Artwork on restaurant walls is nothing new, however, The Wonderful Winkler Gallery tries to take it to the next level by incorporating an art gallery with a restaurant and bar. Cliche is the current art exhibition which showcases the work of a couple of dozen local artists. With the obvious French theme, the menu, drinks and music have been tailored to suit. With close to a dozen entrees and mains to choose from, the sharing of dishes is encouraged.

Having been to this place when it was D’Artagnan, I was unaware of how large this place actually was. There is a bar on each floor and a private outdoor dining area upstairs. While the artwork was a great topic of conversation, the upside down trees and the unique light fittings in the front dining area, also attracted our attention.

For dinner, we decided to share two mains. The food came in less than 10 minutes after ordering and was nicely presented.

The Cheeky Beef consisted of two slow cooked braised beef cheeks and sides of burnt onion aioli, saffron eschalot and crispy kale. The beef cheeks were tender and succulent, and the meat fell apart quite easily. The sauce that it was cooked in had a lovely caramelised sweetness.

The burnt onion aioli was simply divine as the flavour of onion and garlic worked hand in hand. The eschalots were firm but delicate and the crispy kale reminded me of seaweed sheets you can buy in Asian groceries. Each side complimented the beef cheeks in a different way which is why it was such a well thought out dish.

The Duck Confit Salad was sitting on top of a bed of French lentils, an apple salad and a duck jus. The duck was full of flavour, and the meat was soft and tender. Personally, I thought the skin could have been a little crispier, but it was acceptable the way it was. The lentils were soft and mushy, and had absorbed the flavours from the jus. The apple salad added a nice natural sweetness and a crunchy texture at the same time.

The Lychee Bavarois contained a strawberry consume, lychee, strawberry and mint salsa. The addition of lychee gives this dessert a bit of an Asian twist. It’s sweetness also complemented the strawberry components, while the mint added a refreshing burst. The bavarois itself, had a nice thick consistency, a lovely silky smooth texture and subtle hints of vanilla.

The staff were really friendly and quite knowledgeable about the menu offerings. Drinks were constantly refilled, meals arrived promptly and plates were cleared as soon as we finished. They even brought us new cutlery and napkins after the mains. We found the downstairs area to be quite relaxed, while it was bit more vibrant in the upper level.

When I think sharing, I think tapas, which most of the time is not a good thing because a lot of money is spent to get full. This wasn’t the case with the two mains that we ordered. The Cheeky Beef dish was quite rich, and combined with the other main, it was enough to make us full. Both mains and a dessert set us back $59, which was quite good considering the high standard of the dishes. Entrees start at $10, mains $19 and dessert $12.

We found it hard to find fault with this place and of the experience as a whole. I don’t often say this, but this place is well worth another visit.

WHERE: 26 O’Connell St, North Adelaide