It’s been a long time coming, but Adelaide’s wine bar scene has finally made a play for the suburbs. Places like Bar Lune, Good Gilbert, Anchovy Bandit and its new spin-off Bandit Pizza and Wine are all providing locals with good reason to eat, drink and make merry in their own neighbourhoods. And now it’s North Adelaide’s turn, with slick new watering hole Pastel (in the former L’Italy site) joining O’Connell Street’s eclectic mix of old pubs, Italian cafes and fast-casual eateries. And judging from early reactions, it’s something the area has been crying out for.
“Everyone’s saying, ‘Oh we’re so glad something like this has finally come’,” says co-owner Daniel Vaughan, who’s seen a mixed crowd of everyone from 20-somethings to 70-somethings, and an elderly regular who’s been in almost every night for a glass of chardonnay.
Vaughan (of 1000 Island) and his business partners Elijah Makris and Saba Maghsoudi (of Pinco Deli and design agency Studio Mazi) and artist and designer James Brown (who also fitted out 1000 Island) want to bring new energy to the strip and “be part of a more significant cultural shift in the area”. “We're trying to create space for the kind of place we would like to be eating and drinking,” he says.
The team envisioned the moodily lit spot as “a place of refuge from the city hustle”, and Brown and his 2049 design agency business partner Sabrina Sterk have conceived a charming and cosy space, brought to life by Sam Weckert of Tiger Build. Just two weeks in, it already feels like part of the furniture, thanks in part to the retro-ish nutmeg and tobacco-coloured timber panelling and exposed white brick, which sit against the marble counters from its time as L’Italy, and new custom sconce lighting and abstract artwork. The cosy front room belies the size of the place; a second room with more seating leads to an enclosed courtyard out the back, with bench seating, a DJ booth and a heap of greenery. But if you’re after an intimate spot, you’ll want to sit at the bar for premium vibes, where DJs set up nightly next to the warm red glow of a well-positioned lamp.
“When James and Sabrina presented the renders to us it felt exactly right. It felt homely, smart, chic, it felt like it had a bit of character,” says Vaughan. “It has a lot of charm and a lot of soul.”
Head chefs Darek Krzywdzinski and Nathan Liu have come over from Peel St Restaurant and Gin Long Canteen, respectively, and the cuisines of their former workplaces are present in the globetrotting menu, which traverses Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. There are the usual wine bar suspects – whipped ricotta with fried walnuts, za’atar, honey and grilled focaccia; kingfish sashimi with nam jim and crispy shallot; and Ortiz anchovy fingers with soft boiled egg, pickled fennel and aioli – alongside snacky chargrilled octopus skewers with taramasalata and salsa verde; a punchy Sichuan cucumber salad with chilli oil, soy peanuts and fresh ginger; plump pork and prawn dumplings with shiitake, ginger and chilli oil; and a plate of coconut-braised beef short rib with green mango and roasted rice.
The food is backed by an approachable wine list (of 145-odd bottles so far) devoted to low-intervention and more conventional drops. “We’ve been introducing locals to [minimal-intervention wine], which has been great because it goes really well with food – there’s texture, there’s body, there’s a bit of funk, sometimes it has high acid, which goes well with chilli, and it’s not overly sweet,” says Vaughan. There are also house cocktails – including a Negroni made with peach wine and grapefruit oil and a “Disco Martini” with falernum, orange bitter and lemon oil – alongside a couple classics.
Pastel
47 O'Connell Street, North Adelaide
Hours:
Wed to Sat 4pm–late
