A Prayer for the Wild at Heart is the newest venture for Emily Raven. Whereas, sibling My Kingdom for a Horse was a nod to the missed opportunities of the past, A Prayer for the Wild at Heart is a return to Emily’s earlier restaurant roots.
Located on Hurtle Square, this exciting new offering is a love letter to the hospitality industry and the people who devote their lives to it.
The project is inspired by, American playwright, Tennessee Williams. And the namesake was taken from the play ‘Stairs to the Roof‘.
“The Wild at Heart are the misfits who don’t quite fit within the confines of convention. Something many hospitality people can identify with.”
Emily Raven, Owner
As the space was not originally intended as a hospitality venue. And so there were a few challenges the team had to overcome from a design perspective. This was done to achieve comfort and functionality, and to create a beautiful brasserie space overlooking the park on Hurtle Square.
They reunited with the original Kingdom design team – Adrian Stevens, Sam Agostino, Kellie Campbell and Tony Mead, the artist who did the original artwork on the walls at Kingdom.
Brasserie menu
Ex-Crafers and Cremorne Hotel executive chef, Stéphane Brizard, is heading up the kitchen team. Stéphane’s French heritage and wide range of experience was a good match to Emily’s own early career in classical cookery. Their menu is interspersed with brasserie classics and the best of what is seasonal and fresh.
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart will trade with a small simple menu for breakfast with Kingdom coffee (of course) moving to their brasserie menu for lunch and dinner. Half of the seating is outside under the veranda over looking the park. Their hope is to encourage afternoons wiling away time over snacks and a glass of wine.
Larger menu items include ricotta and truffle gnuddi – gnocchi-like dumplings but made from cheese rather than potato (drool!) and flat iron steak served with cafe de paris butter, roasted potatoes and market greens. Smaller plates include hiramasa kingfish gravlax and coconut chilli sambal chicken rolls. There is also a Feast option, where they do the thinking for you and serve plates to share.
The wine list features a range of constantly changing local and international choices including a small reserve collection overseen by Mathilde Tytgat. Cross pollination across the two businesses will occur too with long time coffee roaster, barista trainer and manager, Gennie Chee, moving into a General Manager role. Look out for other familiar faces too.
“We aim to be the little neighbourhood brasserie that becomes a valued part of the community,” says Emily – much like it’s sibling business, My Kingdom for a Horse, located just down the road in Wright St.
A prayer for the wild at heart
Kept in cages
I know how you long
To run wild and free….
Photos: Dan Shultz
Open Wednesday to Sunday night and everyday for lunch for modern brasserie fare. Their lunch and dinner menu, much like the space is suited to everything from casual catch-ups to an intimate dinner.
A simple breakfast is available until 11am daily.
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart
44 Hurtle Square, Adelaide
aprayerforthewildatheart.com.au
