Hot Chocolate at The House of Donkey

With busy lives, my girls and I find that breakfast or brunch is a great way for us to catch up with minimal planning and fuss, and a renaissance in the Adelaide breakfast scene makes our outings all the more enjoyable. Cool and quirky cafés are peppering the suburbs and seasoning the city as diners snap-shut tired menus in large generic cafés and turn to smaller spots with personality.

At many of these vibrant addresses you will still find a classic ‘big breakfast’ of bacon and eggs made from quality South Australian produce but there is also a new wave of more creative dishes, ranging from baked eggs with chorizo in a tomato and capsicum salsa to coconut rice porridge made with bio-dynamic rain-fed rice, topped with toasted nuts and seeds.

Our conversations, comme toujours, seem to revolve around food, and our get-togethers offer the perfect opportunity to bounce addresses off each other and relay our latest experiences. With so many new eateries opening up in the past couple of years, there is always somewhere new to try and talk about but at the risk of a very long list, today, we have each chosen one brunch favourite. Not an easy task!

Georgi: Café Troppo

On a corner overlooking Whitmore Square this bohemian, eco-friendly spot describes itself as a ‘café with conscience’ and its ethos centres around sustainability, our environment and community. The façade is created from recycled, natural materials, pot plants hang from the vertical garden and the terrace has a cool vibe. Inside, freshly baked goods and garden produce tempt from the bench and hot dishes stream from the small open kitchen. The coffee is excellent (organic and fair trade) and produce is also organic where possible. Breakfast is served Tuesday to Friday with earthy dishes such as Mushroom Fancy Toast: sautéed Swiss brown mushrooms with fried local haloumi on thick-cut handmade sourdough with rocket and toasted almonds. On weekends there is a changing brunch menu. One of Georgi’s favourite dishes is the homemade waffles, soft and fluffy, served with seasonal fruit and bio-dynamic cream.

Anni: ARGO on the Parade

Catering to an eastern suburbs’ crowd this funky deli spills its colourful tables onto a wrap-around terrace on Norwood Parade and buzzes all day long. There is a good selection of interesting breakfast, brunch and light lunch options, and with an enormous turnover you can be assured extra-fresh ingredients. Anni eats here often with her friends because, she says, ‘It is consistently good and they are never disappointed’. Her favourite brunch dish is Morocco by Day, a ramekin of Napoletano sauce with pine nuts and a hint of chili topped with Kangaroo Island free-range poached eggs, provolone cheese and rocket, served with continental bread. Sweet-tooths may prefer the Strawberry Hotcakes with berry compote and fresh Adelaide Hills cream.

ARGO Big Brekky (sans chipolata!)

Green being the new black, there is an enticing range of freshly made green juices as well as smoothies. Anni is a fan of the Ninja juice, a combination of goji berries, mixed berries, banana, apple and kale. The only hitch is the deli’s popularity and it can be quite difficult to score a seat at peak times, although service is usually super-fast.

Jane: The Pantry on Egmont

This suburban gem tucked away on a quiet, leafy street in Hawthorn is my café du moment. Small and welcoming with a relaxed, retro vibe, it’s furnished with mismatched tables and chairs, and works by local artists are exhibited on the walls.

By 8 am on weekdays the pantry is already filling fast with ‘neighbours in the know’ who drop in for breakfast or a coffee to takeaway en route to work. Beans are locally roasted, single origin and fair trade and cycled through every 3 or 4 days. This morning it was Mexican ‘Fietch’ by De Groot. There’s a small selection of alternative beverages. Orchid Daisy is a refreshing mix of apple, pear and mint juice, or try a mango smoothie or a Fizz lemonade (fresh berries blitzed with a bubbly lemonade). On a hot day an Iced Freddo hits the spot – a double shot of espresso shaken over ice and chilled milk with a dash of sugar syrup. 

Servings are generous and on the current spring menu along with the ‘Big Breakfast’ and  ‘Garden Breakfast’ is French Toast: sweet cinnamon-spiced sourdough served with blueberry and apple compote, vanilla cream cheese & almond crumble with maple syrup. Being a savoury girl, however, this morning I opted for the smoked salmon bagel served open with black pepper & dill cream cheese, pickled red onion and rocket. Good morning Adelaide.

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Adelaide has just been named one of the Top Ten Cities in the world 2014 by global travel authority, Lonely Planet. Coming in at number nine, Adelaide is the only Australian city to win a spot, and with Paris ranked number one I am thrilled that my two favourite cities (and the places I most write about) are now on the list!

Read more about the Top Ten Cities here.

A decade ago, after returning from Paris to a rather buttoned-up Adelaide, my youngest daughter Annabelle remarked as we drove through the city streets one evening, ‘Where are all the people Mummy, has a bomb gone off?’ Since that time I have watched on with interest as Adelaide has slowly thrown off its conservative, old-school image and evolved into a vibrant city. The past two or three years in particular have seen a tide of creative energy sweep through the streets and the beginnings of a true transformation. Finally, the perception of Adelaide as the stuffy City of Churches is well and truly being shaken off.

Adelaide Fringe Festival Youth Float

Cyclists, along with a colourful fleet of food trucks have taken over city streets (read my blog about them here). Splash Adelaide, an initiative of the Adelaide City Council, is experimenting with all kinds of urban projects from pop-up food carts to outdoor entertainment in unused public spaces. Coffee has been elevated to an art form, a rash of inner city boutiques bars are emerging, and there is a healthy arts and sporting scene with events like the Fringe Festival, the Tour Down Under bike race and WOMADelaide music festival, adding energy, colour and excitement. 

A sunny Mediterranean climate makes Adelaide an ideal place to enjoy the outdoors – perhaps surfing, relaxing on our beautiful beaches or cycling along Linear Park, but what I most love about Adelaide is the revolution in the food and wine scene that has been gathering momentum for some years. There’s an extraordinary array of top-notch local produce grown and crafted by a band of passionate producers, and a real push for sustainable, ethical and organic food. Vineyards run in every direction and menus are creative, original and contemporary. As well as an excellent selection of high-end restaurants, there is an explosion of fresh and quirky cafés and good casual eateries tumbling onto side streets, sprouting in the suburbs and opening down laneways. 

Peel St restaurant, Adelaide

My absolute new favourite is Peel St, an address that is easily accessible to visitors exploring the city on foot. The guys behind Goolwa’s casual waterside eatery, Aquacaf, have recently opened this cool restaurant, bien sûr, on Peel St, a laneway in the CBD.

It’s not easy to find really good, ultra-fresh food that is simply prepared and delicious, but you will find it at Peel St. The high quality, well sourced ingredients speak for themselves with pure, natural flavours shining through. I found the small menu with a mix of cuisines innovative and inspiring and on the day I visited a month or so ago, my generous serve of green mango fishcake salad with peanuts, pineapple and nam jim was ever so refreshing and addictive. It reminded me of the kind of food that Peel St’s award-winning Chef Jordan Theodoros cooks at Sticky Rice Cooking School in the Adelaide Hills where he teaches as a guest chef, offering his expertise and guidance in Asian cuisine.

The visually appealing mulloway fish pasty served on a board with iceberg, tartare and lemon was a hit with my fellow diners, as was the Cavolo Nero and meatball frittata.

Changing seasonal offerings are scribbled on the chalkboard. You might find a chargrilled spatchcock with kasundi, baby carrots, fetta and coriander; or roasted Jerusalem artichokes with pear, hazelnuts and blue cheese. The small wine list is well thought out and has interesting selections that range from Louis Jadot Beaujolais to Willunga 100 Cabernet Shiraz. 

On Peel Street you will also find the new boutique bar, Clever Little Tailor, and chatting to the guys at the restaurant I am told that plans are underway for more, including Chihuahua, a Mexican tequilia bar. The vibrant pedestrian laneway, Leigh Street, is a stone’s throw away with a number of good eateries and drinking spots and excellent coffee at Coffee Branch (see my blog here). Plans are in the wings to connect Leigh Street and Peel Street with a pedestrian walkway, creating a bar and restaurant precinct. With the area being revamped and Adelaide exploding, who knows what might be next.

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Alternatively, and perhaps an easier option, is to hop on the free city tram that glides down to the Entertainment Centre, and cross the road to Station Place.

Inside the old stone station, soaring tin ceilings with exposed beams give the space a loft-like feel and the large cafe is filled with mismatched rustic tables and brightly painted chairs. Outside is a deck with colourful umbrellas, a pleasant spot no doubt to spend a breezy weekend morning in summer. I love the retro and unique touches including the complimentary water bar in the entrance. Here, I grab an enamel jug, fill it with sparkling water on tap at the porcelain sink, take two little cups and proceed to our table.

As we choose our dishes and catch up on our lives a train pulls into the station.

There is a constant rumble from the fancy coffee machine…

Susie is a regular here and says the weekends are very busy. An all-day breakfast menu is served from 7 am to 2.30 pm daily, with coffee served to 4 pm. Some options are more suited to lunch such as quiche or frittata with seasonal salad, or today’s special of gourmet chicken, mushroom and thyme pie with salad.

There is an array of savoury and sweet options on the All Day Timetable. A waiter in red braces dashes about delivering dishes on wooden boards to a multi-generational crowd. Susie enjoys one of her favourites, the Caboose Board: poached eggs, bacon, roasted truss tomatoes, organic avocado, thyme roasted mushrooms, Meredith feta and toasted sourdough.

Among the savoury options are a BLeT (a bacon, lettuce and tomato toasted sandwich with an egg), a pulled pork slider and a taco…there’s quite an American flavour to the menu. After much deliberation I tuck into smashed avocado with feta, radish, mint and lemon on toast with a poached egg.

Sweet tooths, however, will find it difficult to pass on the peanut butter and chocolate French toast (peanut butter, salted chocolate and caramel served with pure cream).

The cafe is not licenced but given the hours and the interesting drink options, it seems almost irrelevant. I choose a hand-blended Scullery Made Tea called Barossa Breakfast that arrives with my very own minature milk bottle, and there is also Orange Earl, Green Apple and Rainwater Mint tea.

You may prefer a healthy Ginger Tinge – a carrot, apple, ginger and cinnamon juice served in an amber glass bottle with a straw, or perhaps a Beetroot Tingle with beetroot, carrot, apple and orange. Kids will love the milkshakes and smoothies (and there’s also Coco Pops with milk on the menu).

Today the open fire is flickering and jazz floats lightly through the loft-like space. In a deja vu moment, I am suddenly back in Manhattan in the early 1990s…in the days before brunch was big in Australia at one of our favourite winter breakfast spots that buzzed all weekend long. There was always jazz swirling in the air, a queue waiting in the cold, and the appetising smell of crispy bacon, sweet muffins and warm banana bread.

The only thing missing on this wintry day is a brick-thick New York Times, its freshly pressed pages strewn across the table, and snow on the platform.

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Image courtesy of OzHarvest

Before we leave on the run I sit and chat with Hayley Everuss, State Manager of OzHarvest Adelaide and Emily Bryson, Operations Administrator, who are both very passionate about what they do. I discover there are all sorts of reasons why donors call. Often, they initially contact OzHarvest in a bit of a pickle with excess food they don’t know what to do with. For example, one company had two palettes of jam that had been cooked a little too long. It was not fit to be sold but was still perfectly good to eat. ‘Last year,’ continues Emily, ‘the local cherry crop was a bumper one…the fruit was extra fat and juicy. OzHarvest got a call from a grower who couldn’t sell some of his cherries as they they just weren’t good enough for the extraordinary market conditions; they were small for the season, and couldn’t compete.’ OzHarvest arrived to find boxes and boxes of perfect, gorgeous cherries, 250 kg! Right at Christmastime, the agencies just loved them. ‘Especially for the drivers who get to deliver the much appreciated food, it’s a bit like being Santa Claus,’ says Emily.

Image courtesy of OzHarvest

On another occasion, a local organic milk company made a production error, bottling 4-5 palettes worth of full-cream milk in skim bottles. With the cost of rebottling too great, they rang OzHarvest…And then there were the eight palettes of beautiful truss tomatoes that arrived in South Australia en route to Perth. ‘Although destined for Western Australia, they did not comply with the state’s quarantine regulations and were going to rot in the warehouse,’ says Emily. OzHarvest came to the rescue.

We jump in the truck. Tim rattles through the city and heads down Port Road to Welland. Our first stop is a business that distributes to health food shops. The new donor explains that he was driving behind the big yellow truck in traffic, and when he thought about how much food he had wasted in the past, he decided to give the charity a call. ‘There is only so much yogurt and tofu you can take home and eat,’ he says. We collect a few litres of organic milk and weigh it in the back of the truck.

As we drive to our next stop, the Lirra Lirra Cafe at Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Tim tells me that the runs can vary greatly. ‘Every day is different, you never quite know what you will find. Once we picked up 100 kg of flavoured frozen yogurts in stainless steel cups due to an oversupply. Everyone loved them!’ Donors range from hotels, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets to catering companies and produce markets. ‘We pick up from a cooking school every Friday and it can be anything up to 500 kg of food. The average pick-up there is 200 kg, and it’s all excellent quality.’

As we bounce on the seats, high above the traffic, Tim tells me that he started as a volunteer with OzHarvest and became a part-time driver because he wanted to immerse himself more in a charity. ‘My role is not just about delivery, it’s about relationships, raising awareness and providing a service to those in need,’ he says. As far as I can see, everyone wins and OzHarvest has filled a massive gap that existed in food waste. ‘Donors are happy to have their excess produce used, and charities are even happier to receive,’ says Tim. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and for those who would like to find out more, a Volunteer Information Session will be held on 8 August at 6 pm in the Central Market Kitchen.

Tim with the food collected from Lirra Lirra Cafe

We pick up a variety of goods at Lirra Lirra cafe including salads, cooked meals, drinks and sandwiches. There’s 24 kilos all up, around 70 meals. Our next stop is a backyard garage in suburban Malvern, where Keane’s Organic Food run their business. Here, we load up a whopping 47 kg of beautiful fruit and vegetables. Today’s run is to be delivered to a mobile food service program operated by St Vincent de Paul Society that feeds the homeless and hungry of Adelaide from a van.

Produce from Keane’s Organic Food

Enlightened, it’s time for me to jump off the truck but Tim still has a couple of stops. Next is a bakehouse in Goodwood that OzHarvest picks up from five days a week. ‘There’s always some surplus, in case they have a big day. Typically, there will be two trays of pastries and around 16 kg of freshly-baked bread rolls. There’s often hot cross buns around Easter time.’

If you would like to support OzHarvest in raising awareness to help fight food waste, you might like to attend ‘Be a Souper Hero’, a free Lunch for 500 on Monday 29 July from 12 noon to 2 pm on the Goodman Lawns of the Adelaide University, North Terrace. Lunches will be held simultaneously in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane and the delicious food will be made from rescued ingredients that would otherwise end up in landfill.

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Damian Obst took over the corner store 15 years ago and I have watched the bakehouse grow…and grow. Nowadays at midday, the queue stretches out the door and it can be difficult to find a park on Seventh Avenue. Even mid-morning there is often a hoard of hungry tradies lining up for a sausage roll and a Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee. Tucked in leafy St Peters in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, its a great place to pause for coffee and cake on weekends, and the verandah terrace is always full with locals; prams and dogs in tow.  As well as the top location, Damian says that part of the store’s popularity is the friendly staff. ‘We are like one big family and many locals in the area started their first job here.’

Damian Obst, owner of St Peters Bakehouse with a tray of delicious pies

For me it’s the delicious products that make the bakery so attractive and most are baked on-site. I may be a biased local but I rate their meat pies as ‘the best in town’, and what’s more, they are consistently good!

A perfect meat pie has high quality meat, tasty gravy, a good shortcrust pastry case with walls that hold the meat well, and a flaky puff pastry lid. ‘The plain beef pies are my best sellers, and all of the chunky-beef pies,’ says Damian.  My favourite is the plain ‘chunky beef’ but there are enticing variations such as chunky beef with mushroom, pepper or potato, which also comes in a giant family size. Also on the blackboard menu are chili, curry, chicken and pizza pies.

Family size Chunky Beef and Potato Pies

If you are visiting from overseas, one thing you must put on your ‘to-do list’ is to taste a really good Aussie meat pie, eaten straight out of the brown paper bag with a generous spurt of tomato sauce. With production line, industrial pies sitting in warmers around the country, tracking down a good one is not particularly easy but this address is a sure bet. (You can ride or walk along the river Torrens from the city to St Peters, taking in some native flora and bird-life along the way).

An Australian tradition, meat pies continue to be a quick, warming lunch all over the country. A ‘pie at the footy’ is almost obligatory, and pies are ever-popular on cold winter days in the schoolyard. At the tiny country school I started at, Hynam Primary, Wednesday was my favourite day because we could order lunch (yes, my world revolved around food even then). A crate was delivered from the local bakery and I still remember the excitement of eating my first ‘pie in a bag’ in the lunch shed. The first takeaway I ever had.

A couple of years later the school closed and I transferred to a bigger primary school at Naracoorte with a real canteen. Once a week my brothers and I bought our lunch: a pie and a finger bun for the grand total of 20 cents! In fact I checked with my younger brother Rob to see if this could possibly be right and he said, ‘Yep, you could buy a pie for 12 cents and a small packet of Twisties for 5 cents, and then we used to go home and put the empty Twisties packets in the oven and shrink them.’ Hmmm, no computers to amuse us back then! Rob also reminded me about chocolate Snips; frozen chocolate milk sold in a triangular prism shape. Snipping the corner was required to eat it. Without fail, it dripped all over our school clothes and we never did quite finish before the bell went. Anyway, I digress…Today, a gourmet pie is around $4 and a finger bun $2.50.

Finger Buns

As well as pies, pasties and sausage rolls, the bakehouse makes fresh baguette sandwiches and an array of cakes, pastries and buns with an Australian flavour. ‘The vanilla slices and jelly cakes are very popular,’ says Damian.

Vanilla Slices

Jelly Cakes

The range varies but you will often find kitchener buns (jam and cream donuts), cherry ripe slice and lamington squares. I am particularly fond of a small slice of the moist and chunky carrot and walnut cake with fluffy cream cheese icing, which right about now, surrounded by boxes, sounds like a plan. I’ll just grab my coat.

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Konstantin Shamray

The concert program included Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30, Evening Star by Wagner, and Valse Oubliee No. 1 by Liszt. I loved Bach’s toccatas, which demonstrate the two extremes of expression (found in art, love and life) from the impulsive, instinctive and wildly passionate to the more measured, controlled and stringently refined.

Konstantin Shamray

I urge anyone who is a lover of classical music to go and hear Konstantin, wherever he is playing in the world, but his music is not the only reason I’m a fan. This charismatic boy with boundless energy is engaged to a girl called Mekhla who is like a daughter to me and grew up over the back fence.

Mekhla Kumar is a highly accomplished pianist in her own right. Her Bach Festival program was the most original and enjoyable concert I have heard in years. It demonstrated her depth and understanding of these complex works and embraced a wide range of sonorities that the piano had to offer. After starting her studies in Adelaide she recently completed her master’s degree at Frieburg University of Music and plays professionally in Europe.

Don Pelosi, owner of Feliciano’s

By the time Konstantin signs CDs after the concert it is well after 9. 30 pm. Where does a group of ravenous family and friends snag a table for dinner in Adelaide at that hour? Stan  saves the night. He calls Don Pelosi, an Italian friend of 40 years who runs Feliciano’s restaurant.  ‘Come down. I’ll squeeze you in and rustle something up,’ he says.

Situated at 57 Gilbert Street in the city (ph: 8410 0222, there is no website), the tiny restaurant has distressed-brick interior walls and just eight or so tables. There is nothing measured, controlled or restrained about the place. It’s informal, immediate and unpretentious, and Don is an improviser.

There is no menu. Don brings out whatever he likes. An antipasto plate perhaps, and pasta of some kind…his gnocchi is apparently excellent. He wants guests to feel like they are in his home, and it’s very basic fare. Tonight, at 10 pm there’s not much left. ‘If I had known you were coming, it would be different.’ Despite this, he offers warm hospitality and once the food ‘finally’ starts, it keeps coming. Stan says that many of the guests are people who have known Don for years and he has a loyal following. While we linger over drinks, the kitchen runs out of lettuce and one of the guys at the next table dashes out to buy more, presumably from the nearby IGA,  so that we can all be fed.

Konstantin and Mekhla relaxing after the concert at Feliciano’s

Stan enjoying the night

Soon after we arrive the lights are dimmed and the music is turned up; very different music from the first half of the evening.  It’s a night of contrasts. Don bangs down a bottle of white wine on the table and a plate of crispy chicken wings smothered in brins of rosemary as the Blues Brothers blares. A couple of girls at the far table get up and dance to Honky Tonk Woman. Stan goes behind the bar to find another bottle while Maria goes into the kitchen to check the pasta pot. We are ravenous! We devour our bread and baby roast potatoes while the whole restaurant claps to the Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive.

‘Is it always like this?’ I ask Stan. ‘Yes, often Don doesn’t get to bed until 3 am. He can’t get anyone to leave!’

A dish of fat sausages comes next. We grab our knives and forks and cut off slices. ‘I wasn’t happy with the sausages I could buy so I get a guy to make them especially for me,’ says Don. They are spicy and sauteed in a rich red wine sauce.

By the time our enormous dish of tagliatelle al’ bolognese arrives it it 11. 30 pm and everyone in the restaurant is up and down from their seats. Tonight is more about the company and the atmosphere than the food. It’s crazy and fun and half the customers are dancing to Johnny B. Goode. A guest at the adjacent table offers around homemade brownies.

A delicious pizza comes next, topped with ham, mushrooms, olives and cheese as the restaurant becomes a private party. ‘Karaoke without the machine,’ says Stan. We have to plead Don to stop cooking pizzas, and leave late into the night, full and happy, to the beat of Nutbush City Limits.

Konstantin, you are a sensation and…

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Those who love culinary adventures now have even more reason to head up the hill to Sticky Rice. Three luxurious villas have just been completed on the property, enticing guests to extend their stay and escape into their own private paradise. Yesterday was the launch party.  Beautiful finger food was whipped up by the chefs, guests mingled with drinks on the lawn and there were tours of the new accommodation. The lovely balmy evening, unseasonal for this time of year, added to the atmosphere and helped transport us all to Asia.

Bali villa. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

The gorgeous villas are architecturally designed with floor-to-ceiling glass and the environment in mind; all have solar power and under-floor hydronic heating. Stunning designer furniture adds a wow factor while the hanging lamps and remote-control block out blinds create drama and a romantic mood. Those who love to cook, however, will be won-over by the dreamy Jag kitchens.

Each of the three villas has a unique style and ambience. The Japanese inspired Yoko is all clean lines and calm, complete with shoji screen doors and two private gardens, one with a contemporary tea house and a Japanese maple.

The bedroom in Yoko. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

Soothing music and serenity are only part of the attraction in the Zen villa. There’s a stand-alone bath in the open plan bedroom that boasts a sumptuous king size bed and an indoor shower under the branches of an ancient pine tree. It’s sleek black-and-white with contemporary black leather couches and a state-of-the-art kitchen designed for private cooking classes. The sweeping island bench can seat 10.

The kitchen in Zen. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

Bali is my favourite. There’s a warm feeling with rich colours, antique carved wooden doors and a stone bath. In the courtyard, a Balinese hut with a giant day bed is perfect for lazing on, and out the back in the tranquil bamboo garden is a Buddha water feature.

The bathroom in Bali. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

Basin in Yoko. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

It’s the little touches that I love: the Japanese tea set in Yoko, the elephant-patterned throw in Bali, and the sheer black curtain that separates the bedroom in Zen, giving an intimate feel. Guests receive a welcoming fruit platter and bottle of wine, and provisions for a cooked breakfast. Gorgeous Asian cookbooks are strewn open to delicious recipes on benches and side tables, begging to be used, but I’d be tempted to spend the day mooching about in a fluffy robe after a deep, relaxing bubble bath, and flicking through the pages.

Claire offers various Cook & Stay packages that incorporate a class at the school, and there’s the option of an Asian pantry bag for those who want to cook up their own storm. Guests may prefer to order an Adelaide Hills produce platter, engage a personal chef to whip up dinner for two or perhaps deliver a private cooking class in their villa. Alternatively, they can join a gourmet tour of the nearby markets and farm gates with a local guide before returning to cook lunch with a chef in one of the villas.

Yoko tea house. Source: Sticky Rice Cooking School

It’s the perfect break for keen cooks and food lovers who enjoy exotic cuisines, and a wonderful base to explore the cosy pubs, cellar doors and restaurants of the Adelaide Hills, which are currently exploding in a show of autumn colour.

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Every month, a collection of the city’s food trucks, vans, bikes and stalls gather for Fork on the Road, a celebration of Adelaide’s growing food truck culture and street food scene. The event offers a great opportunity to sample different cuisines in a festive atmosphere and there’s a wide variety of tastes and experiences.

Yesterday, the trucks converged outside the Adelaide Festival Centre in the heart of the city, a venue that offers a diverse program of performances and exhibitions throughout the year. It also happened to be the preview of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Centre and I met up with Georgi and Ben for lunch before they went to the show.

The air was swirling with wonderful aromas, giving us an appetite as we wandered around the trucks deciding what to choose. A long queue waited patiently for Coorong Angus beef burgers at Burger Theory, one of the most popular food trucks, while next door Raw Thirst was busy keeping up with the demand for beautiful fresh juices.

We stumbled upon Taiwanese chicken nuggets, gourmet Argentinian food at Chimichurri Grill, homemade lemonade, Mexican tacos and German wieners. The giant, steaming pans of paella at Taste of Spain looked so delicious that I couldn’t resist, with a choice of chicken and chorizo, or seafood.

Ben with his pulled pork sandwich

Georgi opted for a vegetable fritter with lemon myrtle, caramelised onion and salad from Conscious Lifestyles, a stall specialising in wild, native and local food, while Ben tucked into a seriously good pulled pork sandwich from the Little Big Cheese Company. The pork shoulder is smoked over a wood fire for 16 hours and topped with King Island smoked cheddar, house made apple cider slaw and BBQ sauce.

There was also a sprinkling of sweet treats. With the crowd growing, we snapped up a brownie from Four Seeds, a chocolate tart and a berry cupcake along with some coffee from Fair Espresso, and drank up the vibrant scene.

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It’s 7 a.m. on a fresh Friday morning and Georgi and I are standing in front of the pop-up pâtisserie in Leigh Street, ogling the pastries. In a previous post on The Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers’ Market, I promised to come and take a shot of the delicious French and Italian inspired creations made by Jonny Pisanelli and his partner Edwina Peoples, who run From Scratch.

Before long, a line of locals has converged on this central city location to snatch a croissant, a Cherry Poppins or a Sugar Daddy to take away. Those who would rather sit and enjoy their pastry can order a drink at Coffee Branch next door (the coffee is great) and relax at one of their outdoor tables where From Scratch will deliver your morning treat on a little wooden board.

I watch as Jonny unloads crate after crate of freshly-baked almond croissants, éclairs and choc salted-caramel tarts from the back of his van, along with innovative pastries with inventive names such as the popular Ugly Raspbetti. It is described as ‘a laminated pastry rolled up and baked with vanilla custard and raspberry then rolled in cinnamon sugar’.

Georgi enjoying her Raspberry Nish Nish

I choose a pain au chocolat. Georgi opts for a Raspberry Nish Nish (a play on Danish) and we take a seat and watch the world go by. There’s nothing quite like starting your day with an early morning coffee and pastry on a café terrace to make you feel alive and part of things. Georgi sips her hot chocolate, which she says is nicely bitter. When she’s available, my sweet-tooth-daughter is my unofficial ‘hot chocolate taster’, a title she earned after accompanying me on a trip to Paris to research chocolat chaud for a magazine article a few years ago.

I bite into my pain au chocolat. It’s flaky and buttery and I hear that crunch as shards of pastry fall in my lap. It smells so familiar, and so good. I take another bite. There is more chocolate inside than in your average pain au chocolat in France, however, so it’s sweeter.

Coffee and pastries (the matchbox toy is our table identifier)

Taste buds tire quickly and it’s in those first few bites that you are most mindful of the sensory experience, when you really savour rather than just eat, and they are always the most enjoyable.  For this reason, I try to adhere to a four-bite rule when it comes to sweet things. Besides, true pleasure is more about quality than quantity and if I’d polished everything off that I’d written about over the years I’d be the size of a house!

Hot Chocolate and Raspberry Nish Nish

Yep, well, even so, sometimes you can’t resist. I ate the lot…it was delicious!

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