Bird in Hand winery’s remodelled and renamed on-premises dining room, LVN Restaurant, will open its doors in January 2024 under the guidance of Executive Chef Jacob Davey.
Situated in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, the restaurant joins the newly refurbished Bird in Hand cellar door at the winery’s Woodside site and will offer a farm-to-table fine dining experience with a menu of seven to ten dishes.
Most recently the Head Chef of the three-hatted Restaurant Botanic in Adelaide, Davey has drawn on his experience in Europe and as an Adelaide local to curate the menu, which includes one-bite signatures and larger dishes.
“I’m inspired by the farmers, the producers, the fishers, and the seasons and micro-seasons of Adelaide Hills and our kitchen garden,” says Davey. “My aim [at LVN] is to weave all of this together to create a world-class experience.”
The menu uses seasonal native ingredients to incorporate the flavours of the land on which the winery grows its grapes, combined with produce sourced locally and from the onsite kitchen garden, as well as rare seasonal goods Tasmania.
Some of the highlights on the menu include mutton bird and wallaby native to northern Tasmania, pipis and coastal fruits from the south of Adelaide, and sheoak and kangaroo from Adelaide Hills.
Complementing the food offering will be a selection of Bird in Hand’s rare museum wines, curated by senior winemakers and made available exclusively to restaurant guests.
Andrew Nugent, Co-Founder of Bird in Hand, says that art is a core focus of the new dining experience, and the interior has been given equal thought as the cuisine.
“We believe wine is a connector to art, design and culture, bringing together people to share moments of happiness and joy. This translates beautifully in the new restaurant space.”
LVN Restaurant is naturally lit, home to a collection of original artworks by Australian and international artists.
The name of the reimagined restaurant takes its inspiration from the daughter of Bird in Hand Founders Andrew and Susie Nugent, using the initials of Lalla Victoria Nugent, a name that was also given to the winery’s prestigious pinnacle cuvée which is due to be released in 2027.