Republic paired up with Girl About Town last week to host an ‘Eat and Tweet’ night in light of their brand new Spring menu changes.
With the introduction of a new Head Chef, Daniel Serafin, the revised menu has been updated to cater for a wider demographic, combining new eccentric ingredients and cooking techniques to create a unique experience for Republic’s diners.
Serafin has worked in a variety of high-profile restaurants around Adelaide and abroad, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. “We want to create memorable and delicious dishes that offer an experience to your taste buds,” Serafin explains. “I know our customers are going to love the new menu with the ‘Scallops and House Bacon’ with sweet corn puree and ‘Duck Duo’ pan seared duck breast with a crispy duck, quinoa, orange and fennel salad and raspberry vinaigrette.”
“With the injection of lighter, healthier choices, we are able to accommodate for a wider demographic.”
The night started off with red wine and antipasto by the bar, including carrot and cucumber sticks with a tomato-based dip and hommus, fresh vegetables, prosciutto, salami, pickles and a sun-dried tomato mix, accompanied by water crackers and fresh sliced bread.
After transferring from the bar to a separate function room, we were warmly welcomed by the Venue Manager and Head Chef before receiving our first entree of the night: Beetroot Carpaccio. Topped with goats cheese mousse and apple salsa verde, the thinly sliced Beetroot Carpaccio was a tasty savoury starter and a great vegetarian option.
We were then served our next entree, the Smoked Chicken Terrine with a tangy mustard grape chutney and crostini. This was a fun canape style of entree, catering perfectly to functions and large group bookings.
Our final entree, Scallops and House Bacon, was a particular crowd favourite. The sweet corn puree added a sweetness to the scallops and the overall dish was smooth in texture. With a well-balanced selection of seafood, meat and vegetables, the entree menu certainly offers diners a little bit of everything.
In came the first main: Duck Duo inclusive of tender pan-seared duck breast garnished with raspberry vinaigrette and complimented by a crispy duck, quinoa, orange and fennel salad. This dish was one of our favourites as the sweetness of the duck meat paired so perfectly well with the sweet raspberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette even had a slight cherry taste to its flavour, which we thought was particularly unique.
The Berkshire Pork Belly came out next, served with spring greens, jus (thin gravy made of meat juices), compressed apple and pigs cheek croquette. The pork belly was rich in flavour, and had a delicious tenderness which seemed to melt in the mouth. The side of spring greens and apple took away from the heaviness of the meat, and the pigs cheek croquette topped off the entire meal with an irresistibly soft filling and crunchy exterior.
The final main, Chilli Lobster, was a seafood spaghetti dish containing baby clams, confit garlic and pangritata. The pasta, cooked in squid ink, came out black in colour which made for a particularly interesting appearance. The dish itself was complimented better with a touch of extra sea salt from the table.
Moving on to dessert, we were offered two choices: a Dark Chocolate Mi-Cuit, which is flourless chocolate cake accompanied by strawberry compote, vanilla bean ice cream and hazelnut toffee, and the Bomb Alaska, a classic dessert served with raspberry sorbet and white chocolate ice cream covered with an Italian meringue. With both dishes quite simple yet totally delicious, there’s always room for dessert at Republic.