Part Time Lover in the heart of the CBD is a cubbyhouse for grown-ups
It’s easy to fall for a new CBD hideaway that offers a break from the humdrum of the working day, writes Simon Wilkinson
delicious SA
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Back in the days before swimming pools and subdivisions, the backyard of the family home was a place full of potential adventures.
The lucky ones had a cubbyhouse, a makeshift shelter made from scraps and off-cuts. Whether it became an imaginary castle, lair for a super-villain, or simply somewhere to share secrets with your mates, this was a place that was free of the rules and responsibilities of the mundane adult world.
In opening Part Time Lover in the heart of the CBD, Josh Baker and his cohorts have created a cubbyhouse for grown-ups – again. While the materials and design might have gone up-market, this is a hide-away to escape the humdrum of the work day. The spirit of mischief and whimsy is unmistakeable, from the awkward pucker of the cartoon couple in its logo to JB’s cheese fries that are available from breakfast time on.
It’s easy to see parallels with previous Baker projects. Like Pink Moon Saloon (a narrow alley) and Whistle and Flute (cloister below an office block), PTL makes the most of a challenging location, this time a courtyard behind the Adelaide Town Hall that had been used previously as an outdoor café. The log-cabin-style wooden planks and copious use of potted greenery are familiar as well, though this construction is on a larger scale and with more permanent fixtures.
PTL makes a lie of the notion that the working lunch is a thing of the past. Even early in the week, seats are filled through the middle of the day, the volume is turned up and food and drinks are consumed with gusto. A brigade of youngish, switched on staff, led by co-owner Luke Turton, have enough energy to power a small sub-station, which would be in keeping with their sustainable ethos.
The kitchen is in the hands of another co-owner, Stewart Wesson, also a collaborator in Whistle and Flute, and the Port Admiral Hotel.
His menu here has a signature mix of naughty deep-fried bits and pieces alongside expansive share plates brimming with leaves and sprigs of herbs, this time split into three equally weighted sections for plants (vego and vegan), seafood and meat. Colour and crunch are a given, messy fingers likely as well.
Notable newcomers include “corn ribs”, the strips of kernels fried until they crackle and curl like a Royal Show treat, and a brioche bun stuffed with salt and pepper Moreton Bay bug.
Iceberg cups to fill and roll come in two guises. A vego version of Korean bossam replaces pork with the smoky spiced pulp of a barbecued eggplant that is piled onto the lettuce with a nori sheet, carrot and daikon pickles, bean sprouts and a chunky salsa of pulverised kim chi.
The other is more Vietnamese, with little crab cakes, mint, coriander and a charred tomato and lemongrass sauce that picks up the crab’s crustacean flavour with a dash of pungent fish sauce. Both require rolled up sleeves and plenty of napkins.
A splat of hummus topped with fabulous fried haloumi, pickled red onion, radicchio, currants and a sprinkling of dukkah is Wesson through and through.
PLT wouldn’t be a contemporary Adelaide restaurant without somehow including raw kingfish, these slices daubed with a green chilli salsa and coconut cream, then overlaid with cucumber, onion, fried curry leaves, threads of nori and sesame seeds, a combination as refreshing as a sea breeze. Butterflied grilled prawns that come with rice noodles offer a sliver of meat that hardly seems worth the effort it takes to tear free, unless it is eaten shell and all.
On the other hand, “Egyptian celebration rice” is worthy of any occasion, the mix of shredded lamb and chicken pieces connected by the underlying sourness of sumac and a yoghurt dressing, each mouthful a new adventure with pops of vinegar-soaked currants and butter-fried peanuts.
The sole dessert on offer is a log of chocolate ganache with nuts, candied bananas and praline dust. Think the love child of a Snickers bar and banana split.
Throw in a glass of wine or beer along the way and a quick shared feast will come in at less than $50 and just over 60 minutes. This is power lunching for a bright-eyed generation that have better things to do than overindulge on an expense account. Come join the fun.
PART TIME LOVER
Pilgrim Lane, Adelaide
0488 448 807; parttimelover.com.au
OWNERS Josh Baker, Luke Turton and Stewart Wesson
CHEF Stewart Wesson
FOOD Contemporary
SMALL $9.50-$24
MAIN $24-$37
DESSERT $10
DRINKS Short list with everything from wine on tap to a bottle of Roederer fizz.
OPEN BREAKFAST and LUNCH Mon-Sat, DINNER Mon-Fri
SCORE 14.5/20