When Thelma announced last month it would pause its morning service, it was a blow for early risers and dedicated fans of the team’s sourdough loaves, tarts and other seasonal baked goods.
The update was spurred by a change to Thelma’s tenancy – the prep kitchen out the back, which housed the oven they were using to bake breads and pastries, has been repurposed by the landlord – but there’s a silver lining to the later start: it’s opened the door to dinner service.
“We’ve wanted to do this forever,” says co-owner Olivia Moore. “We’ve done lots of private dinners. But we couldn’t do regular dinner as well as lunch and coffee – it’s too many hours for Tom.”
From this weekend, the Piccadilly bistro will introduce Saturday night dinners, finally making use of the snug space after dark. “We’ve done a couple of dinners with other chefs and we were surprised how much we loved it as an evening venue,” says Moore. “It’s so nice up here, it’s quiet, it’s intimate, and it’s cosy, especially without the chaos of the coffee machine. There’s also not heaps of evening options of this style in the Hills.”
Campbell will present an evolving set menu (for $95pp) with optional paired wines (including by the half-glass) selected by Moore. “You’re less likely to get walk-ins in the evening in the Hills, so having more structure and control in the kitchen is ideal for us and ideal for service.”
The dinners will expand on the ingredient-first, country-style cooking Campbell’s been doing at lunch (and, previously, The Summertown Aristologist) and during his one-off collaborations with guest chefs such as David Moyle (of The Salty Mangrove in northern New South Wales) and Luke Dolphin (of Restaurant Pluviose in French fishing port Saint-Jean-de-Luz). Think raw nannygai in rose vinegar with salted wild plum; beef tongue with sauce gribiche; Port Lincoln sardine with dashi and preserves; and tomatoes with vongole vinaigrette and blackcurrant – making good use of fresh produce from Tim Spreadbury’s market garden Presqil, and seafood from small-scale South Australian fishers.
“If you’ve ever been to one of the collab dinners we’ve done you can see it’s a little bit more refined,” says Moore. “Like with those dinners, this is an opportunity for Tom to offer an even more elevated menu and be a bit more creative. It’ll be an entirely different experience.”
Alongside the paired wines, Moore will also offer half-pour cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks like Tina’s lightly sparkling tea, plus house-made cordials.
Running one dinner service per week also means the door remains open for family-style private events and guest-chef collaborations on other nights. “We’ve been doing harvest dinners for winemakers that are more casual,” says Moore. “We’ve been like, ‘We should do a taco night!’ So it means we can open up for private bookings every now and then.”
Thelma's first dinner service is this Saturday, March 8, at 176 Piccadilly Road, Piccadilly.
