Images: A Prayer For The Wild At Heart
A Prayer For The Wild At Heart has been crowned Best European Restaurant at the South Australian Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, cementing its place as one of Adelaide’s must-visit dining destinations. With French-inspired brasserie dishes and a proudly local ethos, the win celebrates both innovation and the fantastic community they’ve built over the years.
“We were delighted to receive this award amongst such stiff competition,” shared Emily Raven, the director at Ravenmead Hospitality, the team behind A Prayer For The Wild At Heart. “Stéphane, Mathilde and the team have put in a lot of hard work over the last two years. We value our place as a local neighbourhood restaurant in the city, and many of our customers are like family to us.”
A Prayer For The Wild At Heart opened back in 2023 as the sibling restaurant to the multi-award-winning cafe My Kingdom for a Horse. Its namesake comes from the Tennessee Williams play ‘Stairs to the Roof’, which the team describes as their love letter to the hospitality industry.
Ever since opening, they’ve become known for their take on French food in a modern brasserie-style set-up. It is casual, calm and intimate dining done right, making it not just a popular spot for locals, but an award-winning venue with award-winning staff.
“We never expect to win awards, so it’s always a special moment to share with the team,” shared Emily. “Wild at Heart has always been about our recognition of the people and suppliers who put so much into our industry, as well as our all-important neighbours.”
Emily says that using top-notch produce in their menu has been an important staple of their business.
“It takes time to establish yourself and for your customers to understand and appreciate your work and ethos. Local provenance isn’t always the easiest or cheapest choice, but because our philosophy is also driven by the French culture and gastronomic traditions of the people who work in the business, it is the truest representation of who we are.
“Our sister business, My Kingdom for a Horse, has been a locavore for 10 years and has really helped to drive home the importance of supplier and producer relationships. Wild at Heart really takes this one step further with more complex and technical cooking.”
On the menu, you’ll find dishes with classic French flavours that are designed to be shared. There’s a great lineup of South Australian seafood, Barossa Pork, and heaps of local produce.
And while their food is recognised in the award, Emily says none of this would be possible without the great team behind the venue.
“Mathilde has put so much work into her award-winning wine lists as well as the training of our team. We are a very compact business, but that doesn’t mean we can’t treat everyone with the same appreciation. We’re so grateful for our regular and local neighbourhood customers that come back again and again for Stéphane’s cooking and Mathilde’s genuine enthusiasm for quality.”
Looking ahead, the team is as excited as ever to continue promoting the excellence they’re serving up, and they’ve even got some collaborations with even more guest chefs in the works, so watch this space!
A Prayer For The Wild At Heart
When: Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to late
Where: 44 Hurtle Square, Adelaide, SA, 5000
For more information, click here.
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