Lunch review: Café Troppo
Since Café Troppo rolled back its enormous sliding doors and let everything hang out on the corner of Sturt Street and Whitmore Square, this quiet side of town has appeared more lively and lush.
Basket Range Barrel Cider and zucchini, dill and goat's cheese pizza.
Opened in 2012 beneath the Whitmore Square Affordable Eco-Housing Development designed by Troppo Architects, the cafe’s hanging gardens, walled gardens and sidewalk gardens offer an oasis of cooling greenery in its harsh westerly aspect.
Large sliding doors open Cafe Troppo to the greenery outdoors. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Owner Phil Harris (one of the founders of Troppo Architects), his partner (journalist Annie Hastwell) and their two children (Alex and Maddie) run Café Troppo in line with the ethos of the eco-housing building it sits beneath.
Cafe Troppo’s interior. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Sustainability, environment and community are key. Behind the scenes, this means leaving as small a footprint as possible on the planet – from the produce they source to the cleaning products they use and how they deal with the waste produced. For customers at Café Troppo, this translates to organic and Fair Trade coffee, natural wine, and simple, healthy food made from local and home-grown seasonal produce, all served with a friendly, relaxed vibe.
Grapefruit Soda and Orange Blossom Shake. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Favourite dish: Zucchini, dill and goat’s cheese pizza with black pepper ($11; pictured top). A thin and crisp pizza base topped with grilled slices of “home-grown” zucchini, dobs of fresh goat cheese and snipped dill, and drizzled with olive oil. A very pretty pizza with an impressive handmade base, but the goat cheese was a little too robust and the generosity of olive oil was messy.
Roo Sanga. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Other dishes: There are daily pizza, pastry and salad specials, as well as a set breakfast and lunch menu. We chose the roo steak sanga, a grilled and sliced, spiced roo fillet served with fresh greens, melted provoleta cheese and house-made beetroot relish on an open sourdough sandwich ($15), and the Moroccan chickpea and rice salad with pistachios, almond and fresh herbs from the lunch specials blackboard ($11). Both dishes were wholesome, generous and attractive, but the kangaroo fillet was a bit overcooked, as was the rice in the chickpea salad.
Moroccan chickpea and rice salad. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Something sweet/to drink: There is a selection of home-made cakes and artisan pastries behind the counter, plus drinks specials which include Mischief Brew and De Groot coffee, natural wines from the likes of Ochota Barrels, Jauma, BK Wines and Bowley’s, as well as craft beers and ciders from Basket Range Barrel Cider and Lobo.
Handmade Basket Range Barrel Cider. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily
Café Troppo
42 Whitmore Square, Adelaide, 8211 8812
Open Tuesday to Thursday, 7.30am to 4pm; Friday, 7.30am to 10pm; Saturday, 9am to 9pm; and Sunday, 9am to 4pm.
