Parlamento Information

WHAT do Derryn Hinch, The Veronicas, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Andre Aggasi have in common? They've all dined at Adelaide culinary institution Parlamento, which triumphantly reopened its doors on 27th April 2011 after nearly three years of closure. The North Tce eatery will occupy the same spot it proudly did from 1988 until 2008 when the building in which it was housed had to be demolished. Originally slated to return to its former glory after 18 months, delays in building the new structure to house the restaurant means this week's opening has been a long time coming, according to co-owner Raffaele Simeone. "It was taking a long time, we're all ageing, we've been passing around the hair dye," he jokes to Confidential. Raffaele along with co-owner Danny Rattenni have partnered with Parlamento's head chef of 13 years Gabriele Bibbo to reopen the Italian eatery, which in its two decades of history boasts a slew of celebrity diners. "We've had people like, John Farnham, Glenn Shorrock and John Waters," Raffaele says, adding that the latter even tracked the Parlamento crew down at another restaurant they'd been working at during the past three years. At the new Parlamento they have opened a small private dining room suitably named "The Waters Room" - this area seats 8 people. Harry Connick Jr, Andre Aggassi and Jim Courier, Hayley and Juliet Mills and even Joan Jett have also all frequented the establishment. And then there was Derryn Hinch - sometimes dining with former flame and now Hollywood darling Jacki Weaver - whose regular meal was a risotto and carafe of red.