Adelaide may be one of Australia’s eight capital cities, but its small town attitude makes for the perfect haven for food lovers from all over. Don’t let its size fool you, with population of just over 1.1 million, it is home to some of the best fresh produce in Australia and over 700 restaurants – that equals more restaurants per capita than any other Australian city.
Nestled in between three of Australia’s best known and largest exporting wine regions, the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale, Adelaide is renowned for its gourmet lifestyle, where the gastronomic culture of its immigrant past mixes with modern Australia and some of the world’s best produce to create a culinary sensation for food-loving travellers.
Adelaide's Food Hertitage
Rundle Street, in the heart of the city, boasts that alfresco style café culture that gives Adelaide its European touch and epitomizes its multicultural heritage. Weekends in this corner of the world are alive with young and old capturing some gastronomic R’n’R on the generous boulevards of the street’s most popular cafés and restaurants. Every taste is catered for, from modern Asian and Indian to Italian. After lunch treats can be enjoyed alfresco while watching the world go by. Try:
- Scoozi Caffe Bar - 272 Rundle St, Adelaide, SA 5000
- Eros Greek Restaurant - 277 Rundle St, Adelaide, SA 5000
Chocolate lovers can find their haven just five minutes of the city centre at the Haigh’s Chocolates Visitor Centre. Tempting Australia since 1915, Haigh’s is Australia’s oldest chocolate manufacturer and one of the few left in the world that make chocolate directly from the bean.
Not only can you taste and smell one of Australia’s most delicious heritage displays but you can you can witness the making of this spectacular treat from the grinding of the carefully selected raw cocoa beans, to the delectable job of hand-dipping the truffles.
- Haigh’s Chocolate Factory - 54 Greenhill Rd, Parkside, SA 5063To book for tours, call: +(61) 83727070 or visit their website.
Fresh Produce and Restaurant Culture
Gouger Street, in the CBD is the ideal place to eat you way around Adelaide’s cultural diversity, and it is also the gateway to Chinatown. Packed to the rim with Yum Cha, traditional Thai, Argentinean, Asian fusion, seafood, Greek and sushi bars, Gouger Street is the quintessential restaurant-hoppers paradise. The most popular amongst the locals are:
- Zuma Caffe - 56 Gouger St, Adelaide, SA 5000
- Ky Chow - 82 Gouger St, Adelaide, SA 5000
- Gaucho’s Argentinean Restaurant - 91 Gouger Street, Adelaide, SA 5000
- T-Bar - 44 Gouger St, Adelaide, SA 5000
The Central Market, located off Gouger Street is a South Australian heritage icon. Started by market gardeners in 1869, the Central Market has become the food centre of Adelaide, and a bustling Mecca for food-lovers.
Every sense will be teased, indulged and satisfied with an assortment of mouth-watering aromas and tastes, brilliant colours, buzzing sounds and unique characters. An amazing array of quality produce can be found, with over 80 stalls of seasonal fruit and vegetables, cheeses from around the world, charcuterie, fresh seafood, pastries, spices and gourmet delights. Head to Lucia's Fine Foods, Smelly Cheese and the ever-popular Charlesworth Nuts for some of the finest and freshest merchants.
Five minutes from the CBD, North Adelaide is brimming with first class restaurants and cafés ranging from casual, hearty breakfast menus on Melbourne Street or O’Connell Street, to five-star á-la-carte and fine dining. Searching for a ‘truly Australian’ dining experience, husband and wife team Andrew and Kaye Fielke started the concept in 1985 creating a menu loaded with indigenous ingredients. Red Ochre then opened in 1992 and quickly gained both national and international acclaim. Another 'must-try' is The Manse, which has been named The Advertiser's '2008 Restaurant of the Year'.
- Red Ochre Restaurant - War Memorial Drive, North Adelaide, SA 5006
- The Manse - 142 Tynte St, North Adelaide, SA 5001
Fine Wines
No voyage to Adelaide would be complete without sampling some of the region’s award-winning wines. Magill Estate, just east of the city, hosts Penfold’s winery, famous for its premium range of wines. The historic Grange Cottage was built by Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary in 1844 and today is open to connoisseurs to sneak a peek at behind the scenes wine making facilities and maturation tunnels.
- Penfold’s Winery Magill Estate - 78 Penfold Rd, Magill, SA 5072For information on wine tastings and tours, visit their website.
Arguably, this is the culinary heart of Australia. Local and international produce encapsulated in the charming surrounds of this big-country-town-capital, it is tranquillity and indulgence at its finest.
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