For nearly three decades, Chloe’s has been synonymous with fine dining in Adelaide. Set in a gracious Victorian villa, customers are brought back in time with elegant dining rooms and a gorgeous marble fireplace. Adorn with antique paintings and silverware, the establishment is filled with so much history. With a cellar that boasts over 10,000 bottles of wine, this place really has it all.

Like most fine dining restaurants, the menu is simple with a small selection of entree’s, mains and desserts. The produce is seasonal and locally sourced, and all their offerings are house made. In line with haute cuisine, all their dishes are elaborately constructed, and are works of art in themselves.

A complimentary starter was the Goats Cheese with Beetroot and Walnuts. The goats cheese was silky smooth and was very similar to a tangy cream cheese. The beetroot had a subtle natural sweetness while the walnuts added a crunchy texture.

As an entree, I had the Veal Shoulder wrapped in Jamon. The veal was lean and tender, and encased in a crispy firm coating. The jamon had a subtle nutty flavour with buttery undertones. The pea pods added a nice crunchy texture, while the light truffle dressing provided good balance.

Two other friends within the group ordered entrees and were very pleased with their dishes.

This was Kangaroo Island marron with pan fried potato terrine, crispy duck skin salad and jus gras.

Below is the house made linguini with caramelised cauliflower, seared scallops and crispy pigs ears. The pigs ears were salty and chewy, and was a first for me.

As a palate cleanser before the main, we all received an Orange and Cardamon Sorbet. While cardamon usually has a strong pungent flavour, the orange was quite prominent. It was all very refreshing none the less.

As a main, I had the crisp skin smoked duck breast, spiced braised duck leg in cabbage, sausage and pickled melon. The duck was tender and succulent, and the duck skin was perfectly crisp. The braised duck leg was soft, moist and well flavoured, and had plenty of depth. The pickled melon reminded me of a green papaya salad. It had a subtle sweetness and provided a nice crunchy texture.

The Green Beans were nice and crunchy, and perfectly cooked.

These are the mains that the group had. My friend found a fish bone in her fish fillet, but otherwise it was a very good dish.

This was the salt bush lamb porterhouse with roasted breast, spiced pumpkin, coconut and dehydrated olives. My friend doesn’t like pumpkin but was very pleased with it in this dish.

Below is the roasted fillet of beef with an oxtail ragout pie, puree of spinach and confit heirloom carrots. The beef was tender and succulent, and perfectly cooked. My friend was happy with all the components of the dish with the exception of the huge chunk of fat she found in the pie.

For dessert, I had the persimmon and lemon verbena brulee with honey crumble and black rice ice cream. The ice cream had a nice subtle sweetness and it worked well with the crunchy texture of the honey crumble. The caramelisation on the brulee was a nice colour, however, I thought it was a bit thick. It took a bit of effort to actually break it. The brulee had a silky smooth texture and wasn’t overly sweet.

My friend had the layered lavender sponge with burnt butter ice cream and poached cointreau citrus fruits. She said it was amazing and wanted to make it at home.

The other two members of the group had the Petit Four. Petit Four is French for “small oven” and refers to small confectionery or savoury appetisers. The “four” in Petit Four doesn’t refer to the number of appetisers you get. In our case, there were only three per person.

The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the service was what you would expect from any fine dining establishment. Our coats and umbrellas were taken away and put into the cloak room, cloth napkins were placed on our laps and constantly refolded, chairs were pulled out for us, drinks were constantly refilled, plates were cleared as we finished, staff were attentive without being intrusive, and the door was even opened for us as we left. The atmosphere was intimate and relaxed. I even liked how they had cloth towels in the bathroom with Latino tunes playing in the background.

This place is not cheap. Entrees are around $30-$35, mains $40 and desserts $20. Add a few drinks and you’ll be spending over $100 per person. The serving sizes are not huge and there is an emphasis on presentation. There were a few trivial issues with the quality of the meals throughout the night, but that didn’t detract from the overall experience. Everybody really enjoyed themselves and had a great night.

Verdict: Perfect for that special occasion, although you’ll need to bring lots of money.

WHERE: 36 College Rd, Kent Town