Restaurant Botanic
Restaurant Botanic
Allegra Dining
Known for its progressive food and wine culture, South Australia is widely regarded as a global leader in sustainable dining.
From plant-based menus and hyper-local produce to native ingredients and made-from-scratch specialities, over the past decade, a strong crop of new restaurateurs has made sustainable dining a top priority – and the public has responded favourably.
Here are five of the best names in sustainable dining in South Australia right now.
Restaurant Botanic
Nestled in the leafy serenity of the 51-hectare Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Restaurant Botanic foregrounds native ingredients that aren’t typically seen on Australian menus. The seasonal dishes change often, but you might find cured emu (as well as emu egg) and camel hump lardo alongside more common components like wattleseed, Geraldton wax, Davidson plum and Murray cod. Local ingredients shine too, from fresh seafood to mushrooms sourced from the Adelaide Hills. Revamped and rebranded in 2021, Botanic is now overseen by chef Justin James (ex-Vue De Monde), who devises short and long versions of the menu with additional flexibility around dietary requirements. Open fire and fermentation inform the menu in a big way, including the varied kombuchas and infused juices that offset craft cocktails and a deep wine list.
Topiary
With a strong commitment to zero waste, Tea Tree Gully’s Topiary is a leading example of sustainability in South Australian dining. Like Restaurant Botanic, it’s surrounded by greenery: in this case, the Newman’s Nursery garden centre. The guiding principle is running the kitchen the way it would have been run a century ago, making use of entire carcasses and creating locally sourced dishes from scratch. Beyond the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, there’s a plant-based set menu for lunch that will change the way you look at your nearest veggie patch. Daily cakes and desserts crown a menu that’s all about farm-fresh elements and local wines, beers and juices. And the plating is just as much a focus as what goes on in the kitchen, ensuring that each dish is a joy for the eyes.
The Summertown Aristologist
A beacon of organic farm-to-table dining, The Summertown Aristologist is a wine bar and restaurant with an eye firmly on the surrounding community. The dining menu changes weekly, based on the best organic produce available from an in-house garden in Basket Range and a top-notch roaster of local proteins. The offbeat name is a nod to 1980s-era Adelaide Hills Uraidla Aristologist, a pioneer of seasonal produce in a modern setting. Founded by two winemakers and a chef, this spot is a favourite for locals and visitors alike, teeming with natural wines and rustic grazing plates, not to mention house-made sourdough and butter. There’s now a cellar door right next door, so your newfound wine knowledge won’t go to waste when you’re wondering what drop to invest in for home.
My Grandma Ben
Located in Plant 4 – a market-like community hub reborn from a former warehouse space in Bowden – My Grandma Ben is an intimate cafe and bar that also hosts workshops and masterclasses. Sustainability is real point of pride for owner and MasterChef alum Jessie Spiby. Her waste-free philosophy extends to homegrown ingredients and by-products sourced from local producers, while chef Jodie Zerna brings a zest for preserving to both the menu and the workshops (think pickling, fermenting and smoking). Veg options abound, but there are satisfying meat and seafood dishes too. Once you’ve gotten a feel for the place, make sure to check out the popular Supper Club, which usually boasts a set sharing menu complete with wine pairings. And if you’re wondering about the name, Spiby did indeed have a beloved grandmother dubbed Ben.
Allegra Dining Room
Distinctive for both its 28-seat cosiness and its plant-based menu, Allegra Dining Room just reopened in late January after a multi-year sabbatical for owner-operators Melissa and Federico Pisanelli, who also run the downstairs pizzeria Etica. The seasonal vegan menu takes the form of an ever-changing dinner that will now encompass more than a dozen unique courses. Fruits and vegetables shine as expected, but you’ll be happily surprised by which combinations land on your plate. The exact offerings are still under wraps, but you can probably look forward to handmade pasta, playful varieties of mushrooms and new ways of appreciating root vegetables. Rather than limiting the kitchen’s creative capacity, its plant-based brief feels more like a way to expand Adelaide’s dining horizons – and win some new converts too.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with South Australia – New State of Mind.
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