Everything To Eat In Adelaide’s Wine Regions: Apple Rum Baba, Passionfruit Butter And Caprese Salad

I’ve had some of my favourite meals in and around Adelaide. With fresh veggies grown in McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean climate and cracking cheese from the Adelaide Hills, South Australian chefs have the best ingredients at their fingertips. But it’s their experimentation that really sets the region's food scene apart.

Next time you’re in Adelaide, get out of the city and into the wine regions to taste this spread straight from the source. These world-famous vineyards are a playground for culinary folk, and your food is always served alongside a big, bold glass of Shiraz. Here’s everything we ate this time around—and what you need to try for yourself next time you're there.

Apple Rum Baba

Down The Rabbit Hole, McLaren Vale

Surrounded by wildflowers and decked out with a boho-chic fit out, Down The Rabbit Hole is McLaren Vale’s modern take on Byron Bay. But on Friday nights, the restaurant Fiore whips out the red checkered tablecloths and transforms into a classic Italian joint. The feast (which will set you back just $88pp) includes antipasti, house-made pasta, sides, and a pillowy rum baba for dessert, which is the real highlight on the menu.

Doused in French apple brandy and packed with fresh vanilla bean cream, the boozy sponge cake is the perfect finish to a very generous meal. In true nonna fashion, it's served on mismatched plates with a white doily and a passionate push to make room in your second stomach.

Pair it with: Down The Rabbit Hole, The Secret Sign Shiraz

Caprese Salad

Home Of Plenty, Currency Creek 

Palm Springs meets The Med at this groovy winery, which is kitted out with psychedelic paintings by owner Ben Shaw. Sip wine in the sun and while away the afternoon in the courtyard with the owner’s friendly dog Frankie. These guys keep the menu simple, taking inspiration from the region’s warm climate with a Mediterranean menu. We’re talking burrata with hazelnut and walnut honey, salted bread with oil and our favourite: a classic caprese with pesto. Sure, it’s a simple dish, but these are tomatoes just like the ones my nonno used to have in his garden—big, sweet and bright red.

Pair it with: Home Of Plenty Sparkling Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Leek-Rolled Chicken With Bok Choy

Ondeen, Adelaide Hills

Set on a stunning estate with lake views, Ondeen creates absolute magic with locally foraged and native Australian ingredients. Here, the perfectly plated dishes evolve with the seasons, and the chefs work closely with local producers to source interesting produce. The leek rolled free-range chicken with grilled bok choy and chestnut mushroom is the best dish for lunch. It’s served alongside caramelised pumpkin with a particularly yummy hemp seed yoghurt.

Drink: Silver Living Shiraz

Special Mentions: Bread

Focaccia Sourdough

Ondeen, Adelaide Hills

12 years ago, the Ondeen team purchased a sourdough starter, and unlike the ones many of us bought during lockdown, it's still producing some top-notch bread. This sourdough focaccia is served with housemade passionfruit butter (a one-off, we're told), but it's also perfect for mopping up the remaining morsels of your lunch. 

Pizzetta With Garlic Butter

Down The Rabbit Hole