When Justin James announced his departure from Restaurant Botanic – three years after taking the reins of the fine diner and quickly catapulting it to national and international acclaim – many wondered whether he would remain in Adelaide. Today Broadsheet can reveal he’s opening a new degustation diner, Restaurant Aptos, in leafy Stirling next year.
The American-born chef had considered moving back to Melbourne – where he was executive chef for five years at celebrated fine diner Vue de Monde, following stints at Eleven Madison Park and Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns – or cracking Sydney’s dining scene. “After careful consideration, I decided Adelaide was the place. I want to be in a city on the rise,” James tells Broadsheet. “I want to build what I have started in Adelaide, which has an incredible dining scene.”
Beyond loyalties to the scene he’s helped shape over the last three years, James was won over by the 156-year-old converted church (previously the home of Aptos Cruz Galleries for 35 years) on Mount Barker Road.
“I didn’t have my mind set on location as much as on the building,” James says. “When I drove up and saw the building and space, I knew before I even stepped foot in the doors that this was the spot. It is a quick and easy drive, not far, but far enough to know you are in clean air and away from the hustle and bustle. It is a destination without the drive, I couldn’t think of a better location in the world for this concept.”
That concept includes a dining experience where guests will move through different spaces over the course of the meal, each setting and mood complementing each dish. James’s brief to the designers included references to architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Japanese design and minimalism, and Nordic furnishes.
“It is a multi-level, multi-sensory experience where we need to have similarity through the space, but each space also needs to be strikingly different,” he says.
“The menu will dive deep into the flavours Australia has to offer and have a fresh perspective on what a dining experience can be. There are two other offerings/experiences but I won’t mention [them] just yet! I love the flavours of Australia, that passion isn’t going anywhere, however there may be an offering somewhere inspired by my American heritage.”
While he’s not revealing menu specifics yet, he describes the experience as “outside the box” with big ideas about where our food comes from. “How can we give a better experience to our guests, the team, farmers, and everyone in-between?
“What you have seen me do over the years is 100 per cent me. So, there will be glimpses of that in the style, but I won’t repeat anything I have done before, as that doesn’t motivate me. The style of the food at Restaurant Aptos is more creative, more wild, more innovative, more sophisticated, than anything I have done in the past.
“Now with full creative control, I am chasing the small details that you may not see visually but you will notice in the experience: the staff, the food, the beverages, the fit-out, and everything else. Nothing makes me happier than being able to dial into everything. When I can do this, creativity is nurtured, and that leads to more outrageous ideas on the plate.”
It’s the chef’s first restaurant as owner-operator, and he’s frank about his ambitions for the site.
“I hope I keep Adelaide proud with Restaurant Aptos. There are only a few restaurants in the world I can think of that would be even close to this experience. This is a cumulation of 22 years working as [a] chef for some of the best in the world, to gaining respect on my own two feet, to travelling the world being a global diner. I love this restaurant already; it blows my mind every time I walk in the space. I cannot wait for it to open.”
Restaurant Aptos will open in early 2025 at 147 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.
