There’s something effortlessly charming about Adelaide’s oldest Italian dame. Waiters are so well versed and experienced – you’ll have a cool glass of vernaccia in one hand and grissini in the other before you’ve even begun to browse the large menu. There’s professional ease here, but also the potential for real fun, despite starched white tablecloths and a polished bar. Italian favourites on the menu deploy locally farmed ingredients with impeccable versatility. Carpaccio of dry-aged beef is given punch with pecorino and walnut crumbs, and a duck braise combines the lightest potato gnocchi with immaculately balanced ragù. A doorstop slab of ginger ice-cream – which is sandwiched between fragile filaments of puff pastry and paired with a poached plum – makes for a substantial yet elegant dessert. An Italian-leaning wine list genuinely excites with its breadth, covering regions and varieties with aplomb.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★ ★ ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
