My Night With Lady Burra....

Lady Burra Brewhouse - Topham Mall, Adelaide, SA 5000

Food with a view

This reviewer was lucky enough to be invited to the Portuguese-inspired menu launch degustation dinner at Lady Burra Brewhouse, a relatively new bar on the –bursting-at-the seams-but-let’s-face-it-no-one-is-sad-about-that–  dining scene in Radelaide. So strap in guys, this is quite the ride…

The night begins with citrus marinated salmon served with a burnt chilli aioli on house made multigrain bread.

Would have if I could have

So, full disclosure, because I have a penchant for shiny things, I may have taken too long staring at the glorious brewing tanks and missed out on what looks like a delectable starter. I guess I’ll just have to go back another time. One must do what one must…. This was followed by mozzarella stuffed crispy chicken wings with a roast garlic aioli.

Easy eats

It was a delightful surprise to find that these wings had been Frenched which makes for tidier eating (#mystrugglewithwingsisreal #imthatpersonwhoneedsthebib). Even more delightful was the flavour combo of the mozzarella and the aioli. If you’re looking for an after work beer and wings combo, try these with the Lady Burra American Pale Ale. They’ll have your Friday night sorted.

Onwards. To mains!

We begin with what was explained to us as a traditional Southern-Portuguese style stew. This was a surprise from the kitchen (because the two mains I was expecting to sample were clearly not enough…and while my pants might have audibly cried at this knowledge, my mouth was singing!)

I approve this situation

I would describe this like if a ham and split pea soup were on flavour steroids. There may have been a table request for bread to soak up the smoky, tomato sauce dregs at the end. And while the consumption of bread at a degustation is a total rookie mistake, the fact that I did it anyway speaks volumes to how much I enjoyed this. The pork belly and broad beans combo is sensational.

The second main was a chargrilled cod which had been flaked apart, served with ‘punched potatoes’ and hot garlic sauce.

At least I'll have a shiny coat

There was a lot to like about this dish. The chargrill flavour, the pitted olives and the punched potatoes were excellent-I actually preferred them over the roast potatoes with the pork! Unfortunately, the cod texture was rubbery (indicating that this was over cooked) and undid all the hard work set out by the other elements. This was served with the lady Burra Irish Red Ale. The final main was the roasted pork leg served with roast potatoes and Rosa’s Gravy Sauce.

Dear Gravy...will you marry me?

This gravy. No, seriously. THIS gravy. If this gravy had sentience I’d marry it. I believe the proper millennial vernacular to describe this would be ‘amaze’, followed by the heart eyes emoji followed by the on point emoji. Which it is. For realz. This was accompanied with the Lady Burra India Pale Ale. At this point of the evening I enter what I like to refer to as the ‘regret wearing pants situation’. But, march on I must, for there were two dessert courses and as we all know everyone has a separate dessert stomach! We start with a Portuguese pudding, with star anise and orange and caramel sauce.

Anytime is pudding time

The pudding was velvety soft and the orange and caramel sauce had just the right amount of sweet. The real surprise was the orange peel garnish which had been dusted in sugar and crisped! The final dish of the night was a traditional Portuguese tart.

So pretty

I was REALLY hoping this would be a GREAT tart. I mean, it’s an iconic dish. Maybe one of THE dishes of Portuguese cuisine, and if you’re going to serve it you really have to nail it. And here's where there's the 'but'. It was okay. And it is gorgeous. I mean, look at it! But for me, it kind of missed the mark a bit. I don't know if it was the custard-not enough vanilla flavour. Or maybe the pastry? In Tinder terms it’s like swiping right, instead of up. The dessert was accompanied by the Lady Burra Robust Porter which was pretty wonderful. The evening had a final surprise though. I was able to sample one of Lady Burra’s ‘brewtails’.

The 'Sherry Me'

There are a special batch of Lady Burra brews that have been transformed into ‘brewtails’. This foxy looking number was an unexpected treat. Tasting more like a whiskey sour with a toffee top than a beer, these are a very welcome surprise.

And thanks to the glorious mural collab by local artists @vanstheomega, @tristan_kerr and @espionagegallery, if you’re into after-work drinks with a view, Lady Burra Brewhouse has you sorted. Stay Classy.

Jess

(The Cardigan Thief) 

Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly: While this definitely leans towards the more carnivorous amongst us, there are a few dishes to cater to those with these dietary needs. For anything more specific, have a quick word to the staff-they'll try their best to keep you happy!

Child Friendly: Maybe leave the kids at home for this one

Ambiance: I dig this place. A lot. 5/5

Service: Staff seemed super friendly and happy to oblige with requests. 4/5

Food: Mostly hits with a couple misses. Teething issues to be sure. 8/10

In total OTCB gives Lady Burra Brewhouse 17/20 chops on The Chopping Board