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Rundle Street Prepares To Welcome New Eatery Iberia

The team behind Exchange Specialty Coffee have been keeping the cards close to their chest. But what they’ve shared about new restaurant Iberia has weak at the knees.

Adelaide’s East End has, for a long time, catered for diverse needs. From boutique shopping to tasty food and wine cellars next door to barbers, there are many choices for the discerning consumer, and that’s not even mentioning the coffee.

But for what that’s worth, the East End is undergoing a shift of seismic proportions. Consumers are refining their tastes and businesses are trying to keep up; rebranding and refreshing their offerings. Some can’t sustain the new demand and close, only to reopen some months later with a new name. New businesses are sprouting, immediately coming into a market where they know what the consumer wants and they can provide it with a focus on quality.

The precinct of Ebenezer Place and Vardon Avenue represents the new era of the East End; the same great range of choices, but with much more attention to detail and a higher quality output.

Exchange Specialty Coffee sits on the corner of Vardon Avenue, bursting at its seams. It offers exceptional coffee, delicious food and great customer service and has been doing so for three years. Despite there being seven cafes neatly tucked into a 400m stretch, business continues to grow. Exchange has been a driving force for the change we’ve become accustomed to expect in the East End.

The team behind Exchange is small and efficient. Owner Tom Roden and his brother James have spent the last three years steadily growing the business and they’re about to expand into the shop next door. But that’s not where the growing will stop; they’ve taken another leap, leaving the cosy confines of Vardon Avenue to take over the premises on Rundle Street that for 38 years housed the creative gift shop BIMBO.

In its place will be Iberia, a Spanish restaurant and bar inspired by the Iberian Peninsula that spans across Spain, Portugal and Andorra (as well, very briefly, France and Gibraltar). They’ve enlisted their long-time friend and former head chef at Melbourne’s iconic Eau-de-Vie, Boilermaker House and Movida, Andrew Douglas, to run the kitchen.

The trio went to school together and their parents are good friends. All three have been in the hospitality industry in one way or another, and so their collaboration was never in doubt.

For Andrew, cooking is the only profession he’s ever wanted; “I never wanted to do anything else, I finished school and went straight into an apprenticeship.”

Brothers James and Tom love hospitality and had for a while been flirting with the idea of a bar. Exchange is continuing to grow and so the timing was right for this new project.

“We chose Spanish food because it plays to Andrew’s strengths, it’s delicious and the style of cuisine suits our climate and the produce we have available.”

This approach is centred on attention to detail, everything from how the food is produced to the way it’s served. James will be managing the restaurant and proudly tells us about the kitchen garden they’ve been working on in Balhannah; “Everything that we do for Iberia will be done for a reason.”

“Iberia won’t be a caricature of Spain, we’re not intending to transport the guests to Spain when they walk in,” explains Tom. “My worst nightmare would be to have a restaurant that is the equivalent to an Irish pub; something that is full of cliches.”

It’s clear that the three of them are passionate about this project and their eye to detail and their knowledge is very well advanced. Andrew convinced his sous chef from Eau-de-Vie to join him for this project, which will guarantee they hit the ground running as soon as the doors swing open.

After having been untouched for over 38 years, the building has been undergoing a significant rebuild for the last four months, including the excavation of the basement to create a two level venue. The basement will house a bar, while the ground floor will feature the kitchen and restaurant, with the interior design being completed by Williams Burton Leopardi, who usually specialise in commercial and residential property.

The three co-owners are excited by the steady increase in quality-focused venues in the East End, something they hope will continue. “The movement started off the beaten track in the Vardon, Ebenezer and East Terrace precincts, where it was demonstrated that opening a business centred on quality rather than the bottom line can be successful and people will respond,” says Tom.

IberiaIberia will feature outdoor dining on Rundle Street, with long tables keeping to the sharing mantra. The opening is slated for early December, but the boys were hesitant to confirm it until building works have progressed further. If you can’t wait that long, head to Vardon Ave on November 12th for the Beer & Bubbles festival; Iberia head chef Andrew Douglas will be cooking up some select dishes that will serve as a taste of what’s to come. We’re excited.

Iberia will open at 279 Rundle Street soon. Follow the lead up to their opening on Facebook.

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