In a battle of the big-name additions to Adelaide’s dining scene, Sean’s Kitchen comes out a clear winner.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is the first of two new restaurants being opened by SkyCity on North Terrace.

Tucked down Station Road, Sean’s Kitchen (named after chef and restaurateur Sean Connolly) is the result of a remarkable and expensive fit-out of what used to be the much-confused North Café.

There are similarities between this new restaurant and Jamie’s Italian: both are heralded by celebrity chefs with numerous franchises, and both opened in prime Adelaide positions within the past six months. But there are also numerous differences between the two.

While the setting at Sean’s isn’t quite as impressive as that of Jamie’s, it creates a similar atmosphere. Sean’s also enjoys the benefit of a large alfresco area with communal tables and smaller four-seat tables which have been packed during the warmer weather.

It is a warm mid-week night when we visit, and we are greeted by eager staff who escort us to our table.

Cocktail shakers rattle at the impressive bar which lines the front of the room, while a long and open kitchen runs along the back, where a bevy of chefs work the grills and plate up. The centrepiece is a row of fridges at the far end of the room, with tempting haunches of ham hanging in rows.

An upstairs room offers a large space for functions or, when not booked out, a more intimate setting.

Wooden benches run through the middle of the restaurant with wooden tables and blue, white and yellow-patterned cane seats completing the setting.  Hard floors, white tiles, golden street lamps and green shrubbery create a richly inviting atmosphere.

It is early and the restaurant is packed but conversation is easy and relatively private; the high ceilings disperse the chatter.

We are introduced to our waitress – the staff and chefs are uniformly well-dressed – who offers a large cardboard menu. The food on offer is wide-ranging. The menu does not necessarily following a common theme other than being based around truly good produce – a lot of it South Australian.

There is SA’s best selection of cured hams, a huge range of seafood (including caviar at $285 for 30g), shared dishes of 1.2kg T-bone, and the more traditional chicken kiev or burger.

The wine list is well-priced and balanced; it’s not a huge selection but it covers all bases. The only beers available are of the boutique variety.

To start, we order a selection from the “finger and fork” section of the menu.

The crab ‘n’ cheese melt ($16) is to die for. Salty, super-rich and gooey béchamel mixes with a large amount of crab meat. It is the most decadent version of “cheese on toast”.

A plate of sardines and soldiers ($16) arrives ready for you to put the two together yourself.  Large white anchovies and dense rye bread with a briny “green sauce” are a little simpler than the melt, but no less tasty.

A $10 plate of fermin serrano jamon is melt-in-the-mouth goodness, while the mushroom cigars – filo pastry wrapped around mushroom to form a long crispy treat – are a nice canapé.

It is a good selection, simply yet tastefully presented.

Our lovely waitress, seemingly under pressure to keep the tables moving, hovers at our table to try to take our order for mains. We oblige, but it feels a bit rushed.

We select (to share) the 1.2kg lamb shoulder ($50), five Spencer Gulf prawns ($45), the Waldorf salad ($20), mac cheese ($8) and duck-fat chips ($10).

The food arrives, all at the same time, a short while later. The waitress struggles to find room on the table.

It is this moment Sean arrives at the table, offering to carve the lamb for us – or, more accurately, peel it from the bone.

He has been busy working the room all night, and says the restaurant is going extremely well – the highlight being the 700 meals served on Saturday ahead of the Rolling Stones playing at Adelaide Oval.

He lingers for not a moment too long, ensuring the food and drinks are to everyone’s liking before moving off to the next table. It is a nice touch and something that, although won’t happen every night, does make the customer feel special.

The lamb, sitting in a copper serving dish which came with what was described as a jus, is the pick of the dishes. Full of flavour, it is moist and delicate; the jus is sticky and sweet, and a subtle hint of aniseed enhances the lamb. It is the ultimate sharing food.

The Waldorf salad is fresh, light and comes with almost more chicken than leaf – which is more than welcome.

The prawns are big, served whole yet peeled for easy eating. Served in a classic Pernod and parsley butter, they are succulent and slightly smoky from the grill. At a cost of $45, they are a treat worth forking out for.

The side of mac cheese is vintage-cheddar-based, bitey and perhaps slightly over-seasoned, while the duck-fat chips, served in a paper cone, are unremarkable.

To finish the night we have a “peanut butter sandwich” – a scoop of deliciously nutty ice-cream wedged between two biscuits – which is simple yet refreshing.

At the launch of his restaurant, Sean made a point of welcoming the competition from across the road – the other big name, Jamie’s Italian – and it is easy to see why. Sean’s Kitchen is everything Jamie’s Italian wants to be: excellent food, thorough (although sometimes forced) service, and a grand yet sociable setting.

While Jamie’s Kitchen really is all about Jamie, including a menu of merchandise available to purchase after dinner, Sean’s Kitchen is less about him, with more emphasis on the customer enjoying a great meal in a pleasant setting.

Four out of five

Sean’s Kitchen
Station Road, Adelaide

Open: from breakfast until late