This week marks one year since Republic officially opened it’s doors and what better way to celebrate than with a week filled with festivities filled with delicious food, drinks and entertainment. Republic kick started the celebrations by hosting an exclusive cocktail party for media and VIP guests.

The beer garden has won multiple awards is known as South Australia’s and Australia’s best outdoor venue. With a built in sound system, heating and retractable roof, it’s quite easy to see how this space has been judged the best.

Let’s not forget their spacious bar area which offers $12 cocktails and 16 brands of beer and cider available on tap.

How could anyone look past the Espresso Martini? I thought the ingredients were well proportioned and executed perfectly. It was certainly one of the best that I’ve had in a while.

Being a recent fan of gin, I couldn’t look past the White Lady. The predominant taste of juniper was present in the gin and it naturally worked well with the syrup and the zesty lemon juice.

The Raw Salmon on Crunchy Salmon Skin was the highlight of the evening. The silky smooth texture of the salmon combined with the crunchy texture of the skin was a match made in heaven.

The Caramelised Onion Tart wasn’t too bad. The natural sweetness of the onion worked well with the delicate flakey pastry.

The Duck Terrine was very well executed and was full of flavour. I did find the base a little too crunchy for my liking.

The Braised Beef was also a highlight. The morsels of beef were lean, tender and succulent and were complemented by the crunchy texture of the nuts.

The Salted Pork Belly with Grapes was something I’ve never had before. The pork belly was crisp and covered in salt. This was balanced by the sweetness of the grapes, and I didn’t mind it at all.

The Soft Shell Crab is fairly standard these days. The battered coating was light and crisp, and the crab was perfectly cooked. A bit oily and over salted for my liking.

The Pakora had a light crisp coating, and the vegetables filling was soft and delicate. The bitter taste of fenugreek was prominent, and again, I thought it was a little on the salty side.

The Arancini had a firm crisp coating with a soft buttery risotto filling. Comments were made about how salty it was, but the Arancini I had was a little on the bland side.

Republic has been involved with so many amazing events and initiatives over this past year. From presenting the Best Emerging Designer Award at the Adelaide Fashion Festival, to sponsoring a handful of superstars from Adelaide United, it will be exciting to see what they have in store for 2015.

Based in the trendy suburb of Norwood, Republic will be celebrating all week long – so why not join them for their first birthday and experience something a little bit different to the average outing.

WHERE: 120 Magill Rd, Norwood