Sidewood review, Adelaide Hills best restaurants | delicious.SA: Regional 50

Given the short but turbulent time Sidewood has been trading, the dining experience already feels fully formed.

Food at Sidewood in the Adelaide Hills.

6 River Rd, Hahndorf

[phone]

sidewood.com.au

Travelling to the Hills? Check out our guide to the region

Cleverly screened from the main road, the true scale of Sidewood’s new home only becomes obvious when viewed from above.

Tasting room and restaurant are housed in structures clad in corrugated black metal, a spacious deck is set with tables, while the rear courtyard features sun lounges and pitches for petanque and lawn bowls.

Given the short but turbulent time Sidewood has been trading, the dining experience already feels fully formed.

Much of that can be attributed to the experience of its crew, led by head chef Ali Seedsman, who has taken everything in her stride, shifting from an initial focus on the freshness and fire of South-East Asia to more wine-friendly Mediterranean dishes that complement the Neapolitan-style pizzas also on offer.

Pint-sized octopi enjoy themselves in a Spanish fiesta featuring heirloom tomatoes, oven-dried olives and a romesco sauce.

Slices of battered cauliflower are propped up in a bed of almond skordalia and surrounded by a salad of parsley and capers.

Spice-rubbed skirt steak comes with classic bearnaise, confit mushrooms and duck fat potatoes.

Dessert, then, requires some arm twisting. A buttermilk panna cotta with lemon curd and segments of fresh citrus at least has a pretence of sensible behaviour. The same can’t be said for ginger cake, poached quince, double cream and custard that is so good you’ll want to drink from the jug.

Full list: See the best restaurants across all our regions

• Hours: Wed-Sun D Fri-Sat
• Bill: E $16-$22 M $33-$40 D $13-$15
• Wine: Wine list
• Chef: Ali Seedsman