My daughter is starting school next week and I’m excited and a little melancholy.
On one hand, she is completely ready for school – she craves stimulation and learning and she’s happy because she has a bunch of pals from kindergarten starting with her. On the other hand, it’s a milestone for her, the first independent step in a journey that may one day take her far away from us.
So my daughter going to school represents a big change for us.
I’d deliberately kept one day free this week so that we could do something together just as a family. I asked Ms 5 Year Old what she wanted to do and she replied without hesitation: “go to Henley Beach and ride bikes and get baby cinos and ice creams.”
So off we went to Henley Beach. It’s just after 9:00am.
Henley Beach is a lovely suburb about 15 minutes west of the city. It has a number of great shops, restaurants and cafes and is always buzzing in summer.
For my money, Cibo Espresso is the best of the cafes here. An Adelaide success story, Cibo started in 1996 with one lovely restaurant in North Adelaide, now sadly gone – I still remember eating an amazing seafood risotto there. Pursuing their idea to give their customers an authentic Italian experience, the founders, Roberto Cardone, Salvatore Pepe, Angelo Inglese and Claudio Ferraro, then opened their first Cibo Espresso on Rundle Street in the city. They now have 17 outlets around Adelaide, and all do a roaring trade. It’s no wonder – their coffees, food and ice cream are excellent.
We order at the counter and then choose a table outside so we can enjoy the seaside view. My daughter wants chocolate ice cream and strawberry sorbet while I choose a vanilla bean ice cream for my toddler.
The ice creams are fantastic. I detest ice cream that is too sweet and Cibo has got the balance just right – it’s rich and full bodied, with just the right amount of sweetness.
I can’t eat a lot of ice cream this early in the morning so opt for an Uova Pazze, which, according to my Babylon translator, means ‘mad eggs.’ I can’t vouch for the sanity of the genius who invented this dish but scrambled eggs with truffle, asparagus, mozzarella, mushrooms and crispy pancetta perched atop a gorgeous brioche look madly appealing to me.
The kids have some mad eggs, too, and it’s so good that I completely forget to save some for Mr Hungry Australian, who has gone for a run on the beach. He’s not impressed when he returns – oops!
After we’ve eaten and messed up the table and surrounding area as much as possible, it’s time to head down to to the beach.
My kids can spend hours playing in the sand, looking for shells, building sandcastles, splashing in shallow pools and clambering over rocks.
As I watch my daughter venture farther down the beach, further away from me, I want to call out to her: “Don’t go so far! Stay close!”
But I resist.
She’s treading confidently, making new tracks in the sand. My job is to stick close by and cheer her on her way.
Cibo Espresso
251 The Esplanade (Corner of Henley Square)
Henley Beach
Tel 8355 4079
