Pearl Aldinga Beach

Describing Pearl as a perfect dinner destination for a summer evening does not do it justice – as the food does more than justify to travel the roughly 20km from Karawatha Cottages.

The sun-set over the ocean on a warm summer evening is just the icing on the cake.

 

And yes, when we say this is a seafood restaurantthat is indeed what it is; you will find one vegetarian dish on the menu, but Pearl at Aldinga Beach really is all about seafood – and local SA seafood at that.

 

From truly local like wild Kangaroo Island kingfish, Cape Jervis calamari to Port Lincoln mussels or Streaky Bay flathead – you will absolutely taste that their seafood is as fresh as it gets.

 

With the items on the menu, as so often these days, being largely a list of ingredients of the individual dish, we decided on our last visit to take the easy way out … and just ordered the set menu and put ourselves into the hand of the chef.

 

And what a feast that was – the food just kept on coming in small plates, with the grand finale on that evening being an absolutely delicious grilled whole flathead.

With everything being brought out being so plentiful, we hardly touched the fries that came with the fish.

 

Fitting to the seafood menu, the wine list is dominated by white wines (but there are few reds as well); next to wines from our cool climate neighbours in the Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley, this is a great showcase of the new “alternative’” white varieties now grown in McLaren Vale: from the already better-known ones, like Fiano and Chenin Blanc, to the likes of Piquepoul or Arinto.

 

In short, not only is Pearl at Aldinga Beach a wonderful location to enjoy outstanding seafood, it could also act as great place to discover your new favourite white wine variety.