Carrick Hill, the 100-acre estate in the foothills that feels reminiscent of a Jane Austen novel, has long had visitors flocking to its historic Edwardian manor and gorgeous grounds of sprawling lawns, manicured hedges, a rose garden and pear arbour. Now there’s another reason to visit, with a new restaurant from the family behind Adelaide institution Chianti opening this week.
Siblings Jessica Favaro-Richards and Nicholas Favaro, who are behind Mediterranean wine bar Bar Torino, took ownership of Chianti last year when their parents, founders Maria and Frank Favaro, stepped down after 40 years. Now they’re expanding the portfolio with a casual Italian-inflected eatery, Rozelle’s (named after the rose garden), and an adjacent 200-person events space, The Pavilion.
“We wanted to expand what we were doing – something involving weddings and functions, but the ability to also have Rozelle’s right next door was too good to be true,” Favaro tells Broadsheet. “It’s a beautiful place to be. It’s somewhere you can come and chill out. You can walk the dog, bring the kids up – not that you can’t do that at Chianti or Bar Torino, but people are much more comfortable doing it up here.”
The $7.2 million development – part of the Adelaide City Deal, a partnership between the Australian and South Australian governments and the City of Adelaide (funds for the build were contributed by the federal government, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Carrick Hill Development Foundation) – sits near the existing car park, overlooking the sandstone manor once owned by Sir Edward and Lady Ursula Hayward.
The restaurant is designed by architect Ashley Halliday and interior designer Emma Aronsten, and references the historic house and gardens with timber framework, indoor foliage, forest-green and sand-coloured tiles, and aged brass accents. With panoramic windows looking out to the gardens, the city and even the ocean, it’s an ideal setting for a lazy long lunch. Start with a limoncello spritz and take in the views from the deck before making your way through the menu, which favours the produce-driven Italian flavours the Favaros are known for.
“For us, it’s about bringing together friends and family, sitting back, relaxing, eating and drinking, and having a general good time,” says Favaro-Richards. “So we wanted the menu to be very relaxed and approachable.”
That means snacks like globe artichoke fritti with salsa verde mayo; whipped goat’s curd with peas and broad beans; and Italian-Australian staples like arancini, anchovy toast and Vanella Cheese burrata. Larger dishes like baked rigatoni alla vodka, roasted chicken, and cauliflower smothered in a sweet-sour agrodolce, plus pizzas (made with four-day-fermented poolish dough and topped with the likes of mortadella, fior di latte and pistachio pesto or pork and fennel sausage, tomato and eggplant), are blasted in the woodfired oven.
Cap it off with a limoncello cannolo, some tiramisu, or, apropos of the setting (and executive chef Josh Cooke’s heritage) scones with jam and clotted cream. Cooke, who’s been with the group since joining Chianti in 2020, previously worked as head chef at Orana and trained under Rick Stein in the UK.
The venue opens at 10am, so you can also stop by in the morning for coffee and pastries by Gabi Flohr aka Sheoak Baker. (Long-time Carrick Hill cafe and events operator Habel Catering moved out last month.)
Rozelle’s
46 Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield
Hours:
Wed to Sun 10am–4.30pm
