Jason King
AmyHuangSpice Bar, Port Noarlunga - SA
November 6th 2008 00:39
Hi everyone and special thanks to Amy for allowing me to write here. I know this is "Sydney Table" but for my first article I have just returned from South Australia and everyone from Sydney takes holidays right? So, next time you are planning a culinary holiday that is 10min from some of the best vineyards in the country consider, Port Noarlunga South Australia.
A very brief history of Port Noarlunga:
Port Noarlunga is a suburb in the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia. It is a small sea-side suburb, population 2,549, about 30km to the south of Adelaide and was originally created as a sea port. This area is now popular as a holiday destination or for permanent residents wishing to commute to Adelaide or work locally. There is a jetty that leads nearly all the way to one of South Australia's few natural reefs. The beach is large and very long and has reasonable surfing in the South Port area whose name is taken from its location - 'South of the Port'. It should also be noted that it is less than 15min to drive to McLaren Vale and its abundance of fine wine.
My visit to the area came about when a school friend became ill with the dreaded C and our group from school (graduated in 1990) decided to organise a get together to see everyone and reunite in true style at one of our other school friend's and his lovely wife's restaurant - SPICE BAR. This turned into an 8 night extravaganza of wine and fine dining. We toured the best vineyards I have ever seen with my favorites being Samuel's Gorge and Primo Estate. We also ate out at some of the best places in South Australia including 5 course mini degustation at Penny's Hill with wine matching. Delish - but everywhere we ventured everyone knew of the recently opened Spice Bar in Port Noarlunga ran by Aaron and Kym-Sarah Ruttan. And to be honest, Penny's Hill boasted a French Chef and the food was exquisite but nothing could compare the devine food at Spice Bar.
In my true dedication to bringing you a complete review of the restaurant I ate through the entire menu in 6 days straight choosing to eat the majority of my dinners at this mecca of culinary delights.
On my first visit to the restaurant I invited a friend who lived in the Adelaide area, Tias, and was confronted by a menu that I could not choose from as they all sounded so delish. Would I start with the Chilli Salt Squid, the ‘Gyoza’ - Prawn Dumplings with a Soy & Ginger dipping sauce, House- Cured Salmon Carpaccio with Verdale Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ponzu, Jalapenos & Dried Miso or the ‘Okonomiyaki’ – Japanese Pancake with Shredded Duck. These were all on the "share plate" menu designed as affordable entrees for two. At under $11- for each plate Tias and I decided on eating share plates only and skipping mains and going straight to dessert. So as opposed to choosing out of these we ordered them all. I had already expressed my concern with Aaron, the chef and best mate from school that I was not a fan of Okonomiyaki as in Sydney whenever I eat it I can only ever taste the abundance of mayo and Asian bbq sauce that gets smothered onto it. He assured me I would like it and from that night on I actually ate the Okonomiyaki every single night as my starter and have fallen in love with it - to the point I now have a framed picture of it in house (no joke).
The House- Cured Salmon Carpaccio with Verdale Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ponzu, Jalapenos & Dried Miso was also out of this world and melted in my mouth - Aaron uses a long evaporation technique on Miso soup to create a Miso powder that is sprinkled around the edge of the plate to wipe up with each mouthful of Salmon as it leaves the plate.
There are many more delicious share plates including Bread plate served with Hardings olive oil, Aged Sweet Vinegar & Spice mix, Five type Coriole Olive mix, Bean Curd Skin Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Hoisin Sauce, Master Stock Free-Range Chicken Salad with Vietnamese Dressing (SUPERB) and Pork Wontons with Spring Onion, Ginger, Soy & Black Vinegar but in my opinion nothing could beat the sensations on my taste buds like the Okonomiyaki or the Carpaccio.
For our desserts on this night I went straight to the Vanilla White Chocolate & Berry Baked Custards with Pistachio Tuilles - no choice, I am obsessed with berries! And OMG I was not disappointed! Tias went for the Green Tea Pannacotta with Ginger Snaps and it was out of this world and another of the popular desserts was the Chocolate Fondant (Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding) with a House-Made Rum & Raisin Ice- Cream. For the two of us our meal came to a grand total of $60- excluding the wine. The restaurant stocks some of the finest wines from the McLaren Vale area and the only wine I thought the place needed was some of the Samuel's Gorge wine - truly beautiful but the list is extensive and Kym-Sarah changes the wine seasonally. The wine can be chosen to match the food if you ask the master herself.
On our many other visits to the restaurant I slowly worked my through the mains and while I could live on delectable meals from this restaurant for eternity eventually I would increase in size through my habitual gorging to be close to the size of a whale. The mains ranged from Steak (cut chosen daily) with Seaweed butter, Broccolini & Sweet Potato Mash (divinity in a dish), Lamb with Roasted Cumin Crust, Smoked Eggplant Puree & Spicy Masala Sauce, Beef Rendang Curry with Jasmine Rice, House-Made Roti Bread & a Date Tamarind Chutney, Vegetarian Thai Yellow Coconut Curry with Jasmine Rice, House-Made Roti Bread & a Date Tamarind Chutney, Fish Fillet (chosen daily) Pan Fried with a Tomato, Saffron & Ginger Sauce with Shaved Fennel to Aaron's signature dish and the one he is gaining fame from (and also one that was nearly fought over at our table)... the Roasted Duck with Caramel Soy Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas & Carrot Pickle - this was my outright favorite and deservedly so, the flavor explosions that accompany this are astronomical. If I am correct (I knew I should have done more research by eating more) then this is a twice cooked duck that is cooked over two days and the slow cooking and patience put into this meal gives all the benefits back to the eater! And as a side, Tony, one of the school mates, pointed out that the Primo Estate Merlesco Merlot is the perfect accompaniment to the duck - it's like a match made in heaven!
My school friend's and I owe our increased bellies and week of happiness to Aaron and Kym-Sarah, Spice Bar and all it's fabulous staff and the sensational atmosphere. Watch out Spice Bar - I will be returning!!
Spice Bar is opened Wed through to Sun for dinner and all day Sundays. It's ever increasing popularity suggests bookings! And you can rest assured Aaron will be cheffing every meal.
A very brief history of Port Noarlunga:
Port Noarlunga is a suburb in the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia. It is a small sea-side suburb, population 2,549, about 30km to the south of Adelaide and was originally created as a sea port. This area is now popular as a holiday destination or for permanent residents wishing to commute to Adelaide or work locally. There is a jetty that leads nearly all the way to one of South Australia's few natural reefs. The beach is large and very long and has reasonable surfing in the South Port area whose name is taken from its location - 'South of the Port'. It should also be noted that it is less than 15min to drive to McLaren Vale and its abundance of fine wine.
My visit to the area came about when a school friend became ill with the dreaded C and our group from school (graduated in 1990) decided to organise a get together to see everyone and reunite in true style at one of our other school friend's and his lovely wife's restaurant - SPICE BAR. This turned into an 8 night extravaganza of wine and fine dining. We toured the best vineyards I have ever seen with my favorites being Samuel's Gorge and Primo Estate. We also ate out at some of the best places in South Australia including 5 course mini degustation at Penny's Hill with wine matching. Delish - but everywhere we ventured everyone knew of the recently opened Spice Bar in Port Noarlunga ran by Aaron and Kym-Sarah Ruttan. And to be honest, Penny's Hill boasted a French Chef and the food was exquisite but nothing could compare the devine food at Spice Bar.
In my true dedication to bringing you a complete review of the restaurant I ate through the entire menu in 6 days straight choosing to eat the majority of my dinners at this mecca of culinary delights.
On my first visit to the restaurant I invited a friend who lived in the Adelaide area, Tias, and was confronted by a menu that I could not choose from as they all sounded so delish. Would I start with the Chilli Salt Squid, the ‘Gyoza’ - Prawn Dumplings with a Soy & Ginger dipping sauce, House- Cured Salmon Carpaccio with Verdale Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ponzu, Jalapenos & Dried Miso or the ‘Okonomiyaki’ – Japanese Pancake with Shredded Duck. These were all on the "share plate" menu designed as affordable entrees for two. At under $11- for each plate Tias and I decided on eating share plates only and skipping mains and going straight to dessert. So as opposed to choosing out of these we ordered them all. I had already expressed my concern with Aaron, the chef and best mate from school that I was not a fan of Okonomiyaki as in Sydney whenever I eat it I can only ever taste the abundance of mayo and Asian bbq sauce that gets smothered onto it. He assured me I would like it and from that night on I actually ate the Okonomiyaki every single night as my starter and have fallen in love with it - to the point I now have a framed picture of it in house (no joke).
The House- Cured Salmon Carpaccio with Verdale Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ponzu, Jalapenos & Dried Miso was also out of this world and melted in my mouth - Aaron uses a long evaporation technique on Miso soup to create a Miso powder that is sprinkled around the edge of the plate to wipe up with each mouthful of Salmon as it leaves the plate.
There are many more delicious share plates including Bread plate served with Hardings olive oil, Aged Sweet Vinegar & Spice mix, Five type Coriole Olive mix, Bean Curd Skin Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Hoisin Sauce, Master Stock Free-Range Chicken Salad with Vietnamese Dressing (SUPERB) and Pork Wontons with Spring Onion, Ginger, Soy & Black Vinegar but in my opinion nothing could beat the sensations on my taste buds like the Okonomiyaki or the Carpaccio.
For our desserts on this night I went straight to the Vanilla White Chocolate & Berry Baked Custards with Pistachio Tuilles - no choice, I am obsessed with berries! And OMG I was not disappointed! Tias went for the Green Tea Pannacotta with Ginger Snaps and it was out of this world and another of the popular desserts was the Chocolate Fondant (Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding) with a House-Made Rum & Raisin Ice- Cream. For the two of us our meal came to a grand total of $60- excluding the wine. The restaurant stocks some of the finest wines from the McLaren Vale area and the only wine I thought the place needed was some of the Samuel's Gorge wine - truly beautiful but the list is extensive and Kym-Sarah changes the wine seasonally. The wine can be chosen to match the food if you ask the master herself.
On our many other visits to the restaurant I slowly worked my through the mains and while I could live on delectable meals from this restaurant for eternity eventually I would increase in size through my habitual gorging to be close to the size of a whale. The mains ranged from Steak (cut chosen daily) with Seaweed butter, Broccolini & Sweet Potato Mash (divinity in a dish), Lamb with Roasted Cumin Crust, Smoked Eggplant Puree & Spicy Masala Sauce, Beef Rendang Curry with Jasmine Rice, House-Made Roti Bread & a Date Tamarind Chutney, Vegetarian Thai Yellow Coconut Curry with Jasmine Rice, House-Made Roti Bread & a Date Tamarind Chutney, Fish Fillet (chosen daily) Pan Fried with a Tomato, Saffron & Ginger Sauce with Shaved Fennel to Aaron's signature dish and the one he is gaining fame from (and also one that was nearly fought over at our table)... the Roasted Duck with Caramel Soy Sauce, Sugar Snap Peas & Carrot Pickle - this was my outright favorite and deservedly so, the flavor explosions that accompany this are astronomical. If I am correct (I knew I should have done more research by eating more) then this is a twice cooked duck that is cooked over two days and the slow cooking and patience put into this meal gives all the benefits back to the eater! And as a side, Tony, one of the school mates, pointed out that the Primo Estate Merlesco Merlot is the perfect accompaniment to the duck - it's like a match made in heaven!
My school friend's and I owe our increased bellies and week of happiness to Aaron and Kym-Sarah, Spice Bar and all it's fabulous staff and the sensational atmosphere. Watch out Spice Bar - I will be returning!!
Spice Bar is opened Wed through to Sun for dinner and all day Sundays. It's ever increasing popularity suggests bookings! And you can rest assured Aaron will be cheffing every meal.
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Comment by Jason King
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i love the photos you put with this article!
hey even Sydney people go on holidays, and its all about the dishes really isnt it!
great work Jason!
i hope you have enjoyed branching out!
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