In the Adelaide Hills village of Stirling, a new fine-dining establishment is offering an immersive tasting menu centered on native Australian ingredients such as emu, crocodile, bunya nuts, desert lime, and feral venison. Aptos, which opened in May in a carefully restored 1868 church building, serves a 16-course meal priced at $495 per person.

The restaurant is the creation of US-born chef Justin James, known for his work at Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic and previous experiences at Eleven Madison Park in New York and Melbourne’s Vue de Monde. After departing from Restaurant Botanic, James chose to establish his own venue in the Adelaide Hills rather than taking a position in Sydney, drawn by the historic building and its unique atmosphere.

Aptos accommodates only 14 guests per sitting, with the dining experience unfolding across three distinct spaces within the building. The sequence begins upstairs in a library setting where patrons sample native fruit essences and slices of venison served unconventionally off a jawbone. Guests then move downstairs to the kitchen space featuring exposed stone walls and kangaroo-hide draped chairs, concluding in a bright upstairs parlour for dessert among treetop views.

James and his 15-member team, dressed in tailored uniforms designed by Melbourne fashion house Strateas Carlucci, prepare and present each dish directly to guests, maintaining an atmosphere described as convivial rather than formal. Dishes blend innovative techniques with local bush ingredients, including a Murray cod fish soup served through the fish’s mouth and crocodile tongue paired with Geraldton wax chimichurri presented on a crocodile skull. Marron is reimagined as a doughnut, and an emu egg milkshake is served in a hollowed-out egg shell.

Plans are also underway to launch a ground-floor wine bar at Aptos that will offer a shorter, more accessible menu featuring both inventive snacks and comfort foods such as burgers and Nashville-style fried chicken.

Aptos benefits from its association with business partner David Horbelt, who owns the nearby Mount Lofty House Adults Retreat and the adjoining Sequoia Lodge. Mount Lofty House, a historic hotel dating back to 1852 and rebuilt after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, has long been a landmark in the Adelaide Hills. It offers guests luxury accommodations amidst botanical gardens and commanding views of the surrounding valleys.

Since acquiring the property in 2009, Horbelt has expanded the hospitality offerings with the addition of Hardy’s Verandah restaurant—overseen by chef Alessandro Mangione—and the 14-room Sequoia Lodge, established in 2021. Mount Lofty House features an extensive wine cellar with a noted wine list, including an $799 wine pairing option focused on premium international selections.

Guests are encouraged to request upper-floor rooms, such as Room 27, which offers private verandahs and a cozy retreat especially suited to the Hills’ occasional foggy mornings. The location also showcases local artwork, including pieces by Stephen Trebilcock, enhancing the overall experience.

The chef and hospitality team’s focus on native ingredients combined with the unique setting is attracting attention amid preparations for South Australia’s first Michelin Guide release, expected in October.