Filling Fino’s shoes at Willunga
Le Mistral has bravely taken up the space occupied for 10 years by revered restaurant Fino at Willunga, but new owners Tarik and Sandrine Maltret are not seeking to replicate it.
Willunga's new French flavour - Sandrine and Tarik Maltret. Photo: supplied
Instead, the French-born chef/front-of-house couple offer their own interpretation of Fleurieu food and wine, which has already won them a loyal following in Willunga.
The Maltrets’ first venture was La Terre, the restaurant they took over from local food champion Jen Hanna after moving into the village just over 12 months ago. They took its simple rustic French style up a notch with a real French chef – Tarik – behind the stoves, and will continue to run it in tandem with Le Mistral.
“People have been very supportive,” says Tarik. “It feels like we have been here for five or 10 years already.”
After Fino owners David Swain and Sharon Romeo moved to the Barossa Valley to open the new Fino Seppeltsfield, Willunga was waiting for who or what could fill the highly anticipated space.
“The community has high expectations for this venue,” says Tarik. “We need to match that or they will shoot us!”
Le Mistral interior. Photo: supplied
While La Terre continues to follow Jen Hanna’s philosophy of serving a casual French-style breakfast and lunch menu using organic produce sourced from the Willunga Farmers’ Market, Le Mistral has just completed its first full week of higher-end lunch and dinner service.
“The restaurant is as it was when David and Sharon were here, apart from a fresh coat of paint and some new art,” says Tarik. “We still use the same suppliers. We only work with local produce – the market is in front of the restaurant.”
Le Mistral’s dishes include bouillabaisse made with local flathead, cod and crayfish, a local version of duck a l’orange, and a classic Grand Marnier soufflé that Tarik says the locals won’t let him take off the menu.
“The big difference between La Terre and Le Mistral is that Le Mistral is more complex,” he says. “The dishes are more complex and we have many more local and international wines on the list.”
And the difference between Le Mistral and Fino is the obvious French style.
“We are not trying to replace Fino. we want Le Mistral to have its own beautiful food with the French influence we bring,” says Tarik. “I said forget about Fino, let’s focus on what we are doing and what we have done so far.”
Le Mistral is open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday and for lunch from Friday to Sunday.
