Sparrow Kitchen & Bar - Review

Sparrow Kitchen & Bar is a new concept in dining for Adelaide it offers a unique experience. However, the idea of Sparrow is not new. This style of venue all ready has a strong following in Melbourne in particular Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons. (Read TheSculleryBlog - GA&S Review) The similarities are striking between the two venues although Adelaide once again the poorer cousin suffers from interior compromises. Sparrow offer a sharper edge to the humble Mediterranean Cafe experience. I can only assume they see the potential in a more intrepid clientele that wishes to trade in their Cafe up O’Connell. We booked a table late in the evening to avoid the recent heat, arriving a little early we took advantage of the bar surrounding the main service area. The action around the wood fired pizza still present from past ventures at 10 O’Connell has been well utilised, and is now the source of much attention for waiting punters or those content to dine at the bar. There are many choices to start with on the menu including cured meats from the specialised cabinet and slicer which draws you near on entry. We chose to sample some Gorgonzola Arancini($3.50 each), Blood Sausage with Cauliflower and Sauternes($9) and the cute sounding Duck doughnut with porcini salt($3.50 each). These were shared with beer while we guessed what pizza the busy chef was preparing in front of us. Fun for some – but when there are four types of cheese on one pizza I think everyone wins. The Arancini was enticing enough to inspire a mains choice of Gorgonzola Gnocchi (entree $15.90). Blood sausage was an interesting lesson in texture although not lost on all present perhaps not as well taught as possible, all three components of the dish were the same consistency and didn’t define one over the other. The duck doughnut was an aromatic parcel that I am sure would have blown me away with a bold glass of white with enough power to match the tender flesh with the earthy porcini salt. I was seriously enjoying the early stages of the evening at Sparrow and reluctantly took a seat at a marble topped table. My learned wine loving accomplice chose wisely from a smart mix of wines, he insisted it breathe while we ate at the bar – You might seem like a tosser but it’s well worth it. Sparrow is not a small venue and even a steady night will mean the staff cover long distances to get the bare minimum achieved. At times the staffed looked windswept on their long journey from the bar to the courtyard and raised terrace overlooking the wilting parklands. To their credit our mains arrived simultaneously and I marvelled at the dish of Braised pork tails ($26.50), I was having second thoughts. The meat, gelatinous skin and fat was tender and rich but there was not enough and I was left hungry and ogling the gnocchi and pizza which were both better choices than the tail. Margarita Pizza ($17.90) was fresh with super sweet tomato sauce and crispy base, very nice. The Gnocchi still carried some weight, unusual for what I assumed to be fresh from the kitchen, nevertheless the gorgonzola was right on measure again very nice. The fourth dish tasted was the special wood grilled snapper with a salsa verde($29), the fish was cooked splendidly but the salsa sparked discussion over the contents of ‘a perfect salsa verde’? The reminiscence would’ve continued if we had not moved onto desert of Catalan Cream ($9) and Churros with gianduja chocolate ($8.50). The cream was rich and superbly textured and the Churros were adequate. The efforts of Sparrow are certainly not wasted as it is an emerging venue, but it will take an effort to maintain this standard of commitment to keeping an edge on more original venues.

Giles

Note:
If this review leaves you undecided on whether to go to Sparrow or not it has done it's job. I feel the same way- Perhaps I will go back to Sparrow K&B not sit at a table and rewrite this little footnote?