Jolleys Boathouse - Adelaide
You’re in the city but you’re not in the city. You’re on the banks of the Torrens River and it seems miles away from the hustling, bustling streets of Adelaide’s CBD. You’re also at Jolleys Boathouse - it’s one of those great locations in Australia where some lucky bastard has the fortune to hold a liquor licence for a premises which contains a commercial kitchen and a dining room of around 100 seats.
I love going to Jolleys, especially during the day, I can just sit there for hours sipping wine and eating food as I watch red faced joggers pass by. The Torrens River is a playground for birdlife and more red faced athletes that row up and down in those long sleek boats. On the opposite bank life seems a little less strenuous; people play with puppies, feed swans, get romantic and generally just smell the roses. Things are just - well, quite jolly actually, but let’s get back to reviewing the restaurant.
It’s a little quiet at the beginning of the week so there was just manager/supervisor and waitress taking care of business front of house. This should be adequate as long as the two have each others backs - it didn’t seem to be the case. I liked our waitress right from the beginning and not just because she had two waiter’s friends protruding from her apron (but that’s always a good sign). She knows her way round the room, has good product knowledge and is at ease with guests. I can tell she wants to provide the seamless service referred to on the Jolleys website, however it ends up seeming less than seamless as her superior fails to provide her with the appropriate support.
There’s an order of service as one would expect, you’re seated and given a chance to look over the wine list before being distracted by the food. It’s a very parochial directory of South Australians, a few Kiwis in the sauvignon blanc and pinot noir sections and completed by a couple of obvious internationals. The list is reasonably sized but very safe. I expect a restaurant of such maturity would be a little more imaginative in assembling its wines and show a little more depth in respect of vintages. We order pre luncheon drinks. Our napkins are lapped and the menus arrive, chink go our glasses and we offer each other cheers.
After some careful deliberation we submit our order. Entrée’s, mains, a couple of glasses of white for the first course and a bottle of red that I hoped would appear sooner rather than later. I always like getting the top off quickly and allowing the wine some time to catch a few breaths before I dive in.
Our girl with the two waiter’s friends had her work cut out for her and I began to worry that opening our red was far from her mind. When she stopped by with our entrée’s I felt compelled to inquire of its whereabouts. A few mouthfuls into the first course she returned wine list in hand and face the same colour as the passing joggers. The list seemed to be under reconstruction and the bottle we ordered was no longer in stock. It’s not necessarily a huge inconvenience when a particular wine isn’t available, you just choose a different one. However this should be taken care of straight away and the key to it all is good communication and support.
Jolleys’ food also appears to be a little on the safe side at the moment, I’ve certainly seen it more playful and alluring on past visits. Beautifully cooked scallops lose their prominence amongst the power of a Vietnamese salad and pickled celeriac seems out of place on a plate accented by a French/Aus tale of venison, mushrooms, bacon and brussels sprouts. A number of dishes contain caramelized this and that, and while most are done to a perfect golden shine some slip into the completely black category. Those are the ones that shouldn’t make it to the table. All that being said and done I enjoyed some tasty flavours and feel somewhat nurtured by Chef Tony Carroll’s cuisine.
Waitersfriend knows fully well how busy a manager/supervisor’s day can be. But we undeniably believe that service is a sacred part of that day - especially the quiet ones. You need to go in committed and provide support to your waiters, allow them to practice their craft and dazzle your guests with the appearance of an effortless performance. You should constantly guard against elementary mistakes and minor errors that left unchecked can quickly generate unnecessary consequences.
Jolleys is open 7 days and does lunch, except on Saturdays and dinner, except on Sundays. Head to the website for details but be warned - the menu there isn’t always up to date.
A quick update…
After a recent visit to Jolleys Boathouse I am pleased to amend my thoughts on the food. As always I love being at Jolleys and I was excited whilst reading through the current menu. Deciding on the dishes I was going to order was pleasurably not easy. The plates arrived and were met with great satisfaction. There is some obvious skill, pride and technique as well as great flavours and delightful produce. Loved it all and had a great day!
