This has been a long awaited post for many... my forkers have been questioning me regarding my intentions for delaying this particular post. Trust me, it is definitely not intentional, but this is a BIG post - we ordered a LOT of dishes that night and I should have posted it sooner as some of my memory hazes me, but nevertheless here it is.
In case you haven't noticed, Africola is a new restaurant which opened its doors on 12 November 2014 (officially), with Duncan Welgemoed (Bistro Dom executive chef) showcasing his South African roots. Situated along East Terrace right next to Botanic Bar and Golden Boy next door, it is definitely set to be a big scene amongst the other restaurants available in Adelaide.
In terms of vibe, it is certainly unusual - the staff, the furniture, cutlery and glassware, layout. However it all does work (in its own unusual way); this is evident in some of the photos!
As pictured above, it is definitely a colourful scene!
In terms of drinks, they have a fully stocked bar; however to do a proper review, we ordered and tried their drinks for fun and giggles; they are indeed interesting and the combinations are quite unique. Going in clockwise starting at the top: Supa Hepi Time, Bluna, Africola - personally my favourite is Bluna (Whitley Neill, Orange wine and gooseberry shrub, Rooibos cola).
For entree, we ended up with a selection from the "Dop Snacks" and "To Start" sections. One thing I did really enjoy was the bread (as a starter) - it was a sweet style, and what made it quite "fun" and different was the fact that they brought out a board with a mixture of oil, seeds, nuts, etc. and the aim was to grind them up to make a paste for dipping the bread (definitely brings a new dimension to having bread dipped in oil!). The Coorong Angus Biltong and droer wors were interesting (I don't know if I really like it or not as it is quite different). The Sweet Potato Chips and cumin whipped cod roe were absolutely divine (the amount of whipped roe may look like a large amount, but it is just so light and fluffy that you end up with huge scoops on the thinly sliced crispy chips). The Bunny Chow curried lamb bun is a definite MUST HAVE - absolutely delicious lamb filling, and sweet flavoured honey bread makes it extremely moorish.
For the mains, we did end up ordering a lot (there is actually a large selection!). From the vegetarian section: Smoked Heirloon Carrots (definitely extremely smoky, with some almost a bit too much of a charcoal flavour) and Charred Broccoli (this was very surprisingly delicious, a win here!). The fish of the day was barramundi which was actually booked to perfection - flaked off very nicely. Flavours from the Slow Cooked Lamb Ribs were pretty amazing - not overly smoky, crispy bits towards the bone, yet the meat still falls away easily. Okay, easily one of their signature dishes = Proper Peri Peri Chicken... the milk bread was delicious; the chicken was delicious; tartness from the chakkalaka cuts right through - just simply amazing (another must have). The Op Spit for that day was "Yoghurt Fed Pork" - amazing crackle, and very rich dish; definitely not for the faint hearted, but it was extremely tasty. Another MUST HAVE dish is the Allegaartjie Potjie which contains slow cooked mutton neck, pork breast, beef shin ... the trio of meats make it absolutely divine and the flavours literally are food-gasmic.
No dinner is ever complete without dessert. As we went in a large group, dessert was of course everything x2. Unfortunately I don't quite recall the names of the desserts, but I shall describe what they were. The simplest dessert and one of my favourite was the fruit salad, however what made it so special was the brittle nut pieces (the sweet caramel goodness from those pieces and the flavour intensity made this another flavour explosion). Next was the cake which was nice, but not extraordinary. The Papaya fool was not anything mind blowing either (it was quite ordinary in the sense that it was a crumble, but it was different as papaya was used). The fourth dessert had melted marshmallows and chocolate with a sesame crackle which was rather nice. The final dessert was the custard which was done really nicely (dessert worth trying as well!).
Overall the food was pretty amazing and tasty. It is definitely more of a top-heavy "meaty" type restaurant, yet quirky (I mean just look at the names on the dishes on the menu!). If you feel like going out with your friends to a place where you want to talk about what you're eating, this is definitely one of the places you should try - the wine menu however is a bit on the pricey side, but their wine recommendations for the evening was almost perfect. Only real criticism I have is the plates .... they don't have to be GIGANTIC to fit a little piece of food, but happy otherwise (especially impressed with the waiting staff for the evening)
Hope you'll try this place out and let me know ~ Spooner.
