Head chef Simon Ming and acclaimed sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj celebrate the diversity of modern Australia with the opening of ODÉ Bistro.

Chef Simon Ming and sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj now call Adelaide home after years dedicated to creating their vision for the new ODÉ Bistro.

“I lived most of my life back in China and I was working as a petroleum engineer, which is a super boring job,” Simon laughs.

“Then I started doing research. It turned out Australia has the most renowned wine region. I said, ‘wow, this place is amazing! I don’t have to study French or go to France. Yeah, why not? Just go to South Australia. That sounds like an amazing place’.”

As a Top 10 finalist in the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition in 2022, Simon embraces his dual Chinese and Australian heritage by incorporating Indigenous Australian ingredients with his mastery of French culinary techniques.

“I think I start slowly building a connection between myself, my soul, and the ingredients and the food. That makes me happy every day, honestly,” Simon says.

“I moved around a lot and ended up combining French, Spanish and a little bit of Asian together – that became my personal cooking philosophy for ODÉ.”

The menu boasts a crab udon with cherry tomato basil, cured yolks and Sichuan crispy chili oil, as well as a beef tartare nduja featuring quandongs, pearl onion and potato chips.

The beef tartare

The bistro’s name is derived from ode, a form of Greek poetry that highlights the romantic and harmonious aspects of a relationship which, when paired with the softly lit warm lights and intimate atmosphere, perfectly encapsulates Simon’s vision.

“I want to build a relationship between myself and the customers. I want to build this experience,” Simon says.

“The accent on it is just a personal touch – making the thing a little bit younger and much more fun. I don’t want to be something old-fashioned.”

Bhatia says he and Simon were working together at Norwood’s Arkhé when the idea of ODÉ was born.

“I’ve done a lot of other consulting work here in Adelaide, in Melbourne, overseas, so on and so forth. That’s definitely my passion. But with regards to ODÉ, it was just over a knockoff casual chat. That’s when we clicked. We had similar ideas, ethos and philosophy,” Bhatia says.

“Simon always wanted to open something of his own. I was always keen on doing something on the wine side so we just spoke one day and he’s like, ‘yeah man, I want to do this one day’. I’m like, ‘wow, let me know man, I want to do this as well’.

“Obviously, it didn’t happen overnight. It took us years to get there. We were both busy with our lives, but then when it happens, it happens in a snap.”

Recognised with multiple achievements including the 2019 Australia’s Wine List of the Year and Star Wine List’s ambassador for Adelaide and South Australia, Bhatia brings 17 years of wine expertise to ODÉ.

Bhatia describes ODÉ’s wine list as a dynamic blend of Australian and global choices, with a special emphasis on champagne and 0ld-world classics. Proudly offering premium international wines at retail prices, he invite diners to indulge in a high-quality experience.

“We want to be approachable. It’s an evolving rotational wine list, we’re starting with 30-40 wines. Obviously, South Australia is gonna be the winner but also we want to focus on other parts of Australia and internationals. There’s something for everyone.” Bhatia says.

“I’m happy of my accomplishments, my hard work, and my recognition so I’m very thankful to the industry. But now I’m not chasing any awards, I’m just looking at a place that is home.”

Bhatia extends a warm invitation to everyone: “Enter as a guest, depart as a friend, and return as family.”

ODÉ is located at Shop 7, 147 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide and is slated to open Friday, January 19.

Bookings can be made through the website.