New eatery Paper Tiger to take over Rundle St site of Jock Zonfrillo’s Orana restaurant

One of Adelaide’s iconic restaurant locations, made famous by MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo, has undergone another transformation.

One of Adelaide’s iconic restaurant locations has undergone another transformation.

The former site of Jock Zonfrillo’s award-winning Orana restaurant, 285 Rundle Street, has been revamped into a Southeast Asian fusion eatery called Paper Tiger.

Most recently, the venue was a modern Australian restaurant, Two-Pot Screamer, which was opened by local business Penny Hospitality in December 2021.

Penny’s managing director Hugo Pedler said they wanted to bring a Southeast Asian restaurant to the East End with “great service, a buzzing atmosphere and delicious food”.

Inspired by popular Melbourne restaurant Chin Chin, Paper Tiger is led by experienced chef Benjamin Liew and front-of-house manager Karl Tang.

Paper Tiger on Rundle St staff Front of House Manager Karl Tang, Waitress Peggy Jackson and Head Chef Benjamin Liew. Picture: Emma Brasier

Liew, who has worked at famed venues Rockpool Bar & Grill and SkyCity Adelaide’s Madame Hanoi, said the menu drew on his Malaysian upbringing.

“Paper Tiger is a sharing concept restaurant because food should always be shared with family and friends,” he said.

Menu highlights include dishes such as Balinese roast pork, Wagyu beef brisket stew, Singapore chilli soft shell crab and Nyonya chicken curry.

The site was home to MasterChef judge Zonfrillo’s Orana upstairs and Street/Bistro Blackwood downstairs from 2013 until it closed in 2020. Prior to that, it was the pioneering Universal Wine Bar.

Penny Hospitality has also recently relaunched their second level bar above the restaurant, now called Wax, which is modelled on another trendy Melbourne venue, Her.