QUEEN OF SURPRISES
the indigenous communities, there are interesting jewellery pieces made with native seeds — and a cellar door for Sparkke Change Beverage Company, a female-led social enterprise raising awareness and funds for social issues through award-winning beers, ciders and wine.
Our next stop is Primo Estate, where I meet Daniel Grilli, whose market gardener-grandfather Primo bought the vineyard in the 1970s after a particularly good year growing potatoes.
Daniel pours me La Biondina Colombard, a refreshing fruit-driven white wine; Merlesco Merlot, inspired from the Italian carafes brought into restaurants straight from the vineyard; Joseph Nebbiolo — which he says is Italy’s version of pinot noir and with the same obsessive following; and the festive Joseph sparkling red NV, which is made with museum vintages dating back to the 60s.
My gastronomic journey continues in Adelaide, where I rush out of the rain into Andre’s Cucina & Polenta Bar, an unassuming restaurant surrounded by office blocks.
It turns out to be surprisingly warm, busy, noisy and fun and I people-watch multi-generational family gatherings, romantic first dates and groups of friends huddled around long tables being served beautifully-presented Northern Italian regional dishes.
I choose a light option — bagna cauda, a garden selection of seasonal raw and blanched vegetables served with a hot anchovy dip and grilled crostini. It arrives arranged as a vegetable wreath with the dip in a little brass pot, retaining its heat no matter how many different-coloured carrots or radishes I dip into it.
It’s matched with a glass of nebbiolo from another of South Australia’s standout wine regions, the Clare Valley, and I enjoy every sip and crunch until I’m left only able to squeeze in just one more bite — of melt-in-your-mouth caramelised white chocolate mousse, seasonal berries and oat crumb.
The next day, I take an EcoCaddy street art tour through the grid-like Adelaide streets and the four distinctly different neighbourhoods.
“Adelaide is a big rectangle grid — there’s always one part of town busy each night,” says Toby, the tour guide. “A little bit of local knowledge goes a long way.”
He pedals down alleyways and points out street art, giving the history of the artist, as well as the background to some of the streets and buildings.
There are plenty of local insights and tips for things to do and restaurants to visit — such as a little Chinese restaurant open late, where all the best chefs go after their own restaurants have closed, or Adelaide’s beloved Luigi Delicatessen with its famous breakfast platters and “theatre of food” experience.
Dropped at Bread & Bone Grill — a diner in a tunnel joining two Adelaide streets — I have a refreshing Aperol Betty Spritz and a soft-shell crab burger with the perfect crunchy combination of chilli kewpie heat and butter lettuce cool, and decadently salty french fries on the side.
On the way to the bathroom under the stairs, I notice a round door. Behind it, I find a “secret” bar hiding a Prohibition-erainspired cocktail bar, Maybe Mae, named after Mae West.
Even in Adelaide, nothing is quite as it seems and in just one weekend, I’ve discovered South Australia is a surprisingly exciting part of the country to visit.