ADELAIDE | What can I tell you about Africola that you don’t already know? I’ve been wanting to dine at owner/chef Duncan Welgemoed’s lauded South African restaurant for years. Duncan’s food focuses on all that’s good and local, with increasing attention being given to vegetables and native ingredients, all stitched together with threads on his South African heritage.
The food (along with the fun atmosphere and casual but wholly professional service) is excellent. The menu is one that you look at and can’t decide what to order as it all sounds amazing and genuinely different to what else is out there.
The feed me option is define the way to go. The kitchen puts together a selection of dishes, and tweak to suit your table if there’s a few things on the menu that you really want to try.
Flexible feed me is something I’d be happy to see a lot more restaurants do. How many times do you go somewhere and the feed me is missing one or two dishes that you really want? Happens to me a lot. At Africola, it’s not an issue.
A quick run down of my meal, starting with the deceptively simple, umami laden signature crispy chicken skin tea sandwich with a dipping bowl of peri peri chicken drippings. Next, king prawns with jalapeño and coconut, followed by raw kingfish, pineapple ferment, and toasted seeds. Following this, a surprise highlight – braised beans, romesco, and salt bush. Moving on, spiced dahl, coconut, and pickled chilli, favela style Goolwa pippies, tandoor butter chicken with Senegalese sambal, and buttery roti.
For dessert, a refreshing iced chocolate sphere with coconut and pepita, and a Madeira cake with Chantilly cream and fresh raspberries. All amazing.
Stating the obvious here, but Africola is a must visit Adelaide dining experience. It offers something truly unique in the city, and the country’s, dining landscape.
Africola
4 East Terrace
Adelaide
South Australia 5000
Australia
Telephone: (08) 8223 3885
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Tue – Sat: 6:00pm to 11:00pm