It’s Festival of Food time again and tonight we visit Panacea. Only available for lunch and dinner from Monday to Thursday, the cost is $32 per person and includes a tasting plate, a main course and a petit four. Side dishes are an extra $7 and desserts start from $8. I’ve already reviewed this place twice so I’ll just get straight into the food.

The Stuffed Baby Squid had a nice savoury filling that was soft and moist. The sweetness of the tomato sugo was balanced by the lemon zest. I personally thought the squid was a little rubbery due to overcooking but my friend thought they were fine.

The Grilled Eggplant Involtino was a light and tasty dish. Inside the firm slices of eggplant was a soft and delicate feta cream. The hint of fresh herbs gave the dish more depth.

My favourite was the Semolina and Blue Cheese Puffs. The semolina was nice and crisp, and the blue cheese was soft and creamy. The complex flavour and powerful aroma of the blue cheese really made the dish.

The main that I ordered was the Pork Rib End Chop. Marinated in white sangria, the meat was tender and succulent. It was perfectly matched with the roasted black bean salsa and mojo verde which were both light and refreshing.

The Rabbit Tagine was rather unique as we don’t often see rabbit dishes on the menu. The rabbit was tender and juicy, some of which was still on the bone. The delicious sauce was full of flavour which was well infused into the meat. The prune and date quinoa provided a balance between sweet and savoury, and complimented the rabbit well.

For dessert, I ordered the Chocolate Silk Tart. The chocolate tart had a very thick consistency and wasn’t overly sweet. The candied orange was a bit of a surprise as it added a nice crunchy texture to the dish. The highlight for me was the vanilla gelato; it was everything a gelato should be. Having said that, there wasn’t anything really special about this dessert.

My friend had the Three Milk Cake which is topped with a torched marshmallow, pomegranate molasses and candied pistachio. Pretty in presentation, it was only a large piece of marshmallow which sat on a cake that looked like a muffin. The cake was soft, moist and not overly sweet, while the marshmallow was light and delicate. I actually preferred this dessert over the previous one.

The dish of the night was the Petit Four; the Vanilla Panna Cotta with honey comb and chocolate sauce. The panna cotta was creamy and delicate, and really well executed. The honey comb added a nice crunchy texture while the chocolate sauce increased the sweetness quotient.

The staff here were friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes on offer. They were very attentive at the beginning of the night but as it got busier, we saw less of them. As a whole, the dishes were fairly good. Some dishes I liked more than others.

WHERE: 72-74 Halifax St, Adelaide