Storehouse Flinders East has opened inside Vibe Hotel, and patrons can expect relatable “damn tasty plates of food”.
Storehouse Flinders East brings classics with a twist to Vibe Hotel
Head chef of Storehouse Flinders East, Brent Potuszynski, says his favourite food is “nothing pretentious [and] still food that people can relate to”.
That’s why his latest project as head chef at Storehouse Flinders East has a relatable menu filled with household classics – with a twist.
“Basically, it’s just damn tasty plates of food, the type of food that people can come back for regularly,” Brent says.
“You might find a humble dish that you’ve heard of your whole life, but we’ll present it in a bit more of a contemporary way, we sort of put our own spin on it.
“It’s not something that’s priced or presented in a way that you’d come once, tick the box and then move on.”
Brent says he likes to experiment with flavour combinations.
“I’ve got no problem doing a traditional dish — we’ve got some traditional dishes on the menu — but I might pair it with a flavour combination… that sounds interesting,” Brent says.
“That’s what kind of excites me when I’m putting menus together.”
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A terrine (Brent’s Version)
Examples of Brent’s “left field” flavour combinations are scattered throughout the menu options.
“We’ve got like a traditional terrine on the menu…of pork shoulder, duck leg and chicken livers,” Brent says.
“Traditionally, it’s with mustard and crusty bread and that is how we serve it, but we also serve it with a nice spiced marmalade that we make which just adds a whole new element to it.
“The house-made Baklava we serve it with a malt ice cream [because] malt with anything sweet added to it works really, really well.”
Storehouse’s signature dish is the kangaroo, which is pictured below.
“The Kangaroo is South Australian Piru kangaroo and that’s served basically raw,” Brent says.
“It’s really well seasoned and seared off and it’s with pickled red grapes, black garlic and toasted pumpkin seeds.
“As chefs, you’ll never make a dish that’s perfect… but that kangaroo dish is probably the closest I’ve got to being a dish that I’m just so happy with and there’s nothing really I want to change about it.”
Brent also hasn’t shied away from classics through the inclusion of a “humble chocolate tart”.
The near-perfect kangaroo
Storehouse Flinders East is an addition to Flinders Street’s Vibe Hotel which opened in March this year. But general manager Katie Obst wants to reiterate the restaurant is a separate offering to the hotel.
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“Whilst we are in a hotel, obviously, establishing ourselves as a standalone restaurant that doesn’t feel intimidating to come into [is important],” Katie says.
“There is a bit of a stigma with a hotel restaurant… you just kind of look at it for the guest of the hotel but we really want to break away from that and be [an] actual eatery,” Brent elaborates.
The restaurant’s vibe is also different from Vibe Hotel.
“At night time, it’s a great atmosphere in here. We’re really lucky to have the outdoor dining option as well which we’re making the most out of during the summer,” Katie says.
“We don’t have the white tablecloths – it is a little bit more of a casual experience.
“But still you’re going to have a great meal, familiar service and a great drink as well.”
The Penfolds mural
Katie says that when designing the space the team wanted to pay homage to what once was.
“In terms of the mural, that’s actually an image of the old site in the 1960s. It was an old Penfolds bottle shop, which is really cool,” she says.
The Flinders Street east precinct is a 25-year project from architects and business partners Michael Loucas and Con Zahos of Loucas Zahos Architects.
“[Flinders Street] is obviously mixed use in terms of residential, commercial and retail and hospitality spaces,” Katie says.
“Then the hotel essentially was the jewel in the crown, the final piece of the puzzle in their 25-year vision.
“It’s quite outstanding, and what they wanted to create with this whole area is a new precinct and a new place for people to come and gather and meet.”
Storehouse Flinders East is located at 260 Flinders Street, Adelaide 5000.
Connect with the business on Instagram for more, or make bookings through the website.
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