date of visit: Sunday 28 July 2013
disclaimer: it being Adelaide and all, I’m acquainted with Eden’s owner, Chad, and some current and previous staff
It’s been about a year since my last visit to Eden Dining Room and Bar. While I’ve tried to drag friends there on various occasions, they mostly live on the wrong side of the city and it has actually been my parents who have managed several repeat visits.
While lunch service is scaled back in winter, you can still find yourself a hearty Sunday roast at Eden and, on a gorgeously sunny winter’s day, sitting in the window, catching that sun, is the perfect way to spend the afternoon. And if you don’t like roast, that’s fine, because the à la carte menu is available too.
Toddler in tow, we had to make some strategic decisions about how many courses to order so we cut to the chase with just main courses. Everyone ordered the Sunday roast (roast lamb, with Yorkshire puddings and a selection of vegetables) bar me. I ordered the gnocchi with beurre noisette, sorrel and porcini. Andy won’t eat mushrooms so the only time I get to eat them is when I’m out and about. I am also a total sucker for simple pasta dishes! For the toddler we ordered the pork belly entrée (pictured), served with several types of radish and nashi pears.
We started with bubbles and beers and washed our food down with a bottle of very sensibly priced 2012 Ochota Barrels Green Room Syrah Grenache. Eden’s wine list is a very strong match to a good menu. You’ll find wines that you won’t see on other lists and there’s a great variety. This is something that Chad and his team is really proud of – and rightly so. Being picky, I’d say that one thing I’d like to see smartened up is the sparkling wine by the glass selection, which is currently limited to two.
As we were expecting, the food at Eden is not only beautiful on the plate but delicious once you start pulling apart the artistry. The house made gnocchi were excellent: very light and the butter and mushroom sauce was fantastically rich and unctuous without being greasy. I’d be quite happy to come back and eat that every day.
When our food was put down, the toddler took one look at my plate and announced “that’s mine!” but all that changed when his pork turned up. You see – even two year olds eat with their eyes. Pork demolished and bits of radish tasted and then picked around, he set his sights on his father’s lamb. The lamb roast received a universal thumbs up and it was an incredibly generous portion.
We wrapped up our meal with some Pedro Ximenez (I had to drink most of Andy’s because he was driving and he’s not a huge fan of sweet alcoholic things) and coffees. Once it was clear that the toddler was on to babychino number two, Chad whipped up an amazing vanilla and licorice foam for him. As he hoovered it up his little eyes lit up like you wouldn’t believe!
As it was my birthday lunch, my parents paid so I can’t put an exact figure on lunch. But I do know that while Eden isn’t the cheapest place to eat in Glenelg it is probably the slickest venue serving the prettiest food. Somewhere I really must head back to before the next year is up!
