Orana
As I understand it, this restaurant was set up by people who used to work at Penfolds Magill Estate, which is probably Adelaide's fanciest restaurant.
Tonight is degustation. This is the only other degustation-only restaurant in Adelaide, as far as I know.
This place is unmarked, and sits atop Street ADL, on Rundle Street.
This tasted raw, but had a bit of acid, and the flowers added a strange dash of taste. Better than just raw fish.
Like a prawn cracker, but airier.
Saltbush and creme fraiche: Like a potato chip, but tangy and salty. 8/10
Red Mullet: Chewy fish. 6/10
Prosciutto with red berries: A surprising fruity tang, and mild prosciutto taste. 8/10
I taste lili pil. Again a soft meat taste, with an unusual fruit flavour.
Something very spicy here. :|
Like a piece of pumpkin from a roast.
I don't normally eat shellfish, but this had a subtle oiliness, strong shellfish flavour, and nice tang to it.
The heart is a bit like unsweet pineapple. With the very fruity honey, it tastes more like an unknown but tasty fruit in its own right.
Concentrated beetroot chip flavour, contrasts well with its slightly tart creamy sauce.
Kangaroo: Unexpected. Like seafood. Squishy and juicy. 7/10
Marron Claw: Like mild, soft lobster. Has a native pepper of some sort. 7/10
Prawn: A nice prawn, with a strange native spice. 7/10
Pearl meat: Like chewy squid with some slightly sour juice. 4/10
Water, sugar, salt, and "secret"
Tastes very bitey and fruity.
Me: "I guess unripe pineapple."
Waiter: "No, it's ants. Green ants from the Northern Territory."
ANTS!!!
This is certainly the wackiest cuisine I've had yet.
Never had this many tiny dishes. This was just the snacks.
(foraged from the Adelaide Hills)
Not sure why they can't just buy the ingredients. :)
Muntries, purslane, lili pili shoots, saltbush,and other weird stuff
This was half way between salad and fruit. Hard to describe. Very mild. The occasional unexpected very lemony burst of lemon myrtle is interesting. More interesting than tasty.
In snapper head emulsion.
Just too much weird stuff in here. It doesn't taste bad, but I don't want to eat raw fish, three types of seaweed, or snapper head emulsion. Just too offputting.
Waiter recognises me as a food blogger. :)
I wouldn't know this was meat from its taste or texture. I can break it apart with my tongue. It's the texture that's interesting here the meat has almost no taste.
The pepper butter adds bursts of tang, and the oxeye daisy leaf adds a strange, planty flavour.
This is a little crustacean. It's like lobster but more solid. The little "pearls" (tiny limes) pop like caviar, but are very sour - a sourness that doesn't match this piece of seafood. I don't want sourness to be the dominant and only taste in something. 4
The meat is very sweet and salty, and the greens ("karkalla") taste like very watery beans.
Ok. I'm going to eat the little "poo" of haggis. I don't eat offal, but I'll do it this time.
It tastes like a big piece of liverwurst with bits in it, though there was all kinds of offal in there. I won't mark this dish down for being something I don't personally eat.
Like eating a spoonful of Parmesan cheese. The riberry leaves and small amount of creme fraiche underneath don't change this.
As I'm told, the purée is very astringent. It's like eating the end black bit of a banana, in terms of its effect on my mouth. It has a taste somewhat like grapes.
The coconut sorbet would be pleasant and plain, if not for the coconut ash on top. This adds a very strong, bitter coconut taste to the sorbet.
All together, with the shaved coconut, this resembles a Cherry Ripe.
Set buttermilk
With salt and vinegar, and a sauce of strawberry and eucalyptus.
This was like yoghurt with a strawberry taste, but (I assume) the salt and vinegar added a strange taste that seemed out of place here.
I didn't like all the food here, but this certainly was an experience. A huge number of things I've never eaten before.
ANTS!!!