Nestled amongst the maples, liquidambars, oaks and birch trees, lies an Adelaide Hills favourite, the Stirling Hotel. It is situated in arguably one of the most beautiful areas in the Hills and is frequented by many – plenty of who make the journey from the flats, the southern or northern suburbs, all in a bid to see what the big deal is about this hotel.
The big deal is this – the location is stunning and serene, and the staff are welcoming, personable and hilarious if you engage in a bit of banter. The hotel has an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list, and also an entire bar dedicated to showcasing gins from across the world, (check out the Stirling Gin Club for more). The drinks on offer are primarily sourced from South Australia and they support local producers. It’s an Adelaide Hills icon and rightly so – and now they have a brand spanking new addition ready help cater for the masses.
The hotel has just finished majorly renovating their kitchen, which has taken close to 8 weeks, and it looks bloomin’ amazing! Bronze and copper hues are the standout feature inside the kitchen, which has been locally designed by Folland Panozzo Architects. The stainless steel appliances look so crisp and fresh, I’m sure the chefs are incredibly keen to get in there and start cooking up a storm!
So, what can we expect on their new menu? Its basically been completely rejigged, but they’re keeping some of their classics including, beer batter wild caught barramundi from the Northern Territory, and a 100% Wagyu beef burger both served with house cut chips and your choice of condiments. “We’ve still got the classics, so with our chicken parmigiana we’re using a unique mix of corn flake crumb, we’ve still got those favourites on there, but we’re just trying to lift that menu up and make it that little bit better,” says restaurant manager Matthew Hall. As for the new exciting additions, you can find pan fried New Zealand King Salmon with pecans, artichoke puree, lemon, capers and English spinach, as well as a Josper roast salad with puffed rice, toasted almonds, eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin. The meals will be zesty and full of flavour. Yum!
Ultimately, the management team have brought it all back to basics and started fresh, focusing on what’s important to their customers. The menu has been specifically designed be accessible and approachable, offering a wide variety of meals. Whether it be coming in for a casual, refreshing pint of Little Bang IPA, and a chicken parmy in the bistro area whilst listening to one of their various Sunday session musicians, or you if you’re feeling a tad fancy, you can select from one of their 450 red or white wines dating back well past the 80s, and have their 250g rotisserie Bendbrook scotch fillet, whilst enjoying full table service in the more quiet area of the venue, the Dining Room. The hotel has crafted a menu that will suit any customer’s preferred setting, “It’s a flexible menu that speaks through the whole venue. The only difference is the setting you choose,” says venue manager Cameron Frost.
The menu holds a focus on healthy options, with plenty of protein based dishes as well as vegetarian and vegan alternatives, “…people are more conscious about their health, where their produce comes from and more aware of their diets, and we also want to embrace the different trends that change every year,” says assistant venue manager, Richie Rogosic. The food industry is constantly evolving and new trends come through seasonally. “We’re trying to have a more Australian and South Australian pride in our food and menu, as well as enabling ourselves to tick everyone’s dietary requirements in the best way we can,” says Rogosic, “…we’ve adapted ourselves to keep up with the pace of the customer demand, and the renovation makes it far easier to do this.” The team at the Stirling Hotel are excited to be able to keep up with this challenge. They’ll also offer a wide range of wines, everything from minimal intervention wines, to vegan vinos.
Perhaps pizza is more your thing. The hotel also offers traditional style pizza, with one of their many talented connoisseurs being Simone, a smiley and cheeky chef from the Tuscany region in Italy. The pizza menu has been expanded whilst again retaining a couple of classics, but more variety from local producers and more options will be available – more is better right!?
For those dear readers who have not yet had to pleasure of visiting the Stirling Hotel, allow me to set the scene for you; the hotel’s interior decoration incorporates gentle whites and soft pinks, paired with lots of indoor plants adorning the walls to give it some extra life and splashes of green. The front bar utilises the natural light, so it is bright and airy. The leather booths are an earthy brown and the tables made from rose arabescato marble. The space is very inviting and during the winter it is the perfect place for a casual lunch. You can nestle by the fire and sip on a glass of warm mead. Now with this new menu welcoming anyone and everyone, there really isn’t a reason that you shouldn’t go and check it out.
The Stirling Hotel
52 Mount Barker Road, Stirling, South Australia 5152
Phone: 08 8339 2345
Bookings are encouraged.