In this week’s column: Award-winning hotels and small venues, one of world’s best restaurants relocates to Australia, new places to eat and drink in the city, colourful cauliflower, and more food and wine news.

Small bar finds a place among hotels

The Australian Hotels Association (SA) has made room for small bars in its annual hospitality awards, with Clever Little Tailor winning the new category of Best Small Venue last night at the Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence at the Entertainment Centre.

AHA SA general manager Ian Horne says the award acknowledges the quality and popularity of small bar venues.

“It’s great that the AHA is now supporting small venues when it has not been in their members’ interests for so long,” says Marshall King, one of the partners in Clever Little Tailor.

“Since the small-bar licensing came through in 2013, there has been so much small-venue development, but not everything will survive.”

King and some of the partners who founded Clever Little Tailor in Peel Street are also set to open a new restaurant with a fire pit in the 4m-wide lane that runs off the western side of Leigh Street between Ajisen Ramen and Udaberri.

“Pink Moon Saloon will consist of two self-contained cabins with pitched roofs,” he says. “At the front there will be a small bar with a garden to the rear that leads to a restaurant at the back. The site is small, approximately 70 square metres, and will be licensed for up to 80 people.”

Although the restaurant won’t open until October, King is already getting the name out there with a Pink Moon Saloon event this weekend at the Botanic Gardens Conservatory. “We’re doing cocktails at the Happy Motel Nebula Deluxe on Friday and Saturday night.”

And according to Restaurant and Catering SA, another partner in the Clever Little Tailor group, Josh Baker (founder of Leigh Street’s Coffee Branch), has recently signed an agreement to open a new café in the foyer of the BusinessSA building on Greenhill Road in October.

Other Hotel Industry Awards winners included the multi-award-winning Stirling Hotel, which was named Best Overall Hotel and (jointly with 2KW) Best Restaurant.

“The Stirling Hotel has proven yet again they are well ahead of the game in terms of presentation, innovation, food, beverage and service excellence,” says Horne.

The full list of winners can be found here.

Noma dreams come true

Noma chef Rene Redzepi in Tasmania foraging for seaweed. Photo: Jason Loucas

If going to Noma, one of the world’s best restaurants, is sadly down the bottom of your bucket list because of its location in faraway Copenhagen, you are now in luck.

It has just announced it will relocate to Sydney’s new waterfront dining precinct at Barangaroo for 10 weeks in early 2016 to share the best of Australia’s produce as interpreted by head chef Rene Redzepi and his team. They have recently been in the country to explore the landscape and waters, and to meet with producers, local communities, farmers and chefs.

Noma Australia will launch in January 2016 and will open for lunch and dinner five days a week. Further details about bookings can be found here.

Rundle revamp

Further to The Forager’s recent report about the refurbishment of Rundle Street’s Scoozi café, Restaurant and Catering SA has confirmed the property has been sold to new owners. It appears to have been renamed Mazze, but remains under development.

Also in development, the recently renamed Fat Stag on East Terrace will change back to its original moniker – The Stag. The windows have been painted out, but the rumour on the street is that as part of the refurb the new owners will open a French Champagne and caviar bar.

Further up Rundle Street, the balcony at the Rundle Mall end of Adelaide Arcade’s upper level is now in use for the first time in 80 years with the relocation of vintage-inspired botanical soda bar and thoughtful food restaurant Two-Bit Villains.

Two-Bit Villains previously served its award-winning burgers and vegan, vegetarian, gluten and dairy-free options, as well as “from scratch” sodas, from a smaller space in the Adelaide Arcade until the historic shopping centre was selected as the first recipient of the Adelaide City Council’s Rundle Mall Innovation Fund.

“The idea of the fund is to provide opportunity for council to work with traders and building owners to co-fund initiatives that enliven Rundle Mall’s laneways, upper storeys and under-utilised buildings as well as stimulating activity in the precinct outside of traditional shopping hours,” says Lord Mayor Martin Haese.

Two-Bit Villains is open seven days a week.

What about the waiter?

Africola’s Nikki Friedli, Australian Young Waiter finalist. Photo: supplied

There were no South Australian young chef finalists in the 2015 Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards this year, but young restaurateur Dan Moss of Terroir Auburn and young waiter Nikki Friedli of Africola have made it to the awards night in Sydney next month.

They will be competing against other young waiters and restaurateurs from across Australia.

Co-founded by Luke Mangan in 1995, the awards have helped launch the careers of some of Australia’s best chefs, including James Viles, Brendan Pratt and Massimo Mele.

Vote for your favourite Australian young chef and waiter in the Electrolux People’s Choice Awards here before August 3. Winners will be announced on August 10 and voters will go into a draw to win dinner for two at one of the chefs’ or waiters’ restaurants.

Whistle-stop café

Another historic building that has been redeveloped is the lonely North Adelaide Railway Station on War Memorial Drive. Decommissioned in the 1990s and occasionally reinstated for events, the building was taken up a couple of years ago by Red House vintage clothing with the idea to open a shop and café.

Red House Shop and Café has been a long time coming, but it’s now completely renovated inside and out and open seven days for breakfast and lunch until 3pm.

Christine’s Cakes still baking

Some of Christine’s Cakes. Photo: supplied

Long-time Uraidla and Stirling market stallholders Christine Feinle-Bisset and Tom Bisset held their last market stall in Uraidla earlier this month and will no longer have a market presence in the Adelaide Hills.

The pair have supplied market-goers with hand-made sourdough bread, Christmas stollen, gluten-free savoury and sweet tarts (made with locally grown apples, plums and Morello cherries), black forest gateau and baked cheesecakes (made with quark) for almost 10 years. They will now continue to do so from home by order only.

Contact Christine’s Cakes via email at [email protected]

There is such a thing as a free lunch

More than 1700 Adelaideans got a free lunch on the Goodman Lawns at Adelaide University this week as part of OzHarvest Adelaide’s third Think.Eat.Save event highlighting the organisation’s effort to reduce food waste around the world with community participation.

Again partnering with the National Wine Centre and the University of Adelaide, the event was also supported by well-known chefs and food identities including Tze Khaw, Dennis Leslie, Philip Pope, Nick Finn, Simon Bryant, Richard Gunner, Bree May, Dougal McFuzzlebut, Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis. They donated their time and talents to prepare and serve hot meals and dessert from ingredients rescued by the OzHarvest team, as well as discussing food sustainability and encouraging people to make their own pledge to reduce food waste.

What they did with parsnips …

Some of the Parsnip Off entries at The Duke of Brunswick Hotel last week. Photo: Milton Wordley

At the ninth Howard Twelftree Memorial Stir held last weekend at the Duke of Brunswick Hotel, the competition was “intense”, with a record 17 entries, reports judge of the Packing Case Prize, Lance Campbell.

“Food writer Nigel Hopkins came down from the Hills with boiling oil. Lisa and Derek Michalanney came up from Glenelg with sausage rolls. Ralph the Curry King suddenly materialised after 30 years in Libya and other distant climes.

“And as it happened, celebrity judge Liz Ho couldn’t split the other Derek, with his parsnip chowder with smoked grenadier, and Ralph, with his parsnip and lamb curry, for the top prize. Derek, with four wins, now has his culinary confidence fully restored.

“Baysiders Lisa and Derek jagged the Packing Case Prize for their parsnip sausage rolls with caramelised onions.”

As is tradition, the judge picks the ingredient and the judge for the next event, so spring herbs it is on October 25 with Professor Barbara Santich, eminent food scholar and writer as the next judge.

The full report can be found here.

This week at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market – cauliflower

Purple and white cauliflower grown by ALNDA Farms at the Adelaide Farmers’ Markets.

Cauliflower is available all year round, but it is at its best in the cooler months.

Part of the cabbage family, cauliflowers are an excellent source of vitamin C and dietary fibre. The best way to choose a cauliflower is to look for firm, creamy white heads with the florets pressed tightly together. A yellow tinge indicates that the cauliflower is over-mature. All leaves should be bright green and crisp.

Adelaide Showground Farmers Market stallholder ALNDA Farms also has purple cauliflower. The purple colour comes from the antioxidant ‘anthocyanin’, the same antioxidant found in red wine.

Well-known chef, foodie and Prospect Market patron Rosa Matto suggests roasting or steaming the purple variety to maintain its colour. If you do prefer to boil cauliflower, she suggests putting them into well-acidulated (juice of 1 lemon or 1 tbsp of vinegar), well-salted water. And don’t overcook it – leave it nice and crisp. Drain it well and run it under icy-cold tap water to stop any further cooking. Then reheat as you need it.

There are plenty of white cauliflowers available at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market, open on Sundays from 9am-1pm. N & M Tsimiklis also sells white cauliflowers at the Prospect Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 3pm-6.30pm. Prospect Farmers’ Market is located next to Prospect Town Hall on the corner of Vine Street Plaza and Prospect Road.

What’s on?

Mercato’s giant provolone cutting – July 30
Join Mercato and chef Adam Swanson in celebrating the cutting of Mercato’s 400kg provolone. The Prosecco will be flowing and there will be cheese for tasting. More information can be found here.

Alpaca & Paroo dinner with d’Arenberg Wines – July 31
In his first series of wine dinners at the National Wine Centre, new executive chef Tze Khaw will feature alpaca and paroo kangaroo from Fleurieu Prime Alpaca and Macro Meats prepared as a four-course menu driven by a melting pot of flavours from Japanese and French to Moroccan and Italian influences. Boston Bay Pig Farms pork will be paired with the Barossa Valley’s Charles Melton wines for a special Nose to Tail dinner on August 12, and Adelaide Hills sparkling wine from The Lane Vineyard, Kersbrook Hill and Deviation Road will be matched with seafood on September 11. Tickets for each of the dinners are $120 per person. Bookings can be made here.

Meet the chef – Simon Bryant – August 6
Join Simon Bryant and Matilda Bookshop for dinner at The Lane Vineyard at Hahndorf for the launch of Vegetables, Grains and Other Good Stuff, a collection of 100 of Bryant’s most vibrant vegetarian recipes. Tickets are $130 and include dinner prepared by the chefs at The Lane using recipes from the book, matched wines and a signed copy of the book (RRP $40). Bookings can be made by phoning The Lane on 8388 1250.

With Bulls / Hoosegow degustation – August 6
Join winemaker Sam Wigan at Hoosegow Charcoal Restaurant for an exclusive pre-release tasting of the 2015 Running with Bulls Barossa Garnacha alongside a five-course degustation of Hoosegow charcoal-grilled dishes and entertainment by Alma Flamenca. Tickets are $99 per person. Contact Hoosegow for information and tickets.

Truffle Adelaide – August 6 to 9
Truffle enthusiasts, foodies and the curious will gather at the Adelaide Central Market for Truffle Adelaide this month, highlighting Australia’s place as the fourth-largest truffle-growing nation in the world after France, Spain and Italy. The four-day program will see the largest mountain of truffles Adelaide has ever seen is brought to town. The festival will culminate in a three-course Grand Truffle Feast on Sunday, August 9, with each dish on the menu featuring the finest market produce paired with truffle. More information can be found here.

Pinot Palooza Adelaide – August 8
Brought to Adelaide by the same folks as wine festival Game of Rhones, Pinot Palooza is a food, music and wine experience at the Published Art House featuring some of the best Pinot Noir produced in the Southern Hemisphere, including Ata Rangi, Bay of Fires, Shaw + Smith, Yabby Lake, Kooyong, Mt Difficulty, Giant Steps, Two Paddocks and Pegasus Bay. Tickets are $60 including a take-home Riedel Pinot Noir Glass. More information can be found here.

Smelly Cheese Club Cheese and Beer matching masterclass – August 12
Ever tried good Cheddar with pale ale? The story of beer and cheese is ancient – they were both made on the farm and were naturally consumed together. The grain grown was not only for making beer but also for feeding dairy herd. They share the flavours from the earth….yeasty, musty, fruity, floral and toasty. Some cheese experts contend that beer is more compatible with cheese than wine. Naturally, beer connoisseurs agree and this two-hour session will help you form your own opinion. Tickets are $80 per person. More information  here.

Well Tempered Chocolate Masterclass – August 16
Join Haighs Chocolates at Yalumba Wines at the Barossa Gourmet Weekend for a two-hour chocolate and wine masterclass. Tickets are $60 and include Haighs chocolates and a sample of Yalumba Antique Tawny NV to take home. Bookings are essential. Visit barossagourmet.com for more information.

News, tips and information?

The Forager would love to hear about your news, events and suggestions. Please contact us at [email protected].