South Australia’s top 10 new restaurants for 2019
From an exclusive dining room for just 28 people, to laneway bars and the best pizza in Adelaide, these are the top 10 restaurants to open in SA in the past year.
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Another day, another new restaurant to try.
Dozens of new eateries have enhanced South Australia’s dining scene in 2019, from laneway bars and an up-market chicken shop, to dining destinations in our wine regions.
As we reveal this year’s delicious100 — South Australia’s 100 most delicious restaurants — we shine a light on some of the newcomers.
Eating in SA has never been so good.
L’ITALY
47 O’Connell St, North Adelaide
(08) 8361 8714
Italian vino speak can sound so damn sexy. Names like Brunello di Montalcino, or Nero d’Avolo have so much more romance than shiraz or grenache. But they need to be pronounced with the correct emphasis and accent, not mangled by someone who thinks Barolo is the latest signing for Adelaide United.
L’Italy is a good place to start. Rows of imported bottles line the walls and when co-owner Riccardo Puccio helps unravel some of the mysteries of variety and region, you won’t want him to stop.
The appeal of this place, however, runs deeper than its wine, with thinking that goes beyond the sunny, southern crowd-pleasers found nearby. That’s not to say L’Italy is uptight. Sinatra and Buble are going croon-for-croon on the playlist and the atmosphere is one you’d like to bottle and take home.
The kitchen is in the hands of chef Joe Carey, whose CV includes time at much-lauded Brae. Here he is making his own smallgoods, as well as the bread and pasta.
A selection of drink-friendly snacks kicks off with salumi such as capocollo draped over leaves of grilled radicchio, whose char and bitterness is Nick Cave to the meat’s Kylie Minogue.
Superb pieces of king george whiting are fried and napped with a classic burnt butter and caper sauce. A vealer T-bone, the fillet from each side neatly trimmed away and cut into thick slices, comes with pine mushrooms and a well-crafted reduction.
And trembling panna cotta, so fragile it barely lifts off the plate, is partnered by brittle sheets of dried milk skin and honeycomb in one of the best desserts anywhere in town.
*Editor’s note: The head chef at the time of this review, Joe Carey, has since left, but the style of food at L’Italy has not changed.
- Hours: L Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $7.50-$15 M $23.50-$36 D $9-$12.50
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Roland Mallia
NIDO
Shop 2/160 King William Rd, Hyde Park
(08) 8373 2044
The space that was formerly The Pot, Nido lives up to its new name: Italian for “nest”.
The little restaurant is super-cosy, with a tightly packed line of tables alongside an upholstered banquette, stools around the bar and kitchen, walls painted the colour of grape must, a friendly buzz and, most important, the waft of Italian fare from the kitchen.
Start with rootello bonnato, the name a play on the classic vitello tonnato. Here finely diced raw kangaroo is lightly anointed with bonito mayonnaise. Pair it with a fat dollop of whipped ricotta drizzled with Ligurian honey and also order a puffy, oily gnocco fritto to scoop it up.
Handmade pasta is a house specialty. Radiatori (radiators) have little ridges perfect for sopping up a ragu of braised lamb, peppers and chilli. Black maccheroni comes with cubes of Coorong mullet steamed in the acqua pizza (crazy water) spicy broth poured over it.
From the “fiamma” (flame) try the pork chop — grilled then separated from the bone before being basted and finished in the wood oven — served on a creamy bed of chestnut polenta. Sharing? Go for a 750g Kangarilla T-bone or a Flinders lamb shoulder “scottaditto” — finger-burning rather than finger-licking.
Of the dolci, the baba with limoncello infused filling is as light as a cloud, and a creamy, citrusy sorbet in a green puddle of bay leaf oil a perfect palate cleanser.
- Hours: L|D Tues-Sun
- Bill: E $$6-$25 M $19-$88 D $8-$15
- Wine: Wine list
- Chefs: Max Sharrad, Laura Cassai
SPARKKE AT THE WHITMORE
317 Morphett St, city
(08) 7123 0808
The message scrawled on the chalkboard above the bar says it all: “Made by women, for everyone.” The women, in this case, are the entrepreneurial brains behind Sparkke, the slogan-loving brewer with a social conscience that has now expanded its vision to operating a hotel in the south-west of the city.
And “everyone” means just that. After-work suits. Hops-lovin’ hipsters. Old and young. Boys and girls. All enjoying each-others company in the same space.
Sparkke has found a kindred spirit in chef Emma McCaskill who has embraced the pub’s egalitarian ethos that is far removed from her background in elite restaurants here and overseas.
Many of the plates positively bounce with bright flavours and big ideas, helped along in many cases by the roasted whole spices and seeds that can be traced back to Emma’s Indian heritage. It is food that changes the conversation about what a pub could or should be serving up.
Pork and ginger dumplings bob about in a glorious chicken bone broth that could easily be a soup on its own. A decadent, silky smooth dahl butter is served with hot, flaky roti to tear and swipe.
Broccolini is flash-fried, doused in lemon juice and dropped on a puddle of thick miso emulsion. Even a five-year-old will love it.
Meat serves are sized so they might be shared but could also be demolished by the hungry carnivore. Spice rubbed pork shoulder falls apart quicker than our local footy teams, collapsing into a wonderful mess of labne and squidgy eggplant.
There is an all-encompassing spirit about this place, the staff and what they serve up that is easy to fall for. It’s the best thing to happen in city pubs for a very long time.
- Hours: L|D Mon-Sun
- Bill: E $5-$16 M $18-$42 D $13
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Emma McCaskill
LEIGH STREET WINE ROOM
9 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
0499 555 461
This intimate CBD natural wine bar and restaurant accepts walk-ins only which just adds to the buzz around the former dry cleaners in Leigh St.
Studio-gram architects helped former Sydney chef Nathan Sasi and wife Sali transform the space, installing a long terrazzo bar as a centrepiece, banquette window seating, freestanding tables and outdoor dining. A mezzanine with two communal tables has a thick curtain to draw across for clandestine catch ups.
Many-a-winemaker can be spotted perched at the main bar, behind which 400 minimal intervention bottles are displayed. South Australian drops and “unicorn” finds from across the globe are the heroes.
In the kitchen, Nathan has a nose-to-tail approach and his house-made charcuterie, bread, cheeses and vinaigrette are regular highlights on a produce-driven menu that changes weekly. Dishes are best shared and span nibbles to large plates. Or opt for the chef’s menu and let Nathan decide.
His father was a Hungarian butcher whose knife skills rubbed off. Pigs head fritti with zuni-style pickles are rich, meaty little mouthfuls; sheep’s milk ricotta gnudi, cacio e pepe delivers waves of cheesy pepper pleasure; and barbecue flank steak is lean, beautifully handled and served with onion rings as big as donuts and a pot of wine merchant’s sauce to cut through the fat. Even simple Ngeringa greens with Jauma wine dressing sings.
To finish, a large bowl of crème caramel with amaro montenegro is topped with crisp, light crostoli inspired by Sali’s Croatian mum’s recipe. Unforgettable on all fronts.
- Hours: L Fri-Sat D Tues-Dat
- Bill: E $8-$12 M $12-$38 D $6-$12
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Nathan Salsi
ALLEGRA DINING ROOM
Level 1, 125 Gilles St, city
Recently opened above Etica pizzeria in the city’s south-east, Allegra elevates plant-based foods to a level of sophistication rarely seen here. Vegetables are celebrated for what they are and what they can become. Clever alternatives to dairy, eggs et cetera are convincing. Everything feels complete.
The narrow upstairs space, most recently used for storage, fits 28 diners on a mix of banquettes and traditional seating.
The whole package is remarkably polished. Linen napkins are placed on laps. Gorgeous ceramic bowls are dropped at the centre of wooden chargers. Service is flawless. The five stages of the set $70 menu are matched by inspired wine selections.
The meal begins with attention-grabbing snacks such as pickled veg to dip into a luscious cream of emulsified soy bean, and a buckwheat cracker carrying slices of smoked beetroot, a soured version of the cream and pink pearls of finger lime.
More substantial dishes include florets of roasted broccoli sandwiched between a base of pine nut cream and a mudslide of fluffy polenta
You can almost see fingerprints on the orecchiette, the little pasta shells handmade downstairs, that are coated in a cauliflower puree.
Grilled celeriac “steak” is presented as the main event and comes complete with a pair of sides: a mixed grain salad with shredded spring onion; and a salad of mixed leaves, pear, sprouting lentils and fried curry leaves.
A glossy billow of soft Italian meringue that is the star of dessert is so luxurious it’s hard to believe it could be whipped up from something as mundane as the water leftover from cooking chickpeas.
- Hours: D Thurs-Sun
- Bill: Five courses $70; $135 with wine match
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Elliot Vials
LOT 100
68 Chambers Rd, Hay Valley
(08) 7077 2888
Sustainability and environmental impacts are at the heart of every decision taken at Lot 100 and its beverage-producing partners. But many of the hundreds of visitors to this groundbreaking site outside Nairne will be too concerned with munching pizza, sucking down a coldie and finding a shady spot to take all that much notice.
Lot 100 brings together, in no particular order, Mismatch Brewing (beer), Adelaide Hills Distillery (gin and other spirits), VNTLPR (wine), Ashton Valley Fresh (juices) and Hills Cider Co, with all available for tasting and sales at the bar.
No wonder the expanse of seating inside, the two decks and the courtyard are chock-a-block on weekends. Feeding the masses is an unlikely duo: Tom Bubner (Pizza e Mozzarella) and Shannon Fleming (Orana). They each show their colours at different points in a menu that, like the drink selection, should offer something for all.
Four varieties of pizza, no doubt, are doing a roaring trade and there is just enough choice among the smalls, pasta and fire-pit meats to build into a satisfying afternoon graze.
Delicate folds of raw kingfish are drizzled with a vivid green leek oil and topped with fennel fronds and cherry cheeks (both roasted and pickled). Port Lincoln sardine fillets, grilled until their skins have blistered, are laid on a sauce of squished tomato.
Other plates are less elaborate and built for comfort. A bowl of potato gnocchi in a simple tomato sauce are blanketed in bubbling fontina cheese. Slices of porchetta-style rolled pork belly are taken across the Mediterranean with a big dollop of romesco sauce, as well as a bed of cavolo nero.
Take a wander around the property before squeezing in a dessert, perhaps roasted stone fruit segments, Woodside buffalo curd and roasted hazelnuts.
- Hours: L Thurs-Sun
- Bill: E $8-$20 M $20-$40 D$12
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Tom Bubner, Shannon Fleming
MADRE
57 Gilbert St, Adelaide
0413 776 616
Is using water from the Mediterranean Sea in your pizza dough really any different than filling a few containers up from the shallows at the Bay?
Ettore Bertonati clearly believes so. For his restaurant Madre, Ettore is importing sea water across the globe from Naples, to make a base he says is a close replica to those made in Italy before the first World War. The result? Well you won’t find a better pizza anywhere in town.
Located in the south of the city, Madre looks drop-dead glamorous, more Milan (Dolce & Gabbana, perhaps) than Naples. At the front, the dining zone is finished in powder-puff shades of musk and beige with bold blue trim. This links to the striking deep-ocean tones of the kitchen at the back.
From the selection of snacks, a croquette filled with potato and scamorza (smoked cheese) is a light and crunchy ball of bliss, while an octopus salad will take you out of Naples and on to the Amalfi coast.
Pizzas are the size of a large dinner plate and intended to serve one. While some will share, you will be amazed how effortlessly each slice, judiciously topped to within an inch of its rim, disappears.
Seven variations are listed, the first three having little more than sugo and cheese. The “Pina” carries pieces of fried zucchini, baby roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and peppered pecorino. The only possible improvement would be to give the chilli oil, offered separately, more grunt.
To finish, a rum babah gets just as much TLC as the rest, the brioche soaked in a dark rum syrup, split open and loaded with pastry cream.
- Hours: L Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $7-$15 M $19-$27 D $14-$15
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Ettore Bertonati
SLATE
233 Polish Hill Rd, Sevenhill
(08) 8843 4044
Part of a shimmering pavilion that seems to hover over the vineyard outside, Slate is as sleek as any eatery to open in the state this year. The restaurant and a new tasting zone make up a new big-budget addition to the Pikes winery that should be a game-changer for Clare.
For a young chef given the keys to this gleaming new supercar, it could either be a dream come true or a crushing source of pressure. Max Stephenson (ex MONA, Hobart) seems to have settled well into his new role, getting his hands on his fair share of local goodies, and his head around a crowd-pleasing style of cooking to suit the mix of locals and travellers that Pikes would attract.
Spiced and seared bluefin tuna, cut to show its luminous ruby centre, is laid on a puree of white beans, with citrus segments, watercress, hazelnuts and basil oil all playing their part.
Partially boned five-spice quail is the unlikely standout, interspersed with pickled carrot and daikon ribbons, a few splotches of a perky “green gazpacho” translating easily into what is an otherwise Asian affair.
A recurring citrus tang links a superb piece of mulloway, fluffy fennel soubise, zucchini ribbons, wilted greens, twigs of pickled samphire and salsa verde. The “Wunderbar” lamb rump lives up to its moniker.
A final indulgence of bread and butter pudding has marinated prunes disintegrating in its depths and a scoop of cinnamon gelato melting over the top.
If there is a downside to be found, it is the young service brigade who do a competent job but lack the experience and sparkle the rest of the package deserves.
- Hours: L Mon-Sun (limited menu Mon-Thurs)
- Bill: E $22-$25 M $36-$38 D $12-$21
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Max Stephenson
PART TIME LOVER
Pilgrim Lane, Adelaide
0488 448 807
Part Time Lover is a cubbyhouse for grown-ups in the heart of the CBD. While the materials and design might have gone up-market, this hideaway behind the Adelaide Town Hall is a place to escape the humdrum of the work day.
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.
Stewart Wesson’s menu 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, seafood and meat. Colour and crunch are a given, messy fingers likely as well.
A vego version of the Korean “bo ssam” replaces pork with the smoky spiced pulp of a barbecued eggplant that is piled on to lettuce cups with a nori sheet, carrot and daikon pickles, and a chunky kim chi salsa.
A splat of hummus topped with fabulous fried haloumi, pickled red onion, radicchio, currants and a sprinkling of dukkah is Wesson through and through.
Raw kingfish is daubed with a green chilli salsa and coconut cream, then overlaid with cucumber, curry leaves, threads of nori and sesame seeds, a combination as refreshing as a sea breeze.
“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.
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. Come join the fun.
- Hours: B Mon-Sat L Mon-Sat D Mon, Fri
- Bill: E $9.50-$24 M $24-$37 D $10
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $15
- Chef: Stewart Wesson
JOYBIRD
164 King William Rd, Hyde Park
(08) 8349 0891
Not even the roadworks that up-ended King William Rd when Joybird opened could deter the hungry hordes from this retro diner, which puts a spin on the classic chicken shop.
Sitting out front are the hip young things, people-watching from their footpath perch, and family groups — the kids content with their chicken-and-gravy rolls. Inside, local office workers roll up their sleeves to feast across a range of dishes — and there lies the best way to enjoy the menu.
Sure, Joybird does a fine version of chargrilled chook, but the real magic is in the ever-changing starters and wood-fired sides.
A stuffing butty is the stuff of hangover dreams — a herby, lightly-fried mix sandwiched in soft, white bread and served with chicken bone gravy for dipping. Scotch egg is as good as it gets, its gooey-yolk centre encased in perfectly seasoned chicken mince and a crunchy golden crumb.
You’ll want to make friends with both salads and veg here, from the wedges of crisp iceberg that are dressed with anchovy mayo, capers, soft boiled egg and crisp chicken skin, to an unctuous, scorched cabbage that’s loaded with nutty pesto.
Larger items might include middle eastern lamb shoulder or yiros, the latter boasting incredible slow-cooked lamb, lightly pickled cucumber among more typical salady bits, a special not-so-hot sauce and chips, which add texture you never knew you wanted.
Wash it down with a can of craft beer and you might not visit another chicken shop again.
- Hours: L|D Mon-Sun
- Bill: E $8-$14 M $18-$78 (1kg middle eastern lamb shoulder) D $11-$12
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Dexter Kim
