On Thursday night Adelaide Food Central was delighted to attend the opening of Fishbank, located in the former Jamie’s Italian building. The launch of Adelaide’s finest seafood restaurant showcased the incredibly fresh, local seafood produce that South Australia has to offer. Seafood is my favourite cuisine, so you can imagine I was incredibly honoured to attend this event and try the best of the best.

We sampled a few dishes on their vibrant menu.

Freshly Shucked Oysters
Oysters are one of my favourite things to eat. I understand that they aren’t for everyone, but with a drizzle of fresh lemon, I find them God’s gift to this earth. You can’t get much fresher than Fishbank oysters, they are the best quality around.

Abrolhos Island Scallop, Soy, Bonito Vinegar, Green Onion Oil
My second favourite kind of seafood, and a dish that was one of my favourites of the night. The scallop was thick and juicy and paired perfectly with the strong vinegar and light green onion oil. The flavours burst throughout my taste buds and left me incredibly happy.

Bigeye Tuna Sashimi
To create a good sashimi all you really need is fresh fish and a refined slice. What caught my eye with this dish was the brightly coloured tuna fish. I find that the fresher and tastier the fish the deeper the colour, and it didn’t get much fresher than this.

Kombu Cured Kingfish with Baby Fennel, Ruby Grapefruit and Mandarin Oil
This dish produced some of the freshest, vibrant and zesty flavours. The light kingfish paired well with the zingy ruby grapefruit and sweet mandarin oil. The baby fennel helped to give the dish an element of crunch.

Mackerel Tartare with Smoked Yoghurt and Horseradish Chips
I love tartare but I had never tried mackerel before, I usually have salmon or tuna. I loved the addition of the smoked yoghurt which was tossed lightly through the mackerel. This fish choice was a perfect option. The chips melted in your mouth and complimented the light tartare perfectly.

Wok Fried Goolwa Pipis in XO sauce
I immediately recognised the XO sauce tossed through these vibrant cockles. This sauce tasted similar to what you have on black bean steak at a Chinese restaurant. I love how the sauce radiate through each and every pipi, and it made it even more wonderful that they were locally sourced from Goolwa.

Fried Whitebait
A lot like eating little crispy chips, this dish is a great option to order on the side. The whitebait even though deep fried were lightly battered and crispy. They were incredibly addictive and it was hard for me to keep my hands off of them.

Roast Robarra, Speck, Peas and Baby Cos
The stunning main dish of the night was something to remember. The large dish was served with barramundi from Robe, and worked well with the soft peas and baby cos lettuce. The vegetables helped to give the sauce on the fish a more of a lighter approach. The speck helped to bounce flavour throughout the dish with its smokiness.

Fishbank Ice Cream Sandwich with Fish Fat Peanut Crackle
A cute little sandwich nestled beside some lightly salted fish fat peanut crackle. The crackle added a salty element to the sandwich and paired well with the light vanilla ice-cream. This dessert is just the right size for an after-dinner treat.

Whipped Caramel Chocolate Ganache
This dessert was to die for, super rich and full of the most wonderful chocolate flavours. I couldn’t stop eating it as the ganache and caramel radiated through my mouth. I am actually salivating thinking about it now.

A huge thank you to Sassafras PR for putting together this delightful evening. We thoroughly enjoyed the night, staff, food and ambience of Adelaide new finest restaurant, Fishbank.

Words by Tomika Salerno

WHERE: 2 King William St, Adelaide