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The Forager: Hidden gems & new finds

Jul 30, 2014
The Stranded Store has house-made lemonade made from Adelaide Hills lemons and fresh mint.

The Stranded Store has house-made lemonade made from Adelaide Hills lemons and fresh mint.

This week The Forager shares some great old and new food destinations in the suburbs that are definitely worth firing up the GPS for; new bars around town, and chocolate grief.

Backstreet cafes

Tucked away in the leafy maze that is Colonel Light Gardens, The Stranded Store fits right into the new incarnation of the suburban corner store: a quietly fabulous establishment offering everything from good coffee and gourmet goodies to lazy breakfasts, inspired casual lunches using local produce and the occasional pop-up dinner. The Stranded Store is licensed for those mornings when a glass of sparkling or a bloody Mary is in order, and there is also house-made lemonade made from Adelaide Hills lemons and fresh mint.

If you blink you’ll miss the narrow pedestrian lane that leads to Café Komodo. It’s basically a shed decked out retro style and concealed by the shops fronting Prospect Road. Gluten-free, vegetarian options and good coffee are the standouts here, but Café Komodo also offers Friday night dinners with a great specials board and entertainment.

Taylor Blend on Hallett Road, Stonyfell, is unashamedly unassuming, but it’s always busy with walkers, bike riders and school mums stopping for a coffee – because Taylor Blend is all about the coffee. There’s no extended food menu, just a small selection of sweet and savoury items behind the glass counter to enjoy with owner Jos Taylor’s hand-roasted three-bean single-origin blend.

Open on Fridays and Saturdays only, Piccadilly Kitchen in the Adelaide Hills is a must. Homey, homemade and delicious. The vinyl records, friendly vibe, scrambled eggs, warm apple cake and locally roasted Moshico coffee are a real treat. And keep an eye out for the soup days and curry night events held by the owners, mother and daughter Bev and Erin Pote, to raise funds for under-privileged families in South Africa.

front - resized2Also hidden away in the Hills on Sheoak Road near Belair National Park, the Sheoak Café is a top spot for weekend brunch or lunch, with a cheery vintage décor and pot-belly stove to ward off the winter chill – we especially love the Greek Brekky and delicious crepes. It has also started hosting candlelit Friday night dinners and regular Sunday afternoon jazz sessions with tapas.

And finally a firm favourite is the Corner Store Café on the corner of Swift and Kitchener Avenues at Dulwich. The coffee is really good, but the bruschetta with dill cured salmon, beetroot pickle and shaved fennel is sublime.

Post a comment below to share your favourite hidden food gems.

New bars

It’s not just action in the suburbs, the CBD is becoming ever more “envibrantised” with new bars popping up almost every week. Check out: Chihuahua and La Moka, opposite the new Maybe Mae and Bread and Bone in Peel Street.

Bank Street Social - resized

Across the other side of Hindley Street in Bank Street, Bank Street Social (above) has caused much excitement, and back on Hindley Street, Laneway will re-open in the spring with new outdoor venue The Third. Guests can expect big changes. “But we haven’t gotten rid of our famous toasties with garlic aioli sauce,” says venue manager Karah Castellan.

Also, keep an eye out for the opening this week of Asian-inspired street bar Miss Lee’s Laundry & Bar, the latest venue from the team behind the Royal Croquet Club, Little Miss Mexico and Little Miss Miami.

Wine and chocolate

At the other end of town, in the East End this week one door has closed and another opened. It’s the end of an era for Union Street’s Chocolate Bean (below), one of the dessert café pioneers in Adelaide, which sadly ceased trading on Monday – perhaps due to too much chocolate. Competition has increased recently, with a total of four chocolate cafés within cooee – Cocoa Black, San Churro, Steven ter Horst and Cocolat – are we now chocablock?

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From the team behind The Tasting Room and plugging into its vast wine resource, new wine bar Mother Vine opened its doors last night on the former East End Cellars site in Vardon Avenue. It features an extensive by-the-glass list of great wines from across the world, and Adelaide foodie extraordinaire Ali Seedsman has designed a menu to match. But, she insists, Mother Vine is not a restaurant, it’s a wine bar.

“It’s all about the wine; the food is just there for the complete experience.”

The menu will change on monthly basis, but currently it’s mainly French with duck rillettes, chicken liver pate, confit duck leg with braised lentils, and slow-cooked Moroccan beef with saffron and date. Desserts on the menu are chocolate and whisky mousse with salted caramel sauce, and rosewater panna cotta with pistachios and Persian fairy floss.

“And for people who just want to graze, Mother Vine has good cheese,” Seedsman says.

exterior - resizedBest pub in town

The Warradale Hotel has taken out the hotel industry’s top award – South Australia’s Best Overall Hotel in 2014 – at this year’s AHA|SA Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence. Recently renovated and offering new diversity in dining, The Warradale also received the Best Bistro Casual Dining award.

AHA SA general manager Ian Horne said the 50-year-old hotel had been transformed into a true local and destination hotel with an ability to be all things to all people.

“The Warradale has cemented itself as an example of what great SA hotels can be.”

 

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