There’s nothing like a drive up to the picturesque Adelaide Hills to check out the cool and trendy Miss Perez Kitchen & Bar. The menu is fairly straight forward with a handful of small and larger plate dishes on offer. The offerings aren’t entirely Spanish and South American influenced with some dishes taking on a more international flavour.

I simply love the decor of this place with it’s beautiful bright colours and warm rustic charm. The timber cladding, the warm fireplaces and planter boxes all work together rather cohesively. Of course, the highlight of the place is lovely mural on one of their main walls. There’s plenty of seating both inside and out with a good amount of natural light flowing through it’s windows.

For lunch, I ordered the Portuguese Chicken which came with charred lemon, crisp potatoes and piri piri sauce. The dish came out after a 20 minute wait, which was a tad longer than I had expected, however, it was well presented. With that being said, I did think the meal size was a bit small considering the price.

For the most part, the chicken was tender and succulent, and the skin nice and crisp. There were some parts, however, that were dry and over cooked. The chicken by itself tasted bland and really needed the piri piri sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce had a very strong smokey flavour which none of us found appealing. The potatoes were crispy on the outside, but I encountered several pieces that had slightly undercooked centres.

The new member of the Adelaide Food Central team, Simone, had the Salt and Pepper Squid, and Soft Shell Crab. It came with a jalapeno nam jim (Thai dipping sauce) and chips.

The squid was tender and succulent, and cooked to perfection. It was encased in a lightly coated crisp batter with visible herbs and spices. It was well balanced with the refreshingly spicy dipping sauce. The chips were of a medium thickness and could have been fried a bit longer, but that’s my own personal preference.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, and the pricing higher than average. The Portuguese Chicken was $27, while the Salt and Pepper Squid was $28. Their tapas dishes range from $9-$17, while their larger plates are between $25-$33.

While the decor here is amazing. we thought the place was more family oriented with pub like meals. As for the meals, they were a tad expensive for what you got. My meal consisted of a single chicken thigh portion which was average at best. Simone’s dish was well executed but you’d only pay half the amount elsewhere.

This place isn’t my cup of tea I’m afraid.

WHERE: 2 Druid Ave, Stirling