The Forager: Central Market plans, new eateries
In this week’s column: The Central Market opens its doors to more regional producers, new restaurant and bar openings, CheeseFest 2015 dates released, South Australian cider for export, what’s in season at the farmers’ markets, and a chance to learn about pairing cheese with sparkling wine.
Central Market brings regional food to Adelaide
The Adelaide Central Market has announced plans to bring new food products to customers via a regional strategy that offers a point of difference to local farmers’ markets.
New general manager Aaron Brumby says farmers’ markets are full of producers that are more local to Adelaide and he hopes to create a number of stalls to showcase collectives of smaller producers from different regions around the state.
“We’re talking artisan produce that is produced hundreds of kilometres from Adelaide.”
The initiative was inspired by the success of the Island Pure stall started by Justin Harmon who owns Kangaroo Island’s Island Pure Sheep Dairy.
Brumby says Island Pure is successful because as well as the dairy’s extensive range of cheeses and yoghurts, the stall features food from more than 40 other Kangaroo Island producers, including Fryar’s Eggs, Ferguson Australia seafood, Kangaroo Island Abalone and Island Beehive.
“Island Pure is a good example of how a regional store can operate. It’s given Kangaroo Island producers the opportunity to reach a broader customer base, many of which who have never traded off the island.
“We’re now looking at representation for the Limestone Coast, the Green Triangle around Mt Gambier, the Copper Coast, the Clare Valley, the Barossa Valley and other major regional centres.”
Brumby says the strategy creates an opportunity for smaller producers to leverage off one another – and off the larger producers, who have greater logistical capabilities and may be looking to follow the lead of Island Pure Sheep Dairy and act as a champion for their region.
“One of the challenges is to find those champions. We’ve started a communication with the Department of Primary Industries’ regional development officers to see if they are able to identify some of the bigger producers for us.
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“We’ve also found through developing the strategic plan that there is a number of existing stall owners in the market who would be keen to meet with regional producers to explore the possibility of incorporating them in their existing stalls.
“It’s important to pepper those shops through the markets to provide a wide range of goods.”
Brumby, who has been in the role of general manager for seven weeks, says that the Central Market’s plan is part of a three-year program.
“It could be a fantastic catalyst for more jobs in the country.”
Interested parties can contact Brumby here.
Openings and discoveries
French pastry chef William Blanc, who ran Au Matin Calme on Hutt Street, has relocated his café/patisserie to Norwood Parade and renamed it La Madeleine. At this larger space he is open for breakfast (from 6am) and lunch, as well as at night for desserts on Thursdays and Fridays. He’s serving more savouries as well as his fine pastries, cakes and tarts.
Also recently opened on the Parade is Kalye Filipino BBQ Street Food, next door to the European café. Kalye offers pork sisig, liempo, squid balls, chicken inasal, lechon kawali and more.
In the city, Adelaide’s only CBD microbrewery, Lady Burra Brewhouse, is about to open this month at 4 Topham Mall on the corner of Currie Street, in the converted basement of an office block. Owner Nick Murphy has engaged an Italian brewer who once worked for Peroni to make the Lady Burra Brewhouse range of craft beers. The Irish Red Ale and American Pale Ale are already bottled.
Also about to open in the West End is Gondola Gondola, a new South-East Asian restaurant and bar on the corner of Peel and Hindley streets. Owners Annie Liang and Tuoi Tran are planning a different offering to other bars in the precinct, with Black Asahi on tap, Japanese whiskys (Suntory and Nikka), sake, Japanese plum wine and premium spirits. Initially opening for lunch and dinner only, Gondola Gondola will serve a selection of Asian-inspired sharing plates with some colonial French influences using seasonal produce from the family’s market garden.
Around the corner on Waymouth Street, another Asian fusion restaurant, Kang Kong, has been up and running for a few weeks now, offering shared South-East Asian dishes such as twice-cooked pork hock, red miso hanger steak, dumplings and more. Call into next-door cocktail bar Gypsy Dragon for some more Asian inspiration.
Further west, Adelaide’s original gourmet burger restaurant Burger Foundry recently opened another outlet on Henley Beach Road at Torrensville. Also on Henley Beach Road, The Mile End Hotel is looking great after undergoing a recent refurbishment and menu overhaul.
If you’re heading out of town, check out the autumn menu and homey surrounds at new Hahndorf café Kitchen 2C. Owners Chany and Cheryl are serving up delicious house-made lamb pot pies with pea, mint and feta salad to enjoy in front of the warm fire. Team it with a pear, kale, apple and ginger juice and then treat yourself to an apple and rhubarb crumble crème Anglaise for some extra seasonal flavour.
And returning to The Coterie restaurant at Woodstock Wine Estate (McLaren Flat), after a two-year break, chef Chris Bone has the wood oven fired up and a new autumn menu. After the Friday night pizza nights, Bone is using the residual heat on the weekends to bake sourdough breads and gratin dishes, including six-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder with glazed turnips, jujubes, juniper and parsnip. But he says his favourite dish at the moment is pan-roasted Cape Jervis snapper with carrot and ginger emulsion, local herbs and leaves, and pickled sweet onion. See the extended menu here.
Cheese and beer matching
“Beer and cheese matching is very much the new black,” says Vale Brewing head brewer Jeff Wright, who has just announced the company’s role as the major sponsor at this year’s CheeseFest.
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CheeseFest has been operating for 10 years and Vale Brewing has been a participant at the past five festivals, expanding the cheese-matching experience from wine to include beer.
“We love to see our hand-crafted beers and ciders paired with the best gourmet cheeses South Australia has to offer,” says Wright. “It feels amazing to have progressed from being one of the stall holders to the naming rights sponsor.”
It has also been announced that CheeseFest will this year run over three days at Rymill Park from October 23 to 25 with a twilight session introduced on the Friday night which will be free to weekend pass holders.
Selling cider to the Brits
Local artisan cider producer The Hills Cider Company has started exporting its apple, pear, and apple and ginger cider to the UK in addition to its already established markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
Co-founder and former winemaker Steve Dorman says Hills Cider is very different to the British cider style and so far the South Australian brews have been received very positively.
“Our ciders are really clean-tasting, fresh and fruit-driven. They are also very food-friendly and we’re promoting them as an alternative to drinking wine with your meal.”
This week at Adelaide Farmers’ Market
A more unusual vegetable in season currently is kohlrabi. It is a member of the brassica (cabbage) family and has a subtle but sweet flavour, similar to a cabbage core or a broccoli stem.
Eat it raw in a salad, add to soups for extra flavour, or slow cook in stews and braises in much the same way as potato or carrot.
The two varieties commonly grown in South Australia are White Vienna and Purple Vienna.
Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market stallholder Patlins Garden currently has kohlrabi available. Visit the stall on Sundays from 9am-1pm at the Adelaide Showground.
Hidden in the bookcase
The perfect foil for family members who always sniff out your chocolate stash, the new Haighs Book Boxes fit covertly into any bookshelf just like any old classic.
Both the Fruit and Nut Mixture and the Cinema Mixture Book Boxes are designed to tell the story of Haighs rich 100-year history of chocolate and confectionery production in Adelaide.
The Centenary Collection Book Boxes are available at all Haighs stores and online throughout the centenary year for $32.95.
What’s on?
Cheese and Sparkling Wine Pairing – May 21, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Enjoy some of the best sparkling wines paired with some of the finest cheeses from all over the world at the Smelly Cheese Club, including Champagne from France, Cava from Spain, Sparkling from Australia and Prosecco from Italy. Tickets are $80 ($72 members). More information can be found here.
Sea and Vines Festival – June 5 to 8
Dozens of parties, degustations, rare tastings, master-classes and other carefully selected celebrations will be held at McLaren Vale’s cellar doors and wineries from June 5-8 in what will be the 23rd year of the Sea and Vines Festival. Relish events include a 10-course Thai banquet at Woodstock, the ‘Church Block Sunday Service’ with Fino at Wirra Wirra, and the Compadres’ Fiesta which brings together neighbouring wineries d’Arenberg and SC Pannell. Sunday ‘experiences’ include a great day of food, wine and music across three different wineries. And Monday ‘Zest’ events are all family-friendly with free entry. Program details can be found here.
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