Friends! Store your grills, your electric power fizzers and your gas ignited pans! Embrace charcoal!
In the past the list of charcoal restaurants in Adelaide has been limited. Hoosegow Charcoal Restaurant, located on Magill road, is providing that alternative, dishing up some of the best charcoal cooked dishes in Adelaide. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Ara and Shadia as they showed off what they could with a wide selection of premium meats.
The restaurant itself is all class with an exotic feel and plenty of room to move around. This is underlined by the European tunes flowing on the airwaves and extremely friendly disposition of the hosts. What hits you is the smell. Not charcoal smoky, but charcoal spicy. And Hoosegow did not disappoint when I sat down to try some of the restaurant’s top dishes and wines.
Starting with their Grilled Haloumi Salad, Hoosegow creates a dish that is a contrast on the tongue; heat in the capsicum sauce, freshness of the salad and silky smoothness in the haloumi and fava beans.
The most interesting combination of the night was the Charcoal Grilled Scallops and Pork Belly, smothered wonderfully in a Chickpea and Chorizo sauce. Heads up; you can taste the chorizo, but it is physically nowhere to be found. Doesn’t matter, the bitey sauce pairs well with the pork, which falls apart, and scallops, which are tasty as hell.
The Spicy Chicken is a dish Ara is particularly fond of, and I completely understand why. It was the standout of the night and tastes of a labour of love. If you don’t understand the benefits to charcoal, this is the dish that will open your eyes with high levels of fiery flavours.
The last course was the perfectly cooked Tournedos Rossini Eye Fillet with Duck Pate, Madeira Sauce and a Garlic Truffle Crouton. This one was the richest savoury dish of the night. Now I’m not one for pâté, but this dish forces you to expand your taste buds. In a way, the intensity of this dish primed me for the dessert…
Tournedos rossini eye fillet, truffle garlic crouton, duck liver patte, madeira sauce with Yalumbas 2012 The Signature
Chocolate peanut fondant, sweet sour cherries and salted caramel brittle. If the madeira sauce didn’t set off your food coma, this will. This dessert is the bomb. I can’t fault the fondant and the brittle just brings everything together.
Chocolate peanut fondant, sweet sour cherries, salted caramel brittle with the Yalumba Museum Muscat
These dishes were each paired with some fantastic wines from Yalumba. Ranging from the freshness of 2013 La Maschera Vermentino to the bold work horse of wine, Yalumba’s The Signature, to the sweet finisher, the Yalumba Museum Muscat, each course is with one of Yalumba’s lovely tipples.
These dishes are promoting a must see event at Hoosegow on August 6th at 7pm. The restaurant will be presenting all the dishes above as a part of a sit 5 course degustation. Winemaker Same Wigan will host. Along with all this lovely food and wine, there be entertainment by Alma Flamenca to get you really in the mood for the delightful foods. Ara and Shadia will be present to spread their enthusiasm for the food and wine.
Again, that date is Thursday, 6th August.
Phone 8332 6599, or head to hello@hoosegow.com.au for bookings and enquiries.
