-thin slivers of house-cured pork, followed by three types of wild mushrooms – porcini, pine and slippery jack – with the restaurant’s own potatoes with a watercress emulsion.
A dish of broccoli, barley and puffed rice behind the mushrooms was recommended by some friends who wandered in just after us and was possibly the most satisfying of all.
The barley had been cooked to the right level of “doneness” in a stock that was very flavoursome. The crunch of the puffed rice added contrast and the charring on the broccoli added flavour. A very good dish.
We finished with a brilliant dish of layers of pressed quince and roast almond custard.
Additional information
Venue: The Summertown Aristologist
Street: 1097 Greenhill Rd
Town/Suburb: Summertown, 5141
Phone number: +61 477 410 105
Opening hours: Dinner Fri – Sun, Lunch Sat – Sun
You can find out more about this pleasant venue on their Website below:
