A trip up to the Barossa is one of our favourite things to do at Adelaide Food Central. Not only does the region produce some of the best wines in the world, their produce is also exceptional. On Thursday we visited Char Barossa, located on the main street of Tanunda. Their new menu includes a Churrasco addition which is available every Wednesday and Thursday, along with some new items on their regular dining menu. All I can say is that they char everything and they char it well.

We started with some entrees:

CROQUETTES filled with leek, chorizo & gruyere with siracha mayo
The first thing I look for in a good croquette is the crunch, and crunch is what I got. The siracha mayo was an awesome addition with a slight spice that went well with the leek and chorizo combination. This was one of my favourite entrees.

SA SPENCER GULF KING PRAWNS with citrus & lemongrass salad with orange sauce.
You could smell the quality of these prawns as soon as they wafted out of the kitchen. I especially loved the combination of the orange sauce as it gave the prawns that extra bit of sweetness. The lemongrass salad gave the dish a fresh and acidic element.

CHORIZO with pickled grapes & paprika
I feel that sometimes chorizo can be hit and miss. If you get a kind that is incredibly salty it can be off putting. Char Barossa’s chorizo is certainly ‘just right’. The slightly salted chorizo paired perfectly with the sweet grape. Fruit and chorizo, who would have thought?

BAROSSA VALLEY CHEESE CO. HALOUMI with lemon oil & mint
Haloumi is one of my favourite cheeses. All it needs is a light char and a subtle garnish. Not only did this dish use some of Barossa’s finest produce, it also garnished with a light sauce of lemon oil and fresh mint. A perfect combination of flavours and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

CARÊME PUFF PASTRY TART of caramelised onion, roasted baby beets, Barossa Valley Cheese Co. haloumi & crème fraiche
This dish was so incredibly beautiful, that I almost didn’t want to eat it. The light puffed pastry placed at the bottom of the plate was topped with fresh vegetables and delicious and creamy crème fraiche. The small haloumi bits had been deep fried to add an alternate texture to the plate.

LAMB RUMP with hommus, burnt cauliflower, spiced chickpeas, pomegranate & pistachio
The lamb rump was cooked perfectly, the chef’s certainly know what they are doing. You know you’re eating a great cut of meat when it is cooked rare and it not be too chewy.
The topping were Middle Eastern inspired with the vegetables, sauce and fruit going perfectly with the meat.

We then went onto the main event the char-grilled steaks. All steaks were served with truffle mash potato, king oyster mushroom & house made red wine jus

ANGUS PURE EYE FILLET 200gram and GRAIN FED SCOTCH FILLET 300gram
Both cuts of meat were cooked to absolute perfection, medium rare with nothing to fault. The big scotch fillet in particular, was charred so well that it was almost impossible to not eat the fat. The chef’s really know what they are doing, and it is shown through the perfect presentation of this meat.

We ended the feast with dessert.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & BAILEYS CHEESECAKE, crispy cherry & house made Barossa ‘Bean Addiction’ coffee ice cream
The home-made ice-cream on this dish was a highlight of the day. Made with locally sourced beans I could have sat there and ate a whole tub of that alone. The cheesecake was not to over bearing and the chocolate and baileys complimented each other well.

Thank you so much to the team at Char Barossa for your hospitality. We are always so welcomed when we come into your community and it is always a pleasure. We could not recommend your steak house enough, and encourage both locals and tourists to give you a visit.

Words by Tomika Salerno

WHERE: 89 Murray St, Tanunda