Adelaide’s modern dining scene revolves food around the drinks — not the other way around
Dining experiences designed to match beer and other beverages are among South Australia’s best eateries for 2019. Find out where to go here.
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Drinks producers are tipping South Australia’s food culture in their favour, as they create bespoke dining experiences to complement their beverages — rather than the other way around.
And this year’s delicious100 shows the practice is no longer limited to the cellar doors of the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and other wine regions.
The list of SA’s best restaurants for 2019, which will be revealed exclusively to subscribers on Sunday, includes category-busting projects such as Lot 100, the hugely popular brewery, distillery and tasting room for five different drink producers, including Mismatch Brewing, Adelaide Hills Distillery and Vinteloper.
Also making the cut are Sparkke at the Whitmore, the game-changing city brewery pub with a social conscience, and Leigh St Wine Bar.
In all cases, menus and kitchen operations are designed to be completely in synch with the drinks.
“It’s all about honesty and transparency,” Lot 100’s Toby Kline says. “It’s getting a lot of humble people together who are exceptional at what they do.”
Chefs Tom Bubner and Shannon Fleming collaborate on two different styles of offering across the one menu, with wood-oven pizzas and other simple Italian fare alongside higher-quality plates.
The whole operation has been built to minimise waste and the kitchen is doing its part. Spent grain from the distillery might end up in crackers, sourdough loaves or even a praline for dessert. And the favour is returned with bread scraps now being used as part of a whiskey mash.
For Sparkke, at the Whitmore, the welcoming spirit is captured by a chalkboard message above the bar: “Made by women for everyone”.
These women include the entrepreneurial brains behind brewer Sparkke, and the chef they have found to make their hotel dream come true, Emma McCaskill, formerly of Magill Estate and The Pot.
“I didn’t want to do normal pub food,” Emma says. “I wanted people to come in and be able to have a meal they could afford that was bloody delicious.”
Her cooking includes many of the bold Indian flavours that are part of the heritage on her mum’s side of the family.
“Fortunately, they go really well with beer,” she laughs.
Sourcing ingredients from ethical local producers and minimising waste are also part of the charter.
Brewer Agi Gajic, whose stainless steel tanks are across the bar from the kitchen, says she is enjoying sharing the space with someone who has the same values.
“It’s nice to work with someone that you can bounce ideas off,” she says.