Six months ago chef Stewart Wesson hopped across Victoria Square from his previous station at Public CBD in Franklin Street to take up a little blink-and-miss-it space on Flinders Street below a block of apartments.

It’s like a micro version of Public in style, but more casual and rustic. And this time it’s Wesson’s baby, in partnership with a few friends – including artist Megan Roodenrys, whose ceiling installation Ten Thousand Spoons is not only mesmerising, but acoustically baffling. Wesson says there was no wall space for Roodenrys to hang her works.

Just like at home, customers can take a seat at the kitchen bench to eat and chat to Wesson while he works, quietly preparing generous serves of seasonal local produce with aesthetic appeal. Halved heirloom tomatoes, torn bocconcini and neat chunks of grilled nectarines are topped with generous slices of local prosciutto ($16) and pushed towards the edge of the bench. And in another dish the fattest pan-fried prawns peep from beneath fine slices of whole green apple ($24) as Wesson says: “Food’s up”.

Grilled nectarines are added to a salad of heirloom tomatoes and bocconcini. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

The Flinders Street Project is open for brunch, lunch, dinner on Fridays, and the occasional Saturday Night Food Project Nights (degustation dinners and other special events by registration). The daily clientele is mainly local residents and workers.

Wesson says much of the menu is designed around the 990kg oven he managed to haul out of the Hilton, where he did his apprenticeship, and installed out the back of the Flinders Street site.

Chef Emma Semmler bakes the pastries – sourdough croissants, pain au chocolat, salted caramel scrolls, rhubarb and baked custard tarts, and more, come out of the oven each morning.

Wesson bakes the wild yeast sourdough breads himself, leaving the dough to prove overnight in Banneton rattan baskets which give the loaves a striped patina. The organic oat and maple loaf is barista/front-of-house Luke Wilcox’s favourite.

In Danish luncheon style, slices of Wesson’s hand-made sourdough bread is available with assorted garnishes. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

Wesson says he spent two months in Denmark last year. “There are street vendors selling Smørrebrød (Danish open sandwiches) – every day I used to grab about six of them and sit in the park to eat them,” he told InDaily. At The Flinders Street Project he has given them “a modern twist” ($4 each or three for $10) with toppings such as roasted cherry tomato, local prosciutto and herbs, and Woodside goat cheese, fennel, watercress and sumac.

Favourite dish: Pork belly, watermelon, feta, mint and sumac dressing ($26). Not one of Wesson’s more beautiful dishes to look at, but super tasty, and the more-than-generous serving of tender pork and salty crackling is justified by the refreshing salad accompaniment.

A slab of tender and crispy pork belly is tempered with refreshing watermelon and fennel. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

Other dishes: The slow-cooked lamb shoulder, labne, pomegranate and fennel salad ($18), and the SA haloumi, avocado, toasted bread and bitter-leaf salad ($17) were tempting, but left me with more than one reason to return.

Something sweet/to drink: There is house-made sparkling pomegranate and fresh lime cordial, cold-pressed juices, a short but meaningful list of mostly gin-based cocktails (from $12) and an interesting local wine list by sommelier Chris Sarandis. You can get 2014 Tansley Farm L’Orpheline Cider from the Adelaide Hills ($7/$35), McLaren Vale Goodiesons Pale Ale  ($7) and 2013 Lino Ramble ‘Treadile’ GSM ($10/$50). The coffee is from Port Elliot roaster Trevor de Groot, Adelaide’s Monastery and Melbourne’s Small Batch. Chocolate is by Melbourne cacao artisans Mörk.

The Flinders Street Project
276 Flinders Street, Adelaide 7230 1817
Open Monday to Thursday 7am to 4pm, Friday 7am to late and Saturday 8am to 3pm.