Ruby Red Flamingo

Classic Italian
Lunch Review 

With Xmas only just around the corner and the thought of silly season revellers rushing to restaurants for debaucherous lunchtime lunacy, we felt that getting in early for our annual lads Christmas lunch would be the safest bet. I’d heard that the historic and prestigious Manse in Tynte street had stopped operation and been reopened with a new flavour and style under the name ‘Ruby Red Flamingo’. It was the perfect opportunity to have a long lunch with Macca and Hobbsy who are equally passionate about their food and wine.

On entry to the classic building, it was clear that much of the previous décor had been retained; just touched up with a retro styling that gave us the feeling we were eating at our best Italian friend’s parent’s house. The plates and water glasses were mismatched with old school flair, and they had even used the old Manse’s signature pink display plates as part of the standard service.

By 12:30pm the restaurant was already half filled and 15 minutes later it was at capacity - certainly a great sign for a restaurant that had only been operating for 8 weeks. As we took our seat we confirmed with our waiter, Richard that the rumoured $12 corkage was correct as we had decided to break out some top shelf red’s to share. I requested that we have our 1998 Ingoldby Cabernet Sauvignon decanted, which received a positive response, and it arrived out our table with some proper Riedel Cabernet glasses - what a treat!

To start the celebration we were offered an opening ale or white wine to give our tastebuds some life. I was most impressed that they offered a homebrew beer and Macca and I thought it would definitely be worth a try. The homebrew was a light refreshing pilsner style that even non-beer drinkers could enjoy.

With drinks in hands and the obligatory Xmas cheers performed, we moved into phase two, ordering food. Noticing the lack of on table menu’s it only took a slight turn of the head to find the scattered menus displayed on the walls around the dining room. We felt it would be better to allow Richard to make our decisions for us and advised that we had a medium-to-well ‘hunger rating’! Our menu included the following dishes:

Bresaola: Cured beef, rocket & parmesan
Gnudi: Ricotta, spinach & tomato
Polenta: Mushroom, 4 cheeses & spinach
Red & green salad: Mixed lettuce leaves
Gnocchi Pomodoro: Gnocchi, tomato & basil
Maccheroni Eggplant: Smoked scamorza, dry ricotta & tomato
Mafalde Ragu: Chicken, turkey & tomato
Special: Pork Sausages with grilled vegetables & bread

Most of the menu items are offered in small and large sizes creating a perfect opportunity for a shared meal with friends. Every dish was cooked perfectly with rich, abundant flavours that were simplistic in their arrangement. The pasta was all handmade on the premises and cooked flawlessly; the gnocchi was soft, silky and melted in the mouth; while the maccheroni and mafalde were aptly al dente. These dishes took me back to my childhood, growing up in Campbelltown, eating at my Italian friends’ houses and are certainly traditional recipes that any Nonna would be proud to serve.

The service was impeccable with Lauro, Richard and Sarah having complete control over all guests. Their friendly nature and can-do attitude made the whole experience feel so homely and welcoming, like a well executed dinner party. Once service had finished, we even had the opportunity to sit and discuss the experience and pass on our gratitude before taking a seat outside in the warm spring sun to enjoy a thirst-quenching Rosè.

To our surprise and great delight, the total bill for such an incredible lunch only came to $198.50 for the 3 of us. Ruby Red Flamingo is an exceptional restaurant in all facets of dining requirements. I will be visiting this establishment frequently and encourage all Adelaidians to do so. Make sure you get in quick as bookings are not accepted and once word gets out expect a line up of eager patrons.

Darren Richards
(AKA Dougal McFuzzlebutt)

Where: 142 Tynte St, North Adelaide 5006
Trading: Lunch: Wed – Fri 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Dinner: Wed – Sat 5:30pm – 10pm
Website: facebook.com/RubyRedFlamingo
Contact: (08) 8267 5769

Photography by Darren Richards

Brisith Raj

Festival of Food

Indian Cuisine
Dinner Review

It’s time for another installment for the Festival of Food with my regular counterparts, Nick and Athena. With an upcoming interlude in India, it was only fitting that I accustom my digestive system to some Indian spice, so we took on a new comer to the list in 2012, British Raj on Henley Beach Rd. Although Athena was initially apprehensive of trying a new Indian restaurant we eventually convinced her that a night with us would far outweigh any concerns.

On arrival, we entered what looked to be an old house that had been revamped into an open plan dining room. Most noticeable were the numerous photos and signatures of the restaurant’s Indian cricket idols on the walls throughout the restaurant. Although this may be a hall of fame to some, for me it was a little tacky.

We were promptly welcomed and taken through the menu for The Festival of Food, of which the options were amazing. The offer included almost any main curry dish of your choice; with this in mind, we each ordered a different dish to share so we could get a varied view:

Athena: Beef Korma
Nick: Tandoori Chicken Tikka Masala
Myself: Goat Curry

Soon after ordering our mains, we received our starter which consisted of garlic naan. The fresh, crisp taste and textures were only let down by the fact that we didn’t receive any raita or pickle/chutney to dip it in, however upon request it was quite graciously provided in plentiful quantity. The mango pickle was bitter and salty with a mild sourness – but was reminiscent more of pickle from a jar; the raita however was sweet, creamy and more clearly a homemade style.

The tasting plate for entree was made up of prawn tandoori, chicken tikka and mushroom pakora; the chicken was lovely and tender and had a great smoky tandoor flavour; the mushroom pakora had a soggy chick pea crust; and the prawns were slightly stodgy - which would generally be a sign of frozen or over cooked produce. Either way, the entree certainly captured some typically lively Indian spices and aroma, but just lacked the pizzazz and freshness I was looking for. Possibly serving them individually to the guests or one item at a time would have highlighted the depth of the dishes and saved cross contaminating the flavours on such a small plate. Upon cleaning our dishes, the waiter asked what we thought. I provided the above feedback and he commented that our honesty was appreciated to ensure future success, I found this remarkably admirable.

As mains arrived, we struggled to fit the contents on the table. The serves were a generous proportion but the vast majority of that was the sauce. The goat curry was amazingly tender, although the ratio of meat to bone was about 60:40. This was only made easier to swallow because the waiter had advised that there were bones in the dish. The beef korma had a lovely light texture with very earthy flavours and certainly captured the essence of freshly ground spices. The tandoori chicken tikka masala had the makings of a beautiful dish. The use of the word tandoori gave me the impression the chicken would have been cured correctly and then cooked in a tandoor, however it tasted more like pan fried chicken breast finished with an off the shelf butter chicken sauce and an overly rich cream rather than yoghurt as a base.

As we sat and allowed the multitude of food settle, we agreed that the service was very friendly and polite while the food, although not the best we’d had, was certainly worthy of a full gullet and possibly another visit at a later date. To our disappointment however, our chocolate and hazelnut petit fours never arrived, even after a lengthy wait and post bill settlement. It truly was a downside to what could have been a magical night containing minor mishaps.

Darren Richards
(AKA Dougal McFuzzlebutt)

Dinner Monday – Friday $22.50
*Bookings and brochure essential. Quote ‘Festival of Food’ when booking
**Full menu options also available

Where: 170 Henley Beach Road Torrensville 5031
Trading: Lunch Wed – Fri 11.30am - 2.30pm, Dinner Mon – Sun 6pm - Late
Contact: (08) 8354 4881

The Sebel Playford

Modern Fine Dining
Dinner Review

With my recent culinary crusade of Vietnam and Cambodia still lingering in my mind and creepy crawly courses of tarantula and snake lingering on my tongue, I was eager to chow down on some great South Aussie tucker. As it was my parents Wedding Anniversary I wanted somewhere that offered a fine dining experience with a matching atmosphere. The Festival of Food offered two options that had not yet been visited in 2012 being that of Windy Point Restaurant and The Sebel Playford, but I chose the latter as I hadn’t eaten there for the Festival of Food in previous years.

Upon booking I asked what parking options were available, to which I was advised that the station in Victoria St would offer secure parking and the staff and concierge would validate our visit to provide seamless and complimentary parking. This proved to be valuable due to the location of the restaurant where limited timed street parks were available.

Entering the restaurant we were warmly greeted by Timika and were promptly shown to our table. Con announced himself as our waiter for the evening and portrayed great energy and enthusiasm from word ‘go’. As Con delivered our rosemary and shallot house bread, whipped butter and tomato crutomat, he took us through our Festival of Food menu options and advised that he would return momentarily to take our order.

After a short but not extended wait, Con returned and politely apologised for the delay while also demonstrating exceptional customer service and relationship skills through his whimsical and light-hearted, yet professional manner. We placed our order for mains as follows:

Mum: Truffle infused free range chicken breast, potato terrine, parma crisp, parmesan custard and micro herb salad
Dad: Clean and sustainable King salmon fillet, warm new potatoes, horseradish crème and citrus spiced beetroot
Myself:  Onkaparinga fallow Denver leg venison pan seared with shallots, hazelnut kohlrabi, parsnip crisps and venison jus
Side Dishes: Steamed greens rolled in Udder Delight’s goat’s curd and almond dukkah

As our entrée tasting plates arrived I immediately noticed the well sized individually plated portions of Citrus cured king salmon tartare with avocado crème, cucumber and chives on olive soil, an eggplant, fetta and basil terrine with pickled courgette and Greek salad in a glass. Both the king salmon tartare and eggplant terrine were gracefully smooth in texture and fresh in flavour, whereas I found the Greek salad in a glass to be more like a vinegar jelly with no real ingredient definition that left me wishing I hadn’t saved it for last as a palate cleanser.

As Con collected our plates he was more than happy to receive our feedback and accepted the constructive criticism I gave promising to pass it onto the kitchen. Due to the generous entrée tasting plates, I also asked if we could possibly pause the service of the next course for approximately 20 minutes, which Con affirmatively acknowledged without hesitation.

Almost like a magicians trick, our main dishes appeared spot on time. Our eyes expanded in amazement at the sheer mass of food that made up our mains; I was pleasantly surprised that the Sebel Playford didn’t suffer the ’large plate, small meal’ syndrome many other fine dining restaurants do these days. There was only one question left; will this creative colossal cuisine live up to its visual immensity?

The answer was without doubt, yes! The venison was cooked perfectly medium rare, as requested, the parsnip crisps were exactly as named, crisp, and the jus was thick and intense which formed more of a bolognaise style sauce.

There were more ooh’s and ah’s coming from my parents corners than words which is always a joyous result. My mum’s chicken was perfectly cooked and beautifully tender with the perfect level of truffle to ensure the parma crisp didn’t overpower it. My dad’s salmon had a crisp skin and moist inner structure which was perfectly complimented by the horseradish crème. The steamed greens with goat’s curd was velvety smooth and light enough to pay tribute to our dinner choices.

Once again we commended Con on the quality and flavour of the food and ordered some dessert drinks to chill out and reflect with. Luckily the chocolate ganache and raspberry meringue dessert tasting platter was a smaller quantity as I was already wishing I could unbutton my pants.

We could do nothing but admire the level of quality fare and exceptionally friendly service. We left knowing that the dinner and environment was the ideal choice for such a momentous occasion. My only disappointment was that I hadn’t visited the Sebel Playford earlier, but I am delighted to have discovered another of Adelaide’s dining treasures in such an accessible and common haven.

Darren Richards
(AKA Dougal McFuzzlebutt)

Special Menu Pricing
Dinner Monday – Friday $32.50
Dinner Saturday $42.50
*Bookings and brochure essential. Quote ‘Festival of Food’ when booking
**Full menu options also available

Where: 120 North Terrace Adelaide 5000
Trading: Breakfast: Mon – Fri 6:30am – 10:30am and Sat - Sun 6.30am - 9.00am or 9.30am to 11.00am
Dinner: Mon – Sun 6pm – 10pm
Website: mirvachotels.com/sebel-playford-adelaide/dining
Contact:  (08) 8213 8844
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Red Ochre

Festival of Food 

Modern Australian
Dinner Review

As I eat my way through the list of fantastic restaurants participating in the Festival of Food and with a cultural culinary crusade through South East Asia under a week away, I thought it was only fitting to engorge myself on some home grown game meat. What better place to do so than my favourite Modern Australian restaurant the iconic Red Ochre. This visit marked my 4th consecutive year tasting their fare for the Festival of Food.  Tucked away from the tree lined War Memorial Drive and picturesquely situated on the River Torrens, Red Ochre offers an upstairs dining experience overlooking glistening Adelaide city reflections.

It was to be a family affair for this meal as I know that my parents share my views on Australiana style cuisine. With a bottle of Two Hands 2006 Bella’s Garden wine under my arm, we climbed the stairway and entered our domain. We were greeted by our lovely auburn haired waitress for the evening and asked for our booking details. Unfortunately my week old booking had been misplaced or misspelt, but thankfully they accommodated us and lead us to our table close to the window with breathtaking panoramic skyline scenery.

We were promptly informed of the $20 corkage fee for the wine, as I acknowledged and politely asked for it to be decanted. The waitress actioned my request without hesitation, but unfortunately poured the wine straight away, without letting the stunning six year old Barossa Shiraz breathe properly. This was a missed opportunity to upsell on a menu item such as a palate cleansing ale.

Service was swift and after a five minute browse of the mains, we were asked if we were ready to order. We made the following selections:
Mum: Gawler River prosciutto wrapped chicken, soft herb stuffing, confit leg, sweet potato, toasted cashews, baby spinach, salsa verde, cranberry and native apple pickle.
Dad: North Queensland Fortune Bay barramundi with creamed cauliflower, shelled peas and sweet corn, soft herbs, tea soaked raisins and desert lime chermoula.
Myself:    Orroroo kangaroo fillet char grilled with a ragu of du Puy lentils, spiced carrot and drunken pear, orange blossom water and cardamom sauce (recommended medium-rare).
Side Dishes: Truffle mash, with black truffle salsa. Portobello mushrooms, sautéed with garlic butter & crispy shallots.

We were greeted by our first course tasting plate which consisted of Queensland blue pumpkin soup with aniseed myrtle coconut cream, Woodside goats curd noisette with liquid beetroot and a crocodile fish cake with Vietnamese lemon myrtle pickle. The pumpkin soup had perfect thickness which was lightened by the aniseed myrtle coconut foam. The goats curd noisette had a crisp crumb with a silky inner filling on a sweet, yet perfectly rounded beetroot base, while the crocodile fish cake was fried to perfection, ensuring not to dry out the challenging texture of crocodile, complemented perfectly by the subtly sour pickle.

As people started filtering into the restaurant, the service started to fizzle a tad and we sat in conversation for around 15 minutes with dirty dishes lingering under our noses. The restaurant staff seemed to not have a designated zone, but rather be tending to tables as required. This certainly didn’t detract from their friendly interaction or willingness to attend to our needs, but it did seem to cause some unnecessary chaos, as I noticed other patrons with looks of bewilderment on their faces as they lingered patiently.

As our mains arrived, my level of anticipation skyrocketed.  Red Ochre is the only restaurant I have confidence in to cook my kangaroo perfectly (apart from myself of course). As it was placed down in-front of me, there was an instantaneous reaction that lit me up like a Christmas tree in a child like fascination at the reliability of their chef and kitchen staff in cooking this ultra-lean marsupial to absolute perfection. The lentils were soft with mild sweetness from the orange blossom water and cardamom sauce which complimented its smeared carrot companion in a married flavour sensation.

Mums’ prosciutto wrapped chicken dish was succulent and presented elegantly which splashes of colour across the plate. There was clear definition between the various components to ensure their individuality and complexity were kept separate.  Dads’ barramundi had a crisp, browned skin with moist flesh laid out on a well manicured bed of creamed cauliflower. The truffle mash was velvety with the luxuriant linger you would expect from the fungal gold of the earth. Unfortunately the only thing that let down our mains was the delayed service of the Portobello mushrooms which arrived just as I closed my knife and fork to signify the end of my meal. Luckily they looked so scrumptious that I could not resist.

Feeling overwhelmed by the quality our mains, I was somewhat put out when the miniscule quandong and macadamia rocky road arrived (I had flashbacks to a previous review at their sister restaurant Panacea where we were served finger sized churros).  It was a little slapdash and required something a bit more substantial. On the other side of the coin, we were offered other desserts from their menu at a discounted Festival of Food rate which countered the lack of sugary provisions.

Overall, Red Ochre remains my favourite modern Australian restaurant in Adelaide. They are consistent in their preparation and presentation of quality game meats. With only a few minor service glitches the staff were prepared to go the extra mile and always offer an inviting and appreciative smile.

Dinner Monday – Thursday $32.50
Dinner Friday $35.00
*Bookings and brochure essential. Quote ‘Festival of Food’ when booking
**Full menu options also available

Where: War Memorial Drive Adelaide 5000
Trading: Mon – Sat 6:00pm – late
Website: redochre.com.au
Contact: (08) 8211 8555
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.