Let’s face it, the Barossa Valley is known for a lot of amazing food and wine experiences, but Italian cuisine hasn’t ever featured as one of the highlights…well not until now anyway.
Finally, the Barossa has a restaurant delivering on all the iconic flavours of the Mediterranean. It’s all thanks to celebrity chef, Adam Swanson who has partnered up with The Barossa Weintal Hotel in Tanunda to create the Barossa Cucina; a new Italian style restaurant located within the recently refurbished Weintal complex which is run by Adelaide management group, 1834 Hotels.
At last night’s VIP launch to celebrate it’s first month of success, we were treated to a delicious grazing table, full of Italian favourites such as mozzarella balls, crusty bread, olives, fresh Parmesan and what seemed like a never ending supply of cured meats. There were plenty of other tasty bites on offer with arrancini, fried polenta chips and veal & pork polpette.
Our desert stomach wasn’t forgotten about either with a selection of connoli including choc-chip and salted caramel flavours. Seriously hard to eat just one!
Ambra Liqueurs joined the party welcoming guests with their Ambra Spritz, a combination of prosecco, Ambra Agrumello, soda, basil, citrus slice and ice and finished the night with an Italian favourite, Limoncello.
it was clear that Barossa Cucina is all about showcasing local produce and they were extremely thankful to the various providers that they have been working with over the last month or so to get this restaurant up and running, and also to the local community for supporting this venture.
“We’ve developed a menu that showcases amazing Barossa produce, like Schulz pancetta and Barossa Valley Cheese Co. goat’s curd, and incorporates it into authentic Italian dishes. The atmosphere is comfortable, relaxed and welcoming – somewhere that people can bring their family and friends, and enjoy traditional Italian food featuring local ingredients.” says Executive Chef Adam.
The 220-seat restaurant has an open kitchen with charcoal grill pit and wood-fired pizza oven, and alfresco beer garden which makes it perfect for that long weekend lunch.
The authentic Italian menu starts with Small Plates to share – think House-smoked mozzarella with Prosciutto di Parma, Pork and Veal Polpette with tomato sugo and basil, and Wood-baked SA cozze.
Large Plates, also designed for communal dining, include 12-hour roasted Barossa suckling pig with crackling, apple, slaw and piadina, and Greenslade free-range spit-roasted chicken with cavalo nero and Tuscan potatoes. A feast in every sense of the word.
Of course, signature pasta and pizza dishes are also available – it wouldn’t be a true Italian dining experience without that, and look out for a selection of pub favourites with an Italian twist.
The restaurant’s extensive wine list is naturally focused on the Barossa, and Penfold’s is the first winery to be showcased with a special section devoted to their wines.
You can find Barossa Cucina at the Barossa Weintal Hotel, 235 Murray Street, Tanunda. They are open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Check out their website for more details.
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