Winners of delicious100 People’s Choice Awards announced
One is nestled in a Barossa Valley vineyard, while another is a family-run suburban gem. These are the top 10 restaurants in SA, decided by more than 21,000 votes in our People’s Choice awards.
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South Australians have spoken: the best restaurant in the state is nestled in a Barossa Valley vineyard, and treats diners to a surprise menu of seven courses – with snacks.
Hentley Farm Restaurant, headed by award-winning chef Lachlan Colwill, has won the delicious100 People’s Choice award, attracting more than 21,000 votes from across SA.
The inaugural competition was a chance for South Australians to have their say on our delicious100, which ranks the state’s best 100 restaurants. Online subscribers were able to move restaurants up and down the list, which ultimately bumped Henley Farm to the coveted first place.
Readers also got behind city restaurants, including Duncan Welgemoed’s Africola, Adelaide institution Chianti and Thai favourite Golden Boy. Fellow Barossa Valley destination FermentAsian also climbed up the list, while Jock Zonfrillo’s showcase of indigenous Australian ingredients at Orana, rounded out the top 10.
But there was also a suburban gem, catching the light at eighth spot. Parwana, the family-run Afghan restaurant in Torrensville, demonstrates how people-pleasing fare needn’t be expensive nor fancy. A longstanding favourite for diners and food writers alike, its share-style menu offers authentic dishes priced between $10-$26.
Durkhanai Ayubi, whose mother, Farida, heads the kitchen, says having diners reciprocate the love of their food and their story is “a treasure”.
“We’ve always stayed true to our food, and in terms of service, all we wanted is to make people feel welcome,” she says.
“In Afghan culture, the hospitality element is huge. When guests come to your home, you make them feel welcome, and you want to give them your best food, too. That’s been built into the DNA of the food that we serve.”
It’s been 10 years since Parwana opened its doors on Henley Beach Rd, and diners continue to travel from near and far after hearing praises for dishes such as the eggplant, simmered in fresh tomato and topped with garlic yoghurt and mint, and steamed mantu dumplings, topped with lamb mince sauce. Then, of course, there’s the addictive long grain rice dish, kabuli palaw, dressed with caramelised onions, sultanas and nuts.
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There are two sittings, and bookings are a must.
“We’re not doing things thinking how we might be reviewed,” Durkhanai says.
“We’re serving food that means something to us, because of our ancestry; our history.
“We’re first generation migrants … it’s our emotional attachment that we serve, and to have people reciprocate that is a treasure. It’s something we cherish.”
The Ayubi family is releasing a cookbook in October 2020.
“That’s really exciting because that’s something that we have been working really closely together on,” Durkhanai says.
See the full list of SA’s best restaurants — as voted by you