The Playford Restaurant has released a new ‘Feed Me Menu’ as part of the Festival of Food.

The delicious 10-course menu is set in a degustation style, giving guests the opportunity to try various menu items over the course of their dinner.

The award-winning restaurant has a passion for South Australian produce; with the kitchen following a philosophy of organic, free-range and chemical free buys, to not only support local growers but to ensure customers are getting the best fresh and flavoursome ingredients possible.

Inside, a grand atmosphere awaits, with a beautiful décor and gold accents, the Playford offers accommodating and friendly service, and upon taking our seats, we knew we were in for a wonderful night.

We were treated to two delicious cocktails: A Passionfruit Caprihioska, made with Smirnoff vodka, elderflower liquer, lime and passionfruit; garnished with a passionfruit wedge and mint. And an Espresso Martini, made with Smirnoff vodka, freshly ground coffee and Kahlua. Both were delicious, the martini holding strong coffee notes while the lime and passionfruit in the caprihioska made for a vibrant and refreshing drink.

We started with the Chefs Snacks; two small dishes that were packed full of flavour. The Adelaide Hills Mushroom Parfait was served with a wafer, pumpkin seeds and a pumpkin sliver to garnish. The lovely silky-smooth, creamy and strong mushroom pure was delicious and definitely the hero of the dish. The rich earthy flavour balanced well with the crunch of the wafer, which gave off slightly sweeter notes, while the seeds inside gave a smoother earthy taste and crunchy texture. The dish held a lovely flavour balance between the individual elements, with a slight sweetness from the pumpkin balancing with the prominent mushroom. Overall, a delicious dish that left us wanting more.

The Wagyu Beef Brisket was served cold with smoked mayonnaise and pickled gherkin.
The in-house smoked mayonnaise and pickles deliciously paired with the strong meat flavour of the wagyu beef. The creamy aioli had a lovely smooth smoky flavour that wasn’t too overpowering and complimented the beef and the sweeter tang of the pickled gherkins. With a lovely flavour and texture balance, this dish again left us wanting more.

The Wholemeal and Sunflower Sourdough was served with culture butter and volcanic salt.
We were given our very own small loaf of bread. Its soft centre balanced with the slight crunch from the crust and its lovely and warm texture complimented the earthy flavour of the nuts and grains cooked into the bread. The bread gave off a delicious, sweet, earthy tang that paired well with the soft and silky butter that deliciously melted on the warm bread and balanced with the salty tones from the volcanic salt. The bread was delicious and I would have loved to be able to take a loaf (or two) home with me.

The Section 28 Monforte Croquette was fried and served with smoked chilli aioli and pickled asparagus. Section 28 Artisan Cheeses have a made a partnership with the Playford restaurant and I am so glad they did. The cheese was delicious, soft, creamy and gooey; oozing out of the fried outer shell. The smoked chilli aioli gave a slight heat to the savoury dish, but the smokiness balanced the spice so it was not too overpowering. The pickled asparagus gave off a slightly sweeter tang that helped to balance the fried cheese and the smoky tones from the aioli. The small dish was a delicate parcel of cheesy goodness and another delicious dish we won’t easily forget.

The Brandade, Gribiche and Crispy Brussel Sprouts had a lovely balance of flavours and textures. The brandade was lovely creamy and soft, with a meatier bite from the salt cod base. The savoury brandade was not too fishy with subtle salty tones that paired well with the crispy brussel sprout leaves that held prominent earthy tones. The creaminess from the gribiche balanced with the crisp leaves while the lemon rind for garnishing, tied the dish together with its slight acidic tang that lifted and lightened the savoury dish.

The Duck Confit was served with kohlrabi foam, a warm duck broth and chives. The smooth cool foam was light and melted in your mouth and gave a sweet but slight peppery flavour profile that balanced with the sharper tang of the fresh chives. The foam and chives paired well with the warm, rich and tender shredded duck meat that gave prominent earthy tones, balancing with the warm duck broth. A delicious combination of flavours created a warm and hearty dish that is perfect for the cooling winter days. The Duck Confit held prominent richer meaty flavours that perfectly balanced with the chives and foam.

The King Salmon Fillet was served with miso cauliflower, pickled cucumber, and a squid ink tuile. Our salmon was perfectly cooked at medium-rare, and was lovely fresh and light. The soft salmon meat complimented its lovely crispy skin that held heavier salty tones to balance with the savoury and crisp tuile. The wafer thin squid ink tuile was light and complimented the stronger flavours of the miso cauliflower, that was grilled and coated in a small amount of chilli. The cauliflower gave light smoky tones that paired well with the slight heat of the chilli and the sweeter notes of the cauliflower itself; a perfect balance to the salmon meat. A Sweeter almost sour tang came from the lightly pickled cucumber, which also gave a beautiful balance of texture and flavour. Overall, the King Salmon Fillet was a light but filling dish, that any fish lover is sure to enjoy.

The Charcoal Herbed Lamb Rump wad served with quinoa, mirepoix, dill pure, Kris Lloyd feta and a Polenta and Quinoa Crisp. The rump was cooked perfectly at medium-rare, giving it a lovely soft and tender texture. The richer, earthier meat was lifted from the lovely light tang of the quinoa salad and the deep earthy flavours of the mirepoix. The polenta and quinoa crisp held a subtle fragrant tang, holding light savoury tones that balanced well with the richer meat and the tang from the dill pure. Its lighter bite, gave off a soft anise flavour, and paired well with the creamy, locally sourced feta that balanced the strong earthy tones. We were given a generous serving of the hearty lamb, which filled us up and was a perfect fine-dining winter warmer dish.

For dessert, we tried the Coffee and Kahlua Parfait with vanilla cream and dark chocolate. The beautiful dessert had lovely balancing textures, a crunch of chocolate infused with coffee shell, with a cool, almost ice cream centre of coffee and Kahlua. Yum! The soft white chocolate powder added sweetness to the dish, balancing the stronger coffee and Kahlua flavours, that added a more savoury tang to balance the sweeter dark chocolate moose and the soft and light vanilla cream. The moose and cream were silky smooth, balancing with the slight snap of the tempered dark chocolate swirl to top. The parfait held a lovely contrast of sweet tones that weren’t too overpowering, with the perfect tang of coffee and Kahlua to steal the show.

The Petit Four was a Goolwa Organic Almond and Chocolate Praline, topped with a salt sprinkle. The chocolate and almond log held a rich mousse centre with a tempered dark chocolate shell that gave balancing stronger richer tones. The salt sprinkle added contrast to the sweetness and helped emphasise the rich and sweet tones of the chocolate. An earthy flavour from the almonds helped balance the strong chocolate flavours together and gave a lovely crunch texture to balance the smooth creamy mousse. The Petit Four was a delicious decadent dessert that held rich flavours and a lovely sweet balance.

It was evident from every dish on the Festival of Food’s ‘Feed Me Menu’, that the chefs put a lot of time and care into each dish.

Every dish that came to our table was beautifully presented and packed full of flavour that left us wanting more.

We were treated to a lovely fine dining experience, paired with a stunning atmosphere, friendly service and delicious meals; we couldn’t have asked for a better night.

If you don’t want to miss out on the Playford’s new ‘Feed Me Menu’ with the Festival of Food’s special offers, make sure to download the app today.

Available on iPhone and Android.

Words by Cyndal King

WHERE: 120 North Tce, Adelaide