Current Issue #488

Fred Eatery brings happiness in a bowl to Aldgate

Kylie Fleming

Comfort food with a creative edge is the order of the day at colourful Adelaide Hills spot Fred Eatery.

So, who fancies a threesome for breakfast? Settle down folks, it’s nothing improper – just one of the more cheekily-named breakfast dishes on the menu at Aldgate.

The Threesome is actually a wholesome combo of golden maple-roasted Goldilocks  granola, toasted banana bread with miso caramel and rhubarb, ricotta and yoghurt fool.    

It’s one of a few playfully-titled dishes at Fred which is owned by smart hospo duo Todd Langley and Aaron Bond. The eatery is much loved by Hills locals (and their cute pooches who often star on Fred’s social media pages) but also brings destination diners from across town.

Langley’s cooking is the ultimate drawcard and he knows how to keep people happy by nailing the ‘comfort food with a creative edge’ brief. The signatures here are big, bright flavours, lots of local and seasonal produce and Asian, Euro and Middle Eastern flourishes to add interest. The flexible menu moves from early breakfast to all-day breakfast and then lunch.  Covid-19 saw a temporary end to Fred’s regular Friday night dinners but they will resume in October.

Take your pick from Happiness In A Bowl (pork belly, kimichi and caramel omelette) or Malaysian Bang Bang chicken,  their staple Reuben sanger or a new offering called Hi Hi Shanghai  (salt and pepper squid and tofu, sweetcorn and lime leaf mash with charred broccolini).

Coffee is reliably excellent, made with a custom blend of Brazilian, Indian and Ethiopian beans (from Rio Coffee) which has a rich, slightly chocolatey flavour profile. Fred is licensed, too, with a concise and unashamedly parochial bunch of Adelaide Hills wines.

Kylie Fleming
Fred Eatery co-owners Todd Langley and Aaron Bond

“We had our locals but a lot of people from Adelaide also came as I think the Hills were seen as a safe area, away from the masses.”

Aaron Bond

“We didn’t fare as badly as some places and we are grateful for that. As soon as people could come back to dine, they did,” Bond says.

“We had our locals but a lot of people from Adelaide also came as I think the Hills were seen as a safe area, away from the masses.

“We’ve been as busy on the weekends as we have ever been, I don’t think we’ve ever worked so hard and are exhausted at the end of the day,  but we feel appreciative.”

And… who is Fred, you may ask? He is an imaginary, urbane Hills gentleman – dreamt up by Langley and Bond – who inspires everything that happens at the café. Fred is clearly a man of good taste if he is behind the bright, fresh fit-out with timber finishes, white tiles, splashes of a signature ‘Fred’ green and herringbone-patterned oak floors.

If you like Fred’s style, check out the new Fred Living design and lifestyle store next door for some post-brunch retail therapy.

Fred Eatery
220 Mt Barker Rd, Aldgate
8339 1899

Kylie Fleming

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