As we said goodbye to 2023, two beloved Adelaide Hills venues quietly said goodbye for good.
One of them is Brid, the coffee shop and sourdough-centric bakery from Duncan Reid which opened in May 2021 and quickly became a community favourite for its sourdough loaves, toasties, house-made pies and sweet baked goods.
“We’re done for the year! And, sadly, we’re done for good,” Reid wrote in an Instagram statement posted on Christmas Day. “It’s been a massive two and a half years, but the closure is for the best reason. Beccy and I are expecting in June … Brid has been all consuming for me, in mostly rewarding ways. I love baking, I love being busy and I love this community … [but] starting work at 1am and finishing at 4pm, 60-70 hour work weeks, the stress and pressure of having a busy spot … takes a toll and I need a clean break to focus on Beccy and our growing family.”
He went on to thank staff, suppliers and customers as well as his partner in the business – and in life – Beccy Bromilow. Bromilow is a part-owner of next-door venue Ensemble, which will continue to operate as normal.
A little over a week later on Tuesday January 2, Uraidla’s Lost in a Forest followed suit by announcing it had served its last pizza slice and poured its last pinot the night before.
Taking to Instagram, co-owner Charlie Lawrence wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that we’ve decided to close the doors of Lost in a Forest from January 1 2024.” He went on to reflect on the last seven and a half years. “It’s been a spectacular ride with many ups and a few awful downs. [This] started life as a ‘hobby’ for Charlie Lawrence and Taras Ochota and then with Nick Filsell (as chef) coming on board to add legitimacy to our crazy project.”
Although a pizza fanatic, opening Lost in a Forest was Lawrence’s first foray into the world of pizza since a stint delivering for Pizza Hut in the ’80s. But with the late, great Taras Ochota by his side (who sadly passed away in October 2020) the pizza-restaurant-slash-cellar-door housed in a former church (with a woodfired oven where the alter once was) quickly became a fixture.
“There aren’t enough words or photos to encapsulate the legacy we built over those years. A legacy of great pizzas, delicious local vin and loud, no apologies ’80s tunes. We proudly began the resurrection of the Uraidla township, a little piece of paradise in the Adelaide Hills and along with the Uraidla Hotel, we carved out a niche that locals, city folk and people from around the world have grown to love ... The stories these walls could tell will forever be cherished by all that visited, worked and played here. [It was a] place that I’m proud to have been a part of.”
Speaking to Broadsheet, Lawrence shared that the Lost in a Forest space is now for sale, and that closing quietly without fanfare and on their own terms was easiest for the staff.
Happily, Lawrence’s statement suggested an intriguing next move: “This won’t be [the] end of innovative pizza in Adelaide. There will be something coming very soon.
“We’re looking at an exciting new venture in the Adelaide CBD focusing on all the great Lost in a Forest recipes, but based on our new pan-style Detroit square pizzas,” Lawrence told Broadsheet. The plan is to open on “the big day off” (aka January 26) and to continue the legacy of Lost in a Forest.
Having lost not only Brid and Lost in a Forest but also The Summertown Aristologist in 2023, one thing is for sure: the Hills dining scene will look very different in 2024.
