Best restaurants: Where to eat in Adelaide

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This was published 8 years ago

Best restaurants: Where to eat in Adelaide

By Mark Chipperfield
Updated
Rundle Street in Adelaide - a foodie mecca.

Rundle Street in Adelaide - a foodie mecca.Credit: SATC

The explosion of small bars in Adelaide, centred around the Peel Street and Leigh Street precinct, has tended to overshadow an equally impressive revolution in the way locals are dining out. Not so long ago the restaurant scene in Adelaide was defined by retro Italian eateries in the 'burbs, no-nonsense pub grub and cheerful Asian hawker fare on the legendary Gouger Street.

Make no mistake the much-beloved chicken schnitzel (known locally as a "shnitty") is still the cornerstone of many weekday lunches, but Adelaideans are now embracing more exotic flavours – from Mexican street food to sophisticated Franco-Vietnamese cuisine.

The recent arrival of Jamie's Italian, Sean's Kitchen and Madame Hanoi Bar & Bistro has introduced a new sense of theatre, conviviality and culinary adventure to the CBD – in fact, all three restaurants are located within a few hundred metres of one another on North Terrace.

Street-ADL.

Street-ADL.Credit: SATC

Later opening hours and a less rigid booking system allows diners to follow their own culinary whims – maybe grazing at a couple of small back street bars before sharing a table with friends at one of the city's ritzier dining establishments.

Having exported so many talented chefs over the years, it's now delightful to see Adelaide attracting international talent such as Jamie Oliver, Sean Connolly and Nic Watt, a New Zealand-trained chef whose sexy French-Vietnamese dishes have been wowing patrons since Madame Hanoi opened in early 2015 – you can't miss the impressive floor to ceiling mural by Emma Hack in the entrance.

While it's true that both Jamie's Italian and Sean's Kitchen have introduced a new level of glamour to the Adelaide dining room – both restaurant fit-outs are scintillating – the idea of no-reservation communal dining was pioneered by Press* Food & Wine, a warm hearted brasserie on Waymouth Street which serves European and Asian-inspired share plates and some heavy-weight meat dishes, including the city's best offal; real carnivores should try the anise-roasted sweetbreads.

Nearby Peel Street, named after the city's most bar-studded laneway, continues this tradition of stylish yet informal dining with a menu which dances from playful share plates to seriously grown up mains, such as caramelized beef ribs and beer battered garfish. Local heroes Jordan Theodoros and Ben McLeod bring a true spirit of adventure and generosity to this menu – no wonder it's so hard to get a table.

Another new arrival, Africola on East Terrace, takes informal dining to a whole new level with a dining room which could belong in any village on the South African velt. A massive coal-fired braai produces authentic dishes such as Jabula Beef Steak, Boerweors Yamampela and Peri Peri Chicken. The clever menu includes a tasty range of seafood delights and African vegetable plates, including curried cauliflower, ash potato and pap.

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Continue your culinary safari by walking around the corner to Restaurant Orana on Rundle Street where expat Scottish chef Jock Zonfrillo dishes up exotic and unforgettable flavour combinations using many wild and foraged ingredients – some picked on the foreshores and hills near Adelaide. His multi-course degustation – matched with small vineyard wines from around the globe – is now regarded as one of South Australia's must-do experiences.

For a speedier introduction to the genius of Jock Zonfrillo, pull up a stool at Street-ADL, a funky wine bar located on the ground floor of the same building. The cheeky menu is packed with dude food favourites such as pork ribs, burgers and BBQ meat – plus a few locally harvested surprises like Goolwa pipis.

Hankering for some smart Asian food? Gouger Street is still the most obvious destination with a raft of casual Thai and Chinese eateries.

For something a little more intriguing consider Mapo Korean Restaurant, a stylish contemporary dining room serving Korean classics with an Aussie twist – the kitchen sources the finest local meat, seafood and vegetables; don't miss the chilli mushroom wontons or pork spare ribs marinated and cooked in freshly ground coffee beans.

Tucked away in nearby Field Street is House of Pearl, a cute little Malaysian eatery where you can read yesterday's news papered on the walls and order peninsular classics such as Gado Gado, Roti Canai, Sizzling BBQ Chicken and Slow Cooked Beef Rendang – perfect for either lunch or dinner.

For Sichuan cuisine look no further than From Orient, a multi-award winning Chinese restaurant on Pirie Street, while Thai food aficionados should find a perch at Golden Boy, famous for its toothsome hawker style dishes and snappy service. Tables at this East End favourite are at a premium, so arrive early, put your name down and have a drink in the glorious Botanic Bar until you are called.

While Adelaide's culinary horizons are constantly widening, it's also worth remembering the city's long tradition of sophisticated European cooking. Both Chianti and Rigoni's Bistro have been around since Don Dunstan was in power, but are still serving fresh, inventive Italian fare and well deserve their longevity.

Q&A: Jack Cameron and Red Proudfoot, hipster brewers at Pirate Life microbrewery

a) Your favourite restaurant?

"We're both pretty big of fans of Press* Food & Wine, which is very consistent. Madame Hanoi is also on the radar – we love the Vietnamese dishes there. The duck egg salad and the soft shell crab were both amazing. The food at [rooftop bar] 2KW is also supposed to be good – that's on the cards."

b) Best pub or bar in Adelaide?

"Our favourite pub is Gilbert Street Hotel. That's our local. The staff are really good, there's a good range of craft beers on tap and they do really good pub food. For bars it would have to be Hains & Co. There's a good outside seating area and the prices are pretty reasonable."

c) My hidden secret in Adelaide?

"Port Willunga beach. That's amazing. We're blessed with great beaches in Western Australia but this one is incredible and there's restaurant on the cliffs nearby called the Star of Greece."

d) Best day trip from city?

"For us there has to be a brewery at the end of the drive. So we'd nominate the Steam Exchange Brewery in Goolwa or Lobethal Bierhaus in the Adelaide Hills. We really like catching up the brewer at Lobethal and it's a nice drive."

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