September 2024: Five To Try
New faces in SA’s food scene to know.
Rita’s
Image via @ritas.adelaide
Contemporary Italian courses that aren’t afraid to pinch ingredients from other cuisines that make up modern Australia is what to expect from new North Adelaide restaurant, Rita’s. This spot opened in July, serving plates of spiced lamb ribs with smoked beetroot glaze and vanella burrata with scorched shimejis, leeks and crispy chilli oil to crowds. South Australian produce with a splash of Asian influence means courses often hit the desired umami spot. Yum! As for drinks, you’ll find us sipping on Rita’s signature spiced negroni.
Yes Please: Handcut tagliarini with blue swimmer crab, crustacean broth and macadamia.
Where: 69–71 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide
Follow: @ritas.adelaide
Hills Collide
Image via hills_collide
This sustainable, minimal-intervention wine label has found a permanent home in the Adelaide Hills. Opening quietly in the tail-end of July, owners Shane Ettridge (Proof) and Mitchell Fitzpatrick are breathing life into the former Summertown Aristologist space. Here, you’ll find wines that are an authentic expression of the region, toasties stuffed with wild rabbit or venison, good cheeses and a community you’ll want to join. Save the date for Hills Collide’s inaugural event Grünerpalooza – a celebration of Grüner Veltliner, including some of the label’s vintage drops – on October 6.
Yes Please: A selection of Section28 cheeses.
Where: 1097 Greenhill Road, Summertown
Follow: @hills_collide
Jumbo Smash
Image via @jumbo__smash
If you’re going to have a burger, make sure it’s from Jumbo Smash. This new joint has been feeding suit wearers and the city crowd for two months, but it’s already reached cult status. Chef Jimmy Garside previously worked at Sydney’s bad burger bar Mary’s and is serving his smashed beef and onion patty creations in SA. They’re the perfect light feed for whenever the mood strikes (Jumbo Smash slings patties late on Fridays and Saturdays). But if you’re after something more substantial, there’s a range of stacked sandwiches (think fried chicken and hot honey) and a weekday breakfast menu (featuring bacon pancakes with maple butter) too.
Yes Please: The Jumbo Burger with the lot.
Where: 50 Exchange Place, Adelaide
Follow: @jumbo__smash
Bar Madrid
Image via @barmadridadl
If spring calls for one thing, it’s Spanish wine and sharp cheeses. Good thing you can get both at new hotspot, Bar Madrid. This Norwood-based nook is for all hours of the day. Start with a locally roasted coffee and Portuguese tart (made by cult bakers, Saudade) in the AM; end with a tempranillo, some tapas and imported jamon in the PM. The vibe inside this quaint hole-in-the-wall is immaculate, too – owner David España Gallardo is a Spanish expat and has used his lived experience to create one of the most authentic atmospheres this side of the hemisphere. Did we mention the tapas are complimentary, too?
Yes Please: Jamon Iberico on crusty slices of bread.
Where: 4/47 The Parade, Norwood
Follow: @barmadridadl
ASHA
Image via @asha.adl
The team behind Good Gilbert is revitalising the cosy suburb of Goodwood. Of course, its wine bar-cum-restaurant has been a cult favourite amongst Adelaidians for years. But now, they’ve opened a second space along the road (next door, to be exact). It serves small and large plates with a Middle Eastern and North African lean, like octopus with hot thyme honey or eggplant with green tahini and fried onions. The 34-seater restaurant is moody and intimate – the perfect spot for a first date. And, of course, being Good Gilbert’s little sister, the drinks list is next level. Expect wines and cocktails that only enhance the flavour-packed courses you devour. Superb!
Yes Please: Mulloway with kohlrabi greens and fermented green chilli shatta.
Where: 135 Goodwood Road, Goodwood
Follow: @asha.adl
