SA Weekend reveals the best 24 dishes of 2024
Delicious, delightful and truly decadent dishes from across South Australia, ranked by SA Weekend food reviewers.
SA Weekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Weekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In a challenging year for South Australia’s restaurants, local chefs have been more creative than ever.
These are the 24 favourite dishes of 2024 selected by our SA Weeekend reviewers – from stunning snacks to vibrant veg and decadent desserts.
Some things will be available seasonally, others are permanent.
Download the app for Apple iPhone
Starters
RESTAURANT BOTANIC
Red kangaroo, celeriac, Oscietre caviar
An impossibly fragile celeriac tart shell is filled with cured and smoked kangaroo loin blanketed in a velvety celeriac cream. At the table, a waiter tops all of this with a dollop of Oscietre caviar. Yes, it’s only a mouthful, but the pleasure this little tart delivers comes in waves: the disintegrating shell, the momentary lushness of the cream, the tongue-pleasing texture of the meat and, finally, the lingering luxury of the eggs. New Botanic chef Jamie Musgrave maintains this kind of complexity through 20-plus courses, with bush foods now more prominent in the garden-led pantry. Full review here.
MAKAN WINE BAR
Prawn doughnut with tom yum sauce
Chef Ben Liew has a lot of fun experimenting with the culinary repertoire of Thailand, Japan, China, Taiwan and even Europe and this risk-taking almost always pays dividends. Consider a snack that started life as the sweet doughnut stick sold by Chinese street vendors. This savory version is fried until crisp, filled with a prawn-toast-like seafood mousse, fried again and then cut into short cylinders that are arranged on a tom yum sauce cut with plenty of lime juice. His chicken wings stuffed with curried fish cake mixture are another winner. Read full review here.
LATTERIA
Risotto al slato
Rules are made to be broken at this playful Italian eatery and bar on the eastern fringe of the city. “Risotto al salto” is one of those thrifty, waste-smashing ideas that Italians love, using the previous night’s leftover saffron risotto and pressing it into a pancake that is fried in butter until it forms a dark, crunchy crust. Chef Nicola Pau, however, takes it to another place altogether, making this disc the bullseye at the centre of rings of airy whipped parmesan cream and chicken jus, before dusting with more parmesan. Then he scatters over bonito flakes that sway in the eddies of hot air as if by magic - a flourish normally associated with Japan’s okonomiyaki. It’s a culinary alliance that makes the world a better place. Full review here.
LONGPLAY
Ox tongue skewer, cherry, pickled mustard
Longplay chefs Calum Horn and Jude Hughes top the snacking charts with this lovely, nuanced use of a secondary cut. Ox tongue is poached and finely shaved, then threaded on to a skewer. After a short turn on the grill, the stick is finished with a cherry glaze, slices of the fresh fruit and a smattering of pickled mustard seeds. The delicate folds of meat … the carefully conceived accompaniments … the interplay of textures … mark it down as one of the year’s best. Read full review here.
TAPROBANE
Hoppers
All of the highlights from Sri Lanka’s sizable kitchen repository are on offer at this southern-suburbs restaurant that captures the culture and flavours of the island as well as anywhere. The “hoppers”, for instance, are crisp-edged, lacy crepes made from a rice flour and coconut milk batter, fried in a special pan so they come out shaped like an edible bowl, some with an egg set in the bottom. Break off a piece and use to scoop up a potent chilli and dried fish sambal. Read full review here.
Seafood
ONDEEN
Nannygai baked in cabbage, saltbush butter
Kane Pollard’s cooking is a reflection of the bloke himself – honest, humble, free of ego. It shows clearly in the menus at dreamy distillery/wine bar/restaurant Ondeen in the Adelaide Hills with dishes such as this fillet that is roasted “en papillote” in a heavily charred cabbage leaf. A compound butter containing finely chopped saltbush is also in the parcel, as well as flavouring a sauce lightened with fish stock and green onion oil. Not flashy or over-complicated but my goodness it is something special. Read full review here.
SORA
Roasted barramundi wrapped in nori
Magical things happen inside this seaweed parcel of kombu-brined barramundi when it is roasted. The skin and fat of the fish transform to a glorious savoury jelly and the flesh gently steams until it becomes opaque. Plopped onto a bed of corn and rice porridge (in the style of congee), this little bundle is a moment of genius from chef Adam Liston, one that lives up to Sora’s spectacular setting. Read full review here.
THELMA
Calamari, brassicas, grains
Using minimal equipment in a teeny open kitchen that many chefs would run a mile from, Thelma’s Tom Campbell, by necessity, keeps his plates simple to prepare. That doesn’t mean they can’t be wonderful, however. This combination is all about local calamari, with unbelievably fresh sections of tube, wing and tentacle all pan-fried, while the trim and guts are used in making a potent black soup in which to bubble a mix of lentils, freekeh and leftover bits of charcuterie. Think of the grains as a looser, more interesting risotto that, along with brassica leaves and a whole-lemon sauce, make this memorable. Read full review here.
POLPO
Grilled whiting and codfish cream
Our local hero fish is taken on a journey to the Venetian lagoon as part of Paul Serafin’s homage to his family’s heritage. King george whiting is deboned and butterflied, grilled until the skin is branded with scorch marks and flesh immaculate, then partly swathed in ribbons of fresh fennel and surrounded by a sauce based on the milk that has been used in cooking baccala (salted cod). Read full review here.
LVN
Mullet, fermented tomato, fig
Jacob Davey’s tasting menu at LVN bristles with invention, energy and mind-boggling complexity, as you might expect from a chef whose previous gig was at Restaurant Botanic. The results can be stunning, as in these fillets of mullet that are salted, given a short pickle in dashi vinegar and then have their skin scorched with a piece of hot charcoal. On top is a paste of dehydrated and minced tomato seasoned with mountain pepper. The pale pink consommé below is based on fermented tomato water, infused with bonito and kombu, and then muddled with fresh fig. Read full review here.
TUNKI
Sashimi and ceviche bowl
Chef Krish Dutt has created Adelaide’s only restaurant specialising in Nikkei, a culinary tradition that started with the Japanese population of Peru. The result is full of surprises (particularly given the hotel setting), not least this beautifully presented bowl loaded with top-shelf seafood in a raw version of a fisherman’s basket. Sashimi slices of blue fin tuna loin and mulloway come with soy and freshly grated Tasmanian wasabi. A tuna ceviche is paired with ginger syrup, celery oil and house-produced coconut milk. Even better is the kingfish in a citrus/achiote dressing topped with flying fish roe infused with soy and truffle. Read full review here.
MEAT
STOREHOUSE
Braised lamb belly, onion puree
The lamb at hotel restaurant Storehouse Flinders East really lifts the baa (sorry) on the ubiquitous shoulder. Chef Brent Potuszyski takes a whole belly, removes the bones, rolls and ties the meat, braises it very slowly, wraps it in cling film and leaves it to chill. On ordering, he cuts off several discs to pan-fry and then roast. It’s a lot more work but the result is spectacular, especially when these crisp-shelled little parcels of gelatinous lamby goodness are partnered by silky onion puree, pickled onion, a couscous-based tabouli and fried kale leaves. Read full review here.
THAI ROOM
Grilled duck curry
This tantalising house specialty at surprising city restaurant Thai Room was taken off the menu only to be brought back by popular demand – and no wonder when this colourful dish tastes even better than it looks. Exotic spices and tender slices of earthy duck are beautifully balanced by fruits including pineapple, lychees, cherry tomatoes, eggplant and the surprise ingredient that looks like potato but is in fact green apple.
ODE
Roasted half chicken, quinoa, prosciutto
Chef Simon Ming brings experience in a multitude of acclaimed kitchens (Orana, Brae, Quay) to his own bistro venture in North Adelaide. It results in a level of confidence that shines in dishes such as deboned chicken breast and thigh brined and then roasted to produce a wonderfully juicy, easy-carve version of everyone’s favourite family dinner. Toasty-roasty carrots, prosciutto, a chicken and truffle jus and the unlikely underpinning of quinoa complete the illusion. If you want spuds, there is also a dish of French-style mash loaded with butter. Odebistro.com.au
MOLLY’S, COLLEY HOTEL
Polpette in tomato sugo
Pub meatballs can tend to be cheerless lumps of mince but these beauties, upstairs in a refurbished Glenelg hotel, live up to the polpette moniker. A trio of slightly squished spheres, fashioned from pork, beef and breadcrumbs, come to the table in a cast iron skillet straight out of the pizza oven. They are coated in a rich tomato sugo that is bubbling furiously around the edges, while molten mozzarella is spreading from the middle. The balls themselves are light, luscious and spiked with just enough parmesan and parsley. It’s a long time since we’ve eaten any better. Read full review here.
PASTA
RITA’S BAR AND RESTAURANT
Gnocchi with mapo tofu sauce
Extra-light lozenges of potato gnocchi, taking the place of cubed tofu in the classic mapo, are stirred through a slow-cooked ragu of pork and veal that includes both charred tomato passata and Chinese fermented bean paste, while blitzed silken tofu is used to add a welcome creaminess. Fusion can have a bad name but this eureka moment from Rita’s chef Darcy Dawes is very, very clever. Read full review here.
BIBO BAR AND EATERY
Caserecce pasta alle cime di rapa
The bitter green cime di rapa is a favourite of the thrifty home cooks of southern Italy. Luigia Cappelluti, chef at unassuming eastern suburbs café Bibo Bar and Eatery, shows what is possible with this veg. He gently fries the stems and leaves in plenty of olive oil with garlic and chilli, then blitzes the stems with a little pasta water until they disintegrate to a creamy emulsion. Stirred back through the leaves with a scattering of parmesan, this creates a sauce so rich and effective at coating perfectly al dente caserecce that you would swear it was loaded with gooey cheese, cream or some form of dairy. Add the crunch of crumbled taralli, an Italian cracker biscuit, and it is a dish that makes the most of what is available. Read full review here.
McLAREN VALE HOTEL
Corned beef cheek with root vegetables
Paul Wilson knows what makes a pub tick. When the acclaimed chef quietly moved to SA and took charge of the kitchen in this regional hotel, he introduced a menu that was generous-hearted and pitch-perfect for the season. Here corned beef and beef cheeks, the old and new of pub dining, are combined to show off the best of both, with meat the dark magenta of a nasty bruise falling apart in gelatinous lobes. To the side are root vegetables (turnip, swede, carrot) as they should be – not in an anonymous puree but simply braised in the poaching stock and presented as is, with all their bitter-edged goodness on show. Read full review here
PENNY BLUE, ADELAIDE MARRIOTT
Pepe’s Margra lamb cappelletti, arrabbiata sauce, Capers, kalamata olives
Seeking a change from the usual carbonara or crab linguine pasta dishes? Look no further than this offering at the fine dining restaurant inside the city’s new $200m hotel. Cappelletti are ring-shaped stuffed pasta not unlike tortellini, and these are filled with lamb which has been slowly braised overnight, ensuring it’s extra soft on the inside. Made from scratch, they’re covered in a slightly spicy Calabrian-style sauce highlighted by garlic, chilli and basil, alongside fried capers and pitted olives for the saltiness it needs. Read full review here.
VEGETABLES
THE THAI GUY
Radish cakes
Soi 38’s Terry Intarakhamhaeng captures the smoky aromas and intense flavours of Thai street food at this hole-in-the-wall eatery not far from his suburban home. The skewers (beef, chicken, octopus) are a staple but we fell for these slabs of steamed radish cake that are brushed with a mix of soy, vinegar and palm sugar as they grill, the glaze turning into a sticky, intense savoury toffee. More of the sauce is poured over on the plate and this unlikely triumph is the thing we are talking about later. Read full review here.
SOFIA
Braised zucchini toast, ricotta
A vego snack for the ages from Stewart Wesson, chef at this clever all-day café/bar/bistro created from a repurposed office block lobby. Humble zucchini is turned into a glamour vegetable by being slowly braised with plenty of garlic, loaded on to toasted ciabatta and pampered with a squiggle of piped ricotta that looks like it might be soft-serve. A sprinkle of lemon rind, fennel pollen and black pepper adds the finishing touches. Read full review here.
SWEET
TEMPERANCE
Local figs, dried fig ice-cream, pistachios
Local lad Hugh Hazelwood and his mate Anthony Cresp finally give the Riverland a dining experience that truly reflects its extraordinary agricultural and vinous production. Their set menu at Temperance, in the Hotel Renmark, might finish with fresh slices of local fig accompanied by a frangipane tart, pistachios, melting dried fig ice-cream and a sublime, syrupy vincotto made by reducing the port from a nearby winemaker. Read full review here.
ASHA
Olive oil cake, blood orange salad, pistachio halva, ashta
Good Gilbert’s spin-off Asha offers a high-end modern Australian twist on Middle Eastern cuisine - as this dessert illustrates perfectly. The olive oil cake is moist, with a slightly candied crust. Alone, it would be delicious, but perfectly curated toppings - sumptuous cream with orange blossom water, sweet sliced fragments of blood orange and a pistachio paste with tahini - take it to the next level. Simply divine. Read full review here.
ROMA
Salted blood orange panna cotta, Campari granita, rosemary sherbert
Callum Hann has flipped Eleven into Roma, a modern Italian restaurant his business partner Themis Chryssidis describes as “light, bright, casual and fun”. The same has to be said about this “deliciously ugly” dessert. Super-sized scoops of creamy salted blood orange panna cotta and tangy Campari granita with rosemary sherbert have been plopped on a dish and, despite looking less than appetising, they are perfection on a plate. Either would be a treat on its own, but together they are sumptuous, the flavours of each consummately complementing the other. Read full review here.
Brainwaves: Who was US actor Marilyn Monroe’s first husband?
Into which ocean does the Amazon River flow? Acorns come from what kind of tree? Take our weekly Brainwaves quiz – 50 mind-bending general knowledge questions.
What was the surname of Clint Eastwood’s character Dirty Harry?
Who created the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes?What is triskaidekaphobia?Take our weekly Brainwaves quiz - 50 mind-bending general knowledge questions