The Pot Food and Wine - Adelaide
The last thing Carlos, our French host said to us was, “anything is possible at The Pot” and I’m sure it is.
For me The Pot defines the phrase - ‘romance of a restaurant’, and I’m not talking about sitting there with your loved one, staring into each others eyes, holding hands across the table and referring to one another by cutesy little nick names. I’m talking about inspired people that are determined on delivering a great product. I’m talking about the feeling you get as you stroll through the door that everything from that moment on is going to be about eating and drinking. It’s about the food and beverages that have been procured and presented for your pleasure. Flavours that have been arranged to satisfy and an unpretentious forty seater that buzzes along, the way a charming little bistro should.
But it’s not all bistro, it’s not all French, it’s not all Mediterranean. However there are braises and charcuterie, there are snails and champagne and there are light, fresh, playful dishes. The Pot serves up smaller dishes of imaginative French/Aus cuisine and a great list of aperitifs, beers, cocktails and wine.
There’s no finer way to ready your appetite than to dive straight into a Vesper. The cocktail made famous by Ian Flemings’ James Bond isn’t on the list so that the Pot crew might coax the odd 007 fan into buying a cocktail, it’s there because it’s one hell of a serious drink, defiantly not for the faint hearted, and at the same time it allows Carlos to splash around a totally wonderful French aperitif - Lillet Blanc. After that a world of wine opens up as you flick through the pages of a rather intriguing list, some great local representation and some beauties from abroad. Some old, some new and all good drinking.
I guess ‘not for the faint hearted’ might just sum up a few of The Pots’ dishes as well. I can’t go to The Pot without having a bowl of snails but I know it’s not for everyone. If they happen to be serving bone marrow crusted sardines I’m as sure as hell going to be ordering me some of that. But it’s not all about hard to stomach or, “why the hell would I order that” type of food - there’s still plenty of the, “how delicious does that sound”, and, “my mouth is watering before I even finish reading the description” dishes.
There’s always something to discover at The Pot whether it’s on the menu, between the pages of the wine list or just casually hanging out on the shelves behind the bar. Throughout your journey if you require any guidance your host Carlos is extremely well informed . He’s not flaunting it around but merely has it filed away. He has a great knowledge of his product that he is ready to share with inquisitive guests that require a little expert assistance.
Combine all of the above ingredients, mix well and allow to simmer for at least a couple of hours, there you have a great recipe for lovers of food and wine. I adore going to The Pot and I enjoy being there with friends who take pleasure in indulging in gastronomic adventures. I’m sure there are some out there who make their way along to the Hyde Park eatery on a busy night and are confronted by how close the tables are. They may be less than satisfied at the pace of things in the throws of that frantic hour or two that can rear its head in restaurants world wide when you have a full house. But if you want to be there staring into your loved one’s eye’s, holding hands across the table and referring to one another by cutesy little nick names, pop in mid week around two in the afternoon, that time is usually very accommodating for such behaviour. However if I happen to find an excuse to be at The Pot, holding hands will be the last thing on my mind. I’ll be there sitting back relaxing, I’ll be there being entertained by what’s arriving on my plate and joyfully fulfilled by what gets poured into my glass, and if conditions permit I always enjoy engaging Carlos in a little light hearted conversation on a subject he knows very, very well.
The Pot Food & Wine is open Tuesday-Saturday noon-10pm Sun noon-6pm
And is located at 160 King William Road Hyde Park SA 5061 Australia
Phone 08 8373 2044
