Fringe Hacks:
Where to eat during festival season

Garden Of Unearthly Delights

There are plenty of traditions at the granddaddy of Fringe hubs, and few are as satisfying as an annual visit to Pigs (n Chicks) On Fire. The Dutch masters are once again loading their medieval looking roasting racks with heads of pigs and cauliflowers for meals that are as filling as they are old fashioned.

It’s easy to tell that the Venetian soul food at Francesco’s Cicchetti comes from fresh ingredients, because you can see them. Salads using fresh herbs, risotto with mushrooms from the Adelaide hills and pumpkin lasagne are just a few of the delights on offer. Most of the dishes are vegan and gluten free, and it’s worth saving room for the can’t believe its vegan chocolate almond torta.

There’s usually a line-up outside Gyoza Records for a reason: the delicious pan-fried pork or vegan dumplings and crispy karaage chicken are perfect for an afternoon snack or a warming dinner on a cold night. Load up on the secret sauce and get ready to fend of friends’ advances: these are too good to share.

And if you feel like a drink to wash it down, grab one of the rum-filled coconuts from Pineapple Brothers and start your own private dancefloor.

RCC

Returning to the University of Adelaide, RCC has a small but well chosen range of food options this year. Red and white checkered tablecloths (and real cutlery) set the scene for hearty Italian fare as Roberta’s Italian Disco Diner turns the Cloisters into an all night piazza party. Start with prosciutto wrapped figs before moving to hearty Tuscan pasta dishes or eggplant parmigiana and settle in for the night with a bottle (or two) from the walk-in wine cellar.

For a quick meal on the go, visit La Buvette’s little sibling, SuperBanger. The house specialty is gourmet dogs – thick, juicy beef sausages on sourdough baguettes with toppings like gruyere, sauerkraut and herb mayo.

Next door, Soi.38 has three tiers of chooks roasting over a fire pit, and if the smell doesn’t lure you over the fresh green papaya salad should. Order a half or quarter chicken topped with fragrant herbs and the piquant spicy sauce, and get some red curry chips on the side.

Gluttony

There are plenty of recognisable names at Gluttony, which has some of Adelaide’s most popular restaurants among the 30+ food and drink stalls spread over three precincts.

Pizzateca pies always draw a crowd with good reason and Joybird’s chargrilled chicken packs a lot of flavour into a simple dish. But venture a little further and you’ll make some great discoveries.

It’s always a good time for gozleme, and Enfes Gozleme is another excuse to enjoy the delectable Turkish street food. Loads of fresh spinach and liberally spiced meat are wedged into thin layers of crispy, hand-rolled pastry that’s sliced up to make one of the easiest snacks to enjoy on the run if you’re late (or lining up) for a show.

For salads, look no further than Hubba Hubba Hummus, which dishes up generous platters of colourful salads, pickles and falafel. Add in a generous dollop of the eponymous chickpea dip and you have a meal that’s healthy as well as filling, just remember to get some freshly toasted pita on the side.

And when it’s time for a sweet treat, the imaginatively flavoured and Instagram-ready sweet treats at Shibui are as good as it gets. Think Nutella panna cotta, mochi donuts or redskin flavoured soft serve topped with a giant toasted marshmallow and encircled by a sweet pink halo of fairy floss.