3 words every foodie needs to know on a weekend in Adelaide

Want the secret to a delicious weekend away in the South Australian capital? Mention these words in Adelaide and you’ll be met with squeals of delight. 

Whether you’re timing a trip to Adelaide to coincide with the annual food and drink festival Tasting Australia in May or just looking for an indulgent short break to the South Australian capital, your tastebuds are in for a treat.

DAY 1: MORNING

If you mention the three words “Port Elliot Bakery” to Adelaideans, you’re going to be met with squeals of delight. Then this question is sure to follow: “What’s the doughnut of the month?”. A 40-minute drive south of Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the old-fashioned country bakery (complete with a veranda and corrugated roof) has a cult-like following. South Australians will line up along Main Street for the pies, pastries, and the monthly doughnut special.

I’ll admit I’ve arrived as a sceptical Sydneysider who’s grown impervious to hyped-up baked goods. I’m ready to be less than impressed as I sit in the shade of the gumtrees to sample my morning tea. One bite of the cream-filled “pavlova smash special” – studded with strawberries and shards of meringue – and I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.

Port Elliot Bakery's pavlova smash.

AFTERNOON

I’m five minutes late meeting Ngarrindjeri elder Mark Koolmatrie, my tour guide for a Port Elliot Ratalang Ngarrindjeri walking tour. I earnestly blame the pastry pit-stop, he laughs, “Because you went to Port Elliot Bakery, I understand!”.

After being welcomed with a traditional smoking ceremony, we set out along the track of Ratalang-Basham Beach Conservation Reserve, following the footprints of Nurrunderi – the creator of Ngarrindjeri land. Mark is known as a munkanboli – a First Nations figure of wisdom. He shares dreamtime stories as we wander through the parkland, pausing every now and then as he points out bush foods such as muntries (commonly known as emu apples). I’m convinced that food is always at the forefront of conversations with South Australians – even in places you least expect it!.

Mark’s stories enhance my appreciation of the beauty of the rust-coloured rocks and green shrubbery that contrast with the grey-blue ocean beyond. We stop for a picnic lunch at Horseshoe Bay; it’s an optional add-on that includes specially prepared dishes inflected with Indigenous ingredients such as lemon myrtle and saltbush butter pipis, and native-spiced chicken grilled in paperbark smoke oil.

Kool Tours' Port Elliot RatalangNgarrindjeri Tour.

EVENING

There’s no better way to get your bearings in a city than ascending 30 metres above street level to a rooftop bar. Nothing beats panoramic views with a drink in hand. Enter: 2KW Bar and Restaurant, on the top storey of a heritage-listed former bank building on North Terrace. I score a private outdoor cabana to watch the sunset as I snack on tasty bites (hello, triple cooked salt and vinegar potatoes) and peruse the superb wine list. 

Views from the 2KW Bar and Restaurant rooftop in Adelaide's North Terrace.

DAY 2: MORNING

It’s 7am. I lazily lift my head from the cloud of pillows on my kingsize bed and press a button on the bedside remote. The blinds peel open and sunlight spills in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my sleek room.

I’m staying at Eos by SkyCity, which is about as glitzy as Adelaide gets. The luxe property is part of the SkyCity Adelaide complex in the heart of the CBD. My leisurely morning begins by enjoying the dry heat cedarwood sauna and eucalyptus steam room, before a soak in the hot tub on the leisure deck that overlooks the River Torrens. After a coffee and Aussie-style breakfast at the hotel’s ground floor cafe, I’m ready for a 45-minute road trip to McLaren Vale.

EOS by SkyCity Adelaide.

AFTERNOON

McLaren Vale is one of Australia’s oldest and most recognised wine regions. But I’m here for something a little different. Never Never Distilling Co made a juniper-flavoured splash onto the craft spirit scene in 2016. It’s hard to imagine a company that produces Australia’s most highly awarded gins was started by three mates – Sean Baxter, Tim Boast and George Georgiadis – in a shed. Especially when you arrive at the sophisticated Distillery Door at the top of Chalk Hill. The sprawling front lawn, dotted with lounge chairs, is incredibly inviting on a sunny day. I order the “gin and tonic tasting flight”. My pick? The slightly salty oyster shell gin created using coastal botanicals and fresh Kangaroo Island oyster shells.

Never Never Distilling Co.

EVENING

Adelaide’s dining scene has been revolutionised in recent years and continues to evolve. The latest incarnation of retro-style Italian institution Aces just opened its doors in Chinatown with an inventive yum cha spin, and North Adelaide’s new neighbourhood diner, Pastel Wine Bar, boasts a menu with more than 130 drops served in a stylish art-filled space. Tonight, I dine at Arkhé. Innovative, fire-forward cuisine is served in a heritage-listed sandstone building with moodily lit interiors. The food is sensational, but a shoutout goes to the signature parfait tartlet – a duck’s liver tart with a scorched crème brûlée-like top. A flaming great way to end my stay in Adelaide.

The writer was a guest of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Originally published as 3 words every foodie needs to know on a weekend in Adelaide