Simon Food Favourites: Pintxos

17 November 2012

Udaberri: Pintxos Y Vino, CBD Adelaide (2 Nov 2012)

11 Leigh Street, Adelaide SA 5000

http://www.udaberri.com.au

For the love of oysters

A locals recommendation I met at Botanic Bar brings me to the recently opened Udaberri where I surprisingly discover some of the best freshly shucked oysters ($3 each) I've ever had in a bar or restaurant. These guys know how to fully respect the Coffin Bay pacific oyster with all its prized brine — the oysters were literally swimming in it. For the die hard oyster lovers this is what it's all about. No need for lemon although a splash of the champagne vinegar supplied worked well for me. Shells were cleanly opened and well-presented. I left it up to the bartender to serve me their signature drink. The White Sangria ($15) is not on menu and was worth trying. A likable and refreshing alternative to a red wine sangria.

The Banderilla ($2.50 each) sounded interesting on the menu and flavours worked well together but it's a tiny serving. Seemed expensive for such a small appetiser. The Jamon seranno gran reserva ($15, 50 grams) was thinly sliced and a decent size to share between two. The bread was fresh and went nicely with the jamon. Apparently during the night pintxos are available for $2. I sampled their mushroom cheese crepe which was very tasty. The bar reminded me of being back in San Sebastion which is apparently inspiration for atmosphere and vibe they were after. A melting pot of conversations, drinking and snacking on a few tasty and affordable pintxos. I hope to return one day, if not just for their oysters.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Reminds me of being back in the bars of San Sebastion, Interesting menu, Fun vibe, Efficient and friendly service, Rustic decor

CONS: Very loud, Limited seating, Can get crowded, It's in Adelaide and I live in Sydney

MUST TRY: Oysters
VERDICT: A fun and popular place for a casual drink and snack. Definitely try the oysters if you like them shucked to order.

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Coffin Bay oysters, shucked to order served with champagne vinegar ($3 each) — full of brine and shucked well with minimal shellage
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

White Sangria ($15) — not on menu but signature drink
WORTH TRYING :-)

Banderilla - skewered confit cherry tomato, pickled garlic and queso mahon cheese ($2.50 each) — nice flavours but seems expensive for such a small appetiser

Jamon seranno gran reserva aged 10 months, 50 gram ($15) — decent amount of slicers, thinly sliced, bread fresh
WORTH TRYING :-)

Pintoxos, usually charged at $2 each, mushroom cheese in crepe

Bill $41.50 for one, 6 weeks opened, efficient service, cool bar vibe, loud, popular

Upstairs seating

Owners Rod and Rowan having a cheeky photo

Team Udaberri

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15 July 2011

The Carrington: Opening launch of a new Spanish pintxos bar, Surry Hills (14 July 2011)

563 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://www.the-carrington.com.au

New neighbourhood bar opens

‘Owners James Wirth, James Miller and designer Michael Delaney have channeled the pintxos bars of San Sebastian, Barcelona’s Xampanyerias, and the suburban watering holes of yesteryear to create myriad drink-dine options within the bones of a truly Australian pub’

Thanks to Aimee Bayliss from The Carrington for inviting me to the opening launch of the new bar and restaurant. With all the cosy renovations to the old man’s pub you won't be able to recognise the place from its former days and I don’t think I’ll be able to grab a cheap bottle of wine for il baretto as well. If you’ve been wanting to check out the The Flinders, Duke or The Norfolk but have been put off by the crowds then now is the time to try them because I predict all those inner city folk will be heading to The Carrington now. According to babelfish ‘beba y cena’ literally translates to ‘it drinks and it has dinner’. I assume this might refer to the action of a person when they come to a pub. First you drink, and then you need to eat — and perhaps you drink some more — sounds good to me.

There was certainly no shortage of drinks on offer to try. The Kalimotxos (or Calimocho) made with Port and Coke and the Port with house made lemon soda were very interesting but for something more lethal watch out for the Single Mother cocktail. It combines red wine, Southern Comfort and ginger beer and is topped with nutmeg and a slice of orange. Just like sangria and mojitos, they're pretty easy to drink and you won't know how many you've had until it's too late. Next time I'd be curious to try the Dionysus Martini which is a Fig and Honey concoction served with a wedge of blue cheese on the side — now that's something pretty original.

If the canapes are anything to go by then I'm expecting the normal food menu to be pretty good and tasty. I'm sure the Jamón ibérico slicing machine will be serving up some melt-in-your-mouth treats that will go nicely with a beer or fine wine. I'm curious to discover what the Basque Wings will be and what the Nose 2 Tail Pie will taste like. It looks like the epicentre of gastronomic discoveries is set to shift a bit closer to Bourke Street and the ever popular il baretto might also become a little less busy perhaps.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting menu, Finally a place that will serve pintxos, Quality ingredients, Offering something new and different, Hopefully bar menu prices will be reasonable like The Norfolk, Lots of seating and cosy spaces to settle in for the night, Nice decor, Service seems down-to-earth and friendly with a willingness to please

CONS: New kid on the block is bound to get very popular and crowded very soon, Expectations will be high so hopefully will deliver

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try the normal menu and original cocktails

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Front bar

Peroni beers, Kalimotxos (Port and Coke), Port with house made lemon soda, A row of mini Single Mother cocktails

Photographer in action and sparkling being poured

Making a Single Mother cocktail - Red wine, Southern Comfort, Ginger Beer, Nutmeg and slice of orange — lethal because you can't really taste the alcohol until it's too late