It's not the French Riviera but the new Mullawirrapurka Rymill Park kiosk does well to resurrect the old café and transform it at the same time.

Down by that lake and little island hanging off the edge of East Terrace, the quaintest café in Adelaide has re-opened for summer as Loch & Quay – a breakfast and lunch spot with a bit of booze to boot.

Cara Hume is one-of-three behind the ambitious resurrection of the kiosk site. She tells CityMag the site and its legacy isn’t daunting and that she’s been in the business of activating spaces and under-utilised places for more than 20 years.

“I was born into the family business and the family business was catering,” Cara says, “but I’ve also had a career as a producer and been in and around the arts for 20 years doing Adelaide Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe. This year was my 11th Edinburgh Fringe,” she says.

Loch & Quay not only lifts the shutters on the iconic venue in arguably Adelaide’s most picturesque park but installs a new wood oven for pizza and a succinct drinks list that features some very smashable booze items from Hawkers Beer and Alpha Box & Dice. Cara also promises us there’s some good whisky on offer too, as a nod to her Edinburgh connection and Scottish heritage.

“It can be a challenge changing people’s perceptions of a place,” says Cara, “but we feel the liquor licence and the breakfasts, the price and the quality of what we’re doing will all add up to enough of a reason for people to come and enjoy this beautiful part of Adelaide.”

‘P’ is for Park Juice – Pinkmatter Rosé by Alpha Box & Dice

 

The boats are back!

Brunch is described by Loch & Quay as, ‘egg-centric’

The menu by Tania Kacic is simple and delicious, nothing complicated but this also allows the cook to innovate in situ, says Cara.

“We’re absolutely happy for people to come up and tell us what they want and we’ll work towards creating it. We’ve got a picture of who we think our audience is but we’re also building in some flexibility with the menu so we can accommodate people and really make them feel welcome,” says Cara.

“When food gets tricky or when a chef tries to make food that doesn’t really represent who they are, then people can taste that. The food we’ll be doing at Loch & Quay is very much us – it’s good for you, there’s a bit of a mediterranean vibe but then there’s Tania’s nachos, which has it’s own cult following.”

Cara’s partner Hadleigh Walker is a New Zealander who gave up his acting career to join Cara’s family business. The pair met in New Zealand when Cara was producing Heath Franklin’s ‘Chopper’ show.

The pair have been running pop-up venues for years, creating brands such as Moxies and Zu Zu Mamou above East Terrace Continental but Loch & Quay will be the first venue they’ll manage under their perennial brand Food Operations Collective. 

“We feel good about what we’ve learnt over the years and Food Operations Collective and Hume Walker will be businesses that can bring to Adelaide, and Edinburgh, a new quality of pop-up food and drink experience,” says Cara.

“We’re not café owners,” says Cara. “We’re creatives and we’ll constantly be evolving what we’re doing and treating our customers as an audience we want to please.”

Down under the dappled light of the plane trees, adjacent a shallow lake on the eastern edge of the city this site doesn’t need much except for people and a little creativity. Operating throughout the hot months and into the Fringe period, we can see this idiosyncratic spot not only drawing a crowd but also giving Adelaideans a good reason to use this beautiful part of their city.

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