The mystery man snapping up top Adelaide restaurants, and the city’s top 10 influential restaurateurs
Meet Adelaide’s most influential restaurant owners – and the man who has just bought three of the CBD’s hottest spots.
Food & Wine
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The mystery man behind the group that has shaken up the state’s restaurant scene has revealed his next move.
Sitting in the recently revamped dining room of CBD eatery Press Food & Wine, Jay Patel also talks about what motivated him to invest in an industry where the returns are notoriously slim.
It was the purchase of the high-profile Press last January that first put Patel on the radar and within three months he also had added Peel St and Leigh St Wine Room to his portfolio.
All three are part of the delicious.100 list of SA’s top restaurants for 2022 – see the first part of SA’s best food guide here.
Patel, now 36, moved to Adelaide from his home in the Indian state of Gujarat eight years ago, attracted by the culture, the people and what he saw as “lots of opportunities”.
Having worked for large corporations in India, he wanted to establish something of his own. After starting companies in packaging, then import and export, he took over The Strand cafe/restaurant at Glenelg and ran this for three years before turning his attention to the CBD.
“When Covid happened … everyone was thinking this is the end of the world,” he says of the timing of his move to buy Press.
“I could see the opportunity to explore more options. I wanted to expand by taking over good venues. When I jumped in, I knew these were places with a strong goodwill, and we could refine that to make it better.
“I’m a foodie person. I love to travel and explore new foods. And food and hospitality is also one of biggest markets in the world. It is never going to die.”
Patel, who is married with two young daughters, says his next move is to open an eatery that is the group’s own creation.
General manager Meira Harel is working with other key staff to find a location and develop concepts. “We want to offer something that is not already in Adelaide,” Patel says.
At the same time, the group plans to expand beyond SA, with at least one interstate venue already on the drawing board.
“You might not remember exactly what was on your plate, or in your glass, or what music was playing, but you remember how you felt. And that is a combination of all those details. No detail is too small. That’s what drives us and that’s what we want to champion.”
Don’t miss this year’s delicious. 100 – your guide to SA’s top 100 restaurants. Part 1 is live noon, July 29 at advertiser.com.au
WHO OWNS SA’S RESTAURANTS
SIMON KARDACHI
The most influential figure in Adelaide’s top tier of restaurants over the past decade. Simon Kardachi continues to show he is unrivalled at bringing together the right people, location and design to create eating experiences such as Leigh Street neighbours Fugazzi and Shobosho (and its sibling Sho Sho), as well as established favourites such as Osteria Oggi, Nido, Bread & Bone, Sea Salt and the basement bar Maybe Mae.
MARTIN PALMER
His background might be in pubs such as The Highway and Warradale Hotel but Palmer has a passion for more sophisticated dining This is reflected in his involvement in the CBD rooftop restaurant and bar 2KW, its downstairs counterpart Fishbank and, perhaps most significantly, the new fire-powered hotspot arkhé. Expect to see Palmer’s experience in this area flow through to establishments he is working with under the rapidly expanding Duxton Pub Group, including The Lion, Cremorne and Brompton hotels.
BIG EASY GROUP
The new kids on the block. After starting with city bar NOLA, Oliver Brown and Joshua Talbot then took over running the Stag Hotel and its restaurant, now known as Yiasou George. Next came an interest in the new cinema at Prospect, where they established Anchovy Bandit and Bottega Bandito. The final piece of the puzzle (for now at least) is Bowden Brewing, a venue in its own right with excellent Mexican tacqueria Masa, but also a smart way to be part of the supply chain for the other places.
WALTER VENTURA
While he has scaled back his involvement in the industry, Ventura remains the creative force behind the opening of many of Adelaide’s most popular eateries this century. He channelled his Italian heritage in restaurants such as Ruby Red Flamingo and Tony Tomatoes; introduced a more authentic style of Mexican at Hispanic Mechanic and Mexican Society; found inspiration in the hawker markets of Asia at Singapore House; and played with Parisian bistro culture at Cliché, among many others.
PETER DE MARCO and PHILLIP TROPEANO
Pizza, pasta and party potential. These pillars have served de Marco and Tropeano well in a partnership that is responsible for venues including Pizza e Mozzarella, Chicken and Pig, Borsa and Extra Chicken Salt in the city, as well as the Italo-American nostalgia of Chicco Palms in the western suburbs. In separate ventures, Tropeano was one of the founders of Argentinian steakhouse Sosta, while de Marco has recently launched the Italian “canteen” Valentino’s 101, which is a hit with CBD workers.
ANDRE URSINI
One of SA’s strong cohort of former MasterChef contestants, Ursini returned home to open CBD trattoria Andre’s Cucina (now closed). He then went to work (alongside his father), transforming an 1890s building in Kensington Rd into the gorgeously crafted Orso restaurant and Willmott’s Gastronomica. In the past year he teamed with chef Will Doak to open Lost Phoenix Farm on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Also owns a large property at Mylor where he runs special event dinners at Villetta Porcini.
CALLUM HANN and THEMIS CHRYSSIDIS
Hann is another to come to prominence on MasterChef, before teaming with Chryssidis to launch Sprout, an innovative business that combined a cooking school and health studio to look at dietary matters from two different angles. The pair then began catering for festivals/functions and used this experience to take over the dining space at Lou Miranda Estate Winery in the Barossa, renaming the eatery Lou’s Place. They then turned their sights to the city and developed eleven, a sophisticated restaurant and terrace bar at the base of an office tower in Waymouth St.
DOUG GOVAN
Since taking over the Victory Hotel more than 30 years ago, Govan has turned the landmark pub at Sellicks Hill into a dining and drinking experience that has something for everyone. This is a place where you can still find a frosty pint and a laugh in the front bar, a lawn for the kids to frolic and a lovingly curated wine cellar with a collection that has few rivals. In 2011 Govan and wife Nikki bought iconic clifftop restaurant and kiosk the Star of Greece at Port Willunga. Recent renovations, including an expanded deck, have made more of the sea views and postcard location.
DAVID SWAIN & SHARON ROMEO
Widely loved and hugely respected, the chef (Swain) and front of house dynamo (Romeo) first teamed up to turn a little white-walled cottage in Willunga into the much-lauded Fino. The pair then took their regional dining concept to the Barossa, opening the much larger Fino at Seppeltsfield as part of the rebirth of the historic wine property. Then, two years ago, they added Fino Vino, bottling the spirit of the original and bringing it to the heart of the city.
JAY PATEL
Newcomer who shook up Adelaide’s restaurant scene with purchase of Press, Peel St and Leigh Street Wine Room (see story above).
Don’t miss this year’s delicious. 100 – your guide to SA’s top 100 restaurants. Part 1 is live noon, July 29 at advertiser.com.au
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