Jamie Jewell Presents. Entropy Restaurant. Thebarton. 20 Feb 16

 

Sensory overload. Oh, my.

It's a daring gamble Candy Chambers takes.

She pits her drag artiste entertainment skills against the culinary art of Entropy chef Peter McLaughlin.

 

Now, wining and dining and being entertained is well and good and all very traditional. However, a degustation menu involves a chef showcasing skills and ingredients. It's a show in its own right.

So Candy's production at Entropy is a double-bill spectacular with its stars performing simultaneously.

 

Entropy is a marvellous space on the University of Adelaide's Research Campus at Thebarton. It is an elevated relocated railway shed with lots of galvanised iron, stools against high wooden benches, some tables with chairs for the oldies, and a neat little stage. There's a nice narrow balcony, too, looking into the grounds and onto the towering gums along the Torrens.  It's deemed to be something of a hipster place. Certainly it has a neat, lean, streamlined wait staff, one of whom has the requisite Kelly-gang beard and perky hair.

 

Tables are equipped with wine lists: some of the wines set to accompany the degustation courses and the others of the wines, beers, ciders, spirits available behind the bar. It's pretty classy and the waiters are well-informed and sweet-natured in giving their guidance.

 

Musical director Carol Young holds the reins from the stage, her four-piece band not only hot, beautifully balanced and versatile but in tune with the spirit of the night as well as the music. 

 

Candy Chambers appears with her clouds of bright orange hair, matching frock and mass of bling. She's looking gorgeous for her celebrated "50 plus" years. She meets and greets her audience before launching into Fascinating Rhythm, working the room illuminated by the golden glow of the last rays of sunshine through the windows. Did she design this dazzlingly glamorous lighting?

 

Candy's patter is light and quirky. She picks a couple of audience stooges in the front and plays them for laughs. She has such a good American accent that an American in the audience was sure she was a fellow countryman. In fact, she's from Perth via Chatta-nougat. Between songs, she talks about things from "the handbasket of life". 

 

The food is served on disposable plates and when it starts to flow, the five courses roll out efficiently betwixt, between, and on top of Candy's song list. The restaurant maitre'd, Laura, gives a quick run-down on each course. The restaurant's pride is that its ingredients are emphatically South Australian.

 

First up, a local clam chowder with house cornbread. The bread is a wee fried bun in the centre of dense tomato sauce with fragments of chorizo, wild crocodile and free-range chicken with four Goolwa cockles for presentation. It is rich, interestingly textured and generally gorgeous.

 

Next comes Grandma Celeste’s pumpkin pie. 

Unfortunately for Candy, Grandma Celeste's recipe is so rhapsodically original and delicious with its Hindmarsh dairy creme fraiche and Barossa bacon and local sage topping that she was upstaged.  The audience falls into a foodie swoon. 

 

But Candy wants her audience to enjoy the night on every level. It is clearly carefully plotted out with its Southern US theme. It is superbly executed. 

 

"Degust, degust, degust," Candy purrs seductively as the courses come along.

The Cheeky Coorong beef with its quandong sauce melts in the mouth. The Frim Fram chicken wings are zesty with mangosteen salsa and the Candy cherry chocolate jam cup is just a treat.

 

Candy has been entertaining Adelaide for a long time. She has a keen following. Rightly so. They are there whooping their approbation, calling for favourite songs and generally filling the place with love.

 

Candy works that wonderful voice furiously with Carol Young firmly conducting, prompting and keeping a slick professional pace.

There are a couple of costume changes, some fabulous, heartfelt blues, rousing hootenanny, good old pop songs, and classics. There is not much Candy can't deliver albeit by the end of the show, after almost two hours of strenuous performance, she looks rather older than when she began.

 

With her big smile and good humour, she's an engaging and enduring performer. In this show, going head to head with a chef, she also is fearless.

 

It pays off. Neither Chef nor Candy wins. It is a photo finish of fun and excellence.

 

Samela Harris

 

When: Closed

Where: Entropy Restaurant

Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au