Paesano

I think my friends and I confused the staff at Paesano – we stopped by for dessert one night and asked a tonne of questions about their options, dietary requirements and pricing (Instagramming all the while) that might have looked (and sounded) something like a foodie whirlwind. Regardless, we eventually managed to order and sat outside. While most of the group ordered gelato, I was sucked in by the pretty dessert in a jar. Yep. It was a raw vegan cheesecake (continuing the Adelaide trend of awesome raw foods), created by Sweet Lola. The jar looks small, but once you get stuck in, there’s a lot in there! Topped with apricot, raspberry, cacao nibs, coconut and other delicious things, the berry-flavoured ‘cheesecake’ (no dairy actually contained) had the lovely texture of all raw cakes – and was surprisingly filling. I found every mouthful to be a delight and was sad to reach the bottom of the jar. The cacao nibs in particular were interesting – not sweet, but well-paired with the sweet apricot, they added a lot of flavour. The staff happily let us sit and chat until late – a nice place to while away an evening and enjoy dessert.

Paesano, 81 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide SA, no website