The Mile End pub is celebrating 175 years this year with a major redevelopment and a tasty new menu. Head Chef David White has diversified their menu to include vegetarian and vegan options and included more local and native ingredients.

Located on Henley Beach Road, it’s conveniently located just a few minutes out of the Adelaide CBD.

We began with a series of ‘smalls’ designed to be shared:

Goat’s cheese croquettes, which were soft and gooey on the inside without being overpowering, and crispy on the outside. These were served with a pear chutney, for something a little different.

Soffrito arancini, which was crispy and creamy. The sauce it was served with was a little spicy, yet lovely and smooth.

Fried Spanish chorizo, from Marino Meats in the Adelaide Central Market.

And lemon hommus spread on ciabatta bread, a nice surprise adding a zestiness to a smooth hommus.

The starters were paired with a glass of Hills Cider Co Pear Cider.

We also tried some warm Adelaide Hills olives, which were plump and fresh.

Almost everyone is doing sliders these days, but the ones we tried were a little different – roast beetroot, pear and haloumi with rocket and walnut pesto. The earthiness of the beetroot balanced well with the sweetness of the pear and saltiness of the haloumi. Something I would definitely eat again. This was served with a Lobethal Bierhaus Czech style Bohemian Pilsener.

We were poured a glass of Longview Whippet Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the next course. Warm chicken, pancetta and pear salad with peppery greens, pea tendrils, cucumber noodles, walnuts, marinated goat’s cheese, ancient seeds and sherry honey vinaigrette. It was refreshing, the sweet pear once again offset the salty, crispy pancetta; there was a good balance of crunchy and smooth textures.

The crab linguini was a dish I was looking forward to. Handpicked blue swimmer crab, sun blushed tomato rose sauce and (grated) grana padano. The sample dish we had was very enjoyable and very moreish! The crab meat was sweet, the sauce creamy, and the pasta cooked al dente. Perhaps a little chilli could give it a kick. The accompanying wine was Mesh Riesling.ss Some Australians are reluctant to eat kangaroo because it’s one of our national symbols, and because of, well, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo – many of us have fond memories of Skippy from childhood. I have eaten some kangaroo in the past, which was very strong tasting and quite frankly cooked badly. But I had to push past my usual concerns and give it a go. I must say I was excited by what I tried. Red Paroo Kangaroo tenderloin (open range, premium grade, ethically harvested) rubbed in native pepperberries, and chargrilled medium rare. It was so tender with a lovely open grill flavour. I would certainly order this dish again.

And finally for dessert, we were treated to a warm flourless chocolate torte with fudge sauce, chocolate pop rock with whipped cream. The torte was warm and light with a decadent sauce and the popping candy was certainly a whimsical addition to this dish. This was served with James Squire Jack of Spades Porter and Valdespino Pedro Ximinez Black Sherry, both of which were very tasty.

A thoroughly enjoyable sampling of the new menu at The Mile End.

** I was an invited guest. All opinions are my own.