Cheap Thrills

The Age

Tuesday January 7, 2003

NECIA WILDEN

WHERE'S good to eat in Adelaide"? It's a familiar inquiry of an expat South Australian, especially at this time of year when hordes of us make the annual pilgrimage home. What's the buzz? Having recently returned from an enjoyable week there over Christmas, I'm happy to report that turkey and pud at Mum and Dad's weren't the only good things on the menu. Indeed, provided you know where to look, dining out in Adelaide can be huge fun for a Melburnian: all the professionalism, quality and style of home but much cheaper. And remember when Melbourne was a BYO town? Now, Adelaide is the one claiming the title of Enlightened City, probably thanks to the strength of its wine industry.

Here's a quick rundown, then, of the highlights of a week's journey around South Australian restaurants:

Urban Bistro: in a city where most restaurants struggle to fill tables, Urban is thriving. The reasons are simple: good-to-excellent mod Oz food, a relaxed and contemporary setting and capable, personable service. Add to that a flexible approach to wine service - order off the wine list and/or BYO - and the reasonable prices and you have one very attractive package. (Phone 08 8331 2400).

Nu's Thai: while some might reasonably argue it's not hard to beat Melbourne in the Thai food stakes because there ain't much competition here, it's also true that Nu's is a fine Thai restaurant in its own right. The menu is long; the specials board even longer; the combinations imaginative and the flavours complex and seemingly authentic. If the weather's warm, aim for a table on the pavement, because it's noisy as downtown Bangkok inside. (Phone 08 8410 2288).

Ying Chow, diagonally opposite Nu's, is a heroic spot which can justly claim to being world-famous since the US Food and Wine magazine recently named it "the world's best Chinese restaurant" in a rather frivolous moment. But it is bloody good and absurdly

cheap. And LOUD. (Phone 08 8211 7998).

Sammys on the Marina: so that's where all the crowds from Rundle Street East have moved to - the Holdfast Shores development down at Glenelg. Think Beacon Cove or Sydney's Darling Harbour and you have the picture. There are dozens of restaurants to choose from but on a hot Adelaide summer's night the pick is a table outside at Sammys, watching the sun set over the Southern Ocean and the power boats chug out into the bay. Steer your own course through the menu, past gargantuan seafood platters with lots of crumbed thingies on them to arrive at something fresh and simple, such as the curls of spiced calamari in a lime and seed-mustard dressing, or the grilled and skewered scallops with capsicum. Follow with good local fish - whiting, maybe, or grilled snapper with garlic mash, braised spinach and lemon butter. (Phone 08 8376 8211).

Salters: the big new splash in the Barossa Valley is this snazzy, modern indoor-outdoor restaurant and tasting area at Saltram Winery. The menu sensibly keeps things casual, yet classy, kicking off with a great range of pane and pizza e pizzetta from the wood-fired oven, in full view in the open kitchen. The rest of the Italianish menu is terrific, too, with a lunch-friendly list of dishes such as duck and saffron risotto, and orecchiette with truffles, asparagus and parmesan. And when was the last time you were allowed to BYO to a winery restaurant (corkage charge $5.50 a bottle)? (Phone 08 8564 3344).

PS: one gripe - it's hard to find a decent cup of tea in South Australia. Memo restaurateurs and cafe owners: a metal teapot with one paltry teabag inside, or a cup of hot water with a teabag alongside, is not worth a dollar, never mind $2.50. Now that your coffee is better than it used to be, can you all do something about your tea?