And we recall the time John Lethlean called us leg-humpers for loving our local pizza shop.

“I was worried about that,” says pizza chef and part-owner of Sunny’s Pizza, Andy Nowell.

We’re calling into our favourite pizza joint on the eve of their first birthday. It’s hard to believe it’s only been 12, short months since we previewed their opening and took stock of a truly inventive and interesting project by a group of relatively young and ambitious first-time business owners.

“I thought that he [John Lethlean] would be pre-disposed to disliking us,” says Andy.

The Australian newspaper’s food critic holds considerable sway across the nation, and no less so in Adelaide. John’s words are a catalyst for restaurant closures and Chef shuntings as much as they’re responsible for booked-out venues and bestowing titles upon chefs such as the Hemingway of food.

He once said one of his favourite things about visiting Adelaide was picking up a printed copy of CityMag. We blushed.

However, one year ago John wrote his regular column for The Weekend Australian Magazine and instead of reviewing a restaurant, decided to review a review. He reviewed our review. He hated it and all it stood for – “sycophantic nonsense” and “leg humping” he wrote, quite humorously – we thought. John was pretty clear in this review: web-based “magazines” get no stars.

Understandably the crew from Sunny’s felt exposed by what we had written and how John responded.

Andy Nowell – owns a slice of Sunny’s Pizza

But the reason John is revered nationally as a food critic is the same reason our original estimation of Sunny’s as “the most triumphantly fun, interesting, delicious, off-handed, inclusive, philosophical, dumb and insert-your-own-adjective venue Adelaide has ever seen,” stands up one year later. It’s the truth.

Three months ago, John wrote his own review of Sunny’s and – we’ll kill the suspense – loved it. “The kind of place every out-of-town visitor needs to know about. Wunnerful (sic).”

Sunny’s isn’t over hyped. It’s just a really nice time.

And this weekend the crew are taking some time off of the tools to have a drink and share a slice with their customers while a bunch of friends staff the bar and kitchen to give the guys a chance to celebrate that most important of anniversaries in small business – one year.

Music for Sunny’s first birthday is going to be special. Wax’o Paradiso is coming over from Melbourne plus No Zu… if that means something to you. There’ll be $10 Margheritas & $10 Margaritas “ALL DAMN DAY & NIGHT” – which means a lot to us. And Gentle Folk are launching their ‘Solar Power’ wine as a special collaboration with Sunny’s.

We hope to see you there for some leg humping, John – we’ll shout you a beer at the bar!