Food: Joybird, Hyde Park, Adelaide – the local chook shop you always wanted

As I have told you all before, I travel to Adelaide, South Australia regular to catch up with my family. I was there last week and decided to try a restaurant that opened recently.

This re-imagining of a local chicken shop has a great pedigree, being the brainchild of Adam Liston of Adelaide’s premier Japanese restaurant, Shoboshu and the severely talented chefs at Nido (try the ‘rootello bonnato’ and the yoghurt gelato with basil oil), which is just up the road.

It’s better than your local chicken shop because it has a mod lemon themed fit-out, table service, low-intervention wines, savvy wait-staff, oh yes, and fabulous food.

Feeling indecisive – go with the Banquet

This was a catch up with my sister, before heading to the airport to wing my way back to Sydney. So we avoided the heartache of making decisions and put ourselves in the hands of the staff at JoyBird, but ordering the ‘Fire Lick’n Feed banquet menu at $42pp. Here’s the complete menu:

What we ate in pictures

I’m not going to provide a detailed review, except to say all was delicious, particularly those deep-fried balls, the rice crackers with whipped edamame and the potstickers. Not pictured here are some cold soba noodles.

The Banquet menu is tailored from the dine-in menu, so some dishes are not exactly as described on the menu.

We ended up asking for more rice crackers to convey that whipped edamame to our greedy little mouths.

Sorry that I can’t locate the above dish on the menu. It was the standout of the day.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is an excellent addition to the Hyde Park and Adelaide dining scene. We sat on the verandah facing the street, sipped a biodynamic 2019 Luna De Fresa Rosé from McLaren Flat and chatted as the Hyde Park/Mitchell Street world went past.

Along with wine, sparkling mineral water and a flat white, our bill for two totalled AU$137. My sister took home some of that slaw and roast chicken. We were full to pussy’s bow.

I will be back. There is still so much on the menu I have to sample.