Hidden among quiet homes in a residential area, if you don't know to look for the Rising Sun Inn, you might miss it. The parking lot is small and crowded, but there is ample space on the street, and the short walk to the front door gives you a chance to admire the gorgeous old building as you approach. Rumor has it that the inn was the original Coopers brewing house and the charm of the structure, both inside and out, is a lovely reflection of this piece of South Australian history.
There are several small rooms in the Inn and one larger dining room. There looks like there might be an outdoor space as well, but since it was wintry and dark outside, we didn't explore and find out. If you're looking for a drink, the main bar area has ample space, scattered cocktail tables, and a tv that was showing the footy when we walked in at 7pm on a Friday night. It was also stuffed to the gills with the toffs of the Kensington area- a lot of high-brow older men in suits enjoying their wine and chatting, probably about stocks and leather shoes.
In the adjoining rooms you'll find a beautiful fireplace with comfortable lounges (arrive early if you'd like a shot at claiming a seat here!), a small private dining area with a large round table that would seat around ten people, and the main dining area. After enjoying a beverage or two in the bar room, we headed to our table around 8 15. By this point, most of the after-work crowd had cleared out.
We ordered several entrees, including the dips and bread, arancini balls, and pork belly. The chef combined them all onto one plate for us, and every bite was divine. The dips were flavorful and actually appeared to be made in house, unlike many restaurants that offer pre-made dips that taste the same at every establishment. The arancini were large, creamy, and served with a delicious tomato sauce that I ended up eating with a spoon after the arancini themselves disappeared. My partner reported that the pork belly was well accented by its fruity accompaniments.
As we ordered our mains, we chose a bottle of wine from the carefully selected wine list. Not many bottles are under $50 here, so expect to pay more than you might usually for your drinks. We checked our selection with our server and she was helpful with advising us on several of the bottles that we were unfamiliar with.
Not long after, our mains arrived. My partner enjoyed his steak and veg (that sounds very pub-ish, but it was beautifully presented and he said it tasted fantastic). My eggplant and goat cheese stack was phenomenal- complex flavours with a variety of textures that was surprisingly filling given that it wasn't a large plate.
To sum up: the service was fantastic; we never felt rushed even though we took our time and our entire experience lasted over three hours. The food was incredible; simply presented but full of flavour and very filling. The atmosphere was lovely; cozy and intimate with beautiful rugged architecture and soft lighting. Highly recommended for special occasions (we witnessed a young couple getting engaged!) when you are willing to spend a bit of extra cash. read more