New stallholders Comida Catering Co bring something completely different to the Adelaide Central Market with Friday night paella cook-ups and plans for a complementary booze offering.

Tapas are so popular they are almost old-hat in Adelaide, but Brad Sappenberghs’ enthusiasm for Spanish food runs much deeper than a partiality to on-trend sharing menus.

The chef and owner of Comida Catering Co has travelled to Spain multiple times and developed a strong understanding of the country’s diverse flavour palate. After 18 months spent running his business alongside wife Fiona as a catering venture, Brad decided to set-up shop in the Adelaide Central Market and offer us the daily opportunity to have an authentic taste of Spanish food.

“I really get into the dishes from each region and those specific flavours,” says Brad. “It depends where you go in Spain what things you should use – flavours are pretty broad, as long as there’s some saffron and paprika in it you could pretty much call it Spanish – but there’s different flavours from different regions.”

The pinnacle of the Spanish food experience is, of course, the paella. This will be celebrated weekly at Comida with Friday evening paella cook-ups that Brad hopes will become a regular fixture in people’s calendars.

“So paella is on Friday nights – we just want it to be a thing where everyone knows if they come on that day they can get some paella,” says Brad. “We want it to be really loud and rustic and fun.”

Last Friday was the first paella night, and it was a sold-out success – something that will surely continue when Comida’s liquor license is granted (hopefully in the next fortnight).

With plans for an alcohol selection that will match the simple feel of the menu and stall, Brad has enlisted Mark Reginato of Connect Vines to help him source appropriate drinks.

“We’ll just do one beer – the Moritz, we’ll probably put a local cider on and one white, one red, probably a sherry and we’ll probably do a vermouth and maybe a kava as well,” says Brad. “And we’re going to serve everything in those little tumblers there, nice and rustic, no wine glasses and at a nice affordable price point.”

While the liquor license goes through the normal bureaucratic channels, Brad is focussing on his regular breakfast and lunch menus – fine tuning them to suit the needs of the regular weekday market-goer as well as the Saturday crowd.

Keen to diversify the offering in the Market, rather than replicate those around him, Brad will serve a set breakfast menu that includes Spanish dishes like tomato-braised pork hock with baked eggs and an ever-evolving lunch menu that takes its cues from the seasons.

The stall has been fitted-out by Pete Brukner, whose work can also be seen in some of Walter Ventura’s restaurants, including Ruby Red Flamingo – and there’s a surprising amount of seating in the small wood-panelled space. Take-away is available too, but CityMag is inclined to think that Brad’s Catalan flatbreads with chorizo embedded in the dough would be best enjoyed away from your desk.