Food, Glorious Food Worth The Wait

Sun Herald

Sunday January 11, 2004

Helen McGarry. The writer travelled at her own expense.

Adelaide's a foodies' heaven if you have the time, writes Helen McGarry.

ADELAIDE is a wonderful spot for a bit of R and R, especially of the gourmet variety. From a cup of hot chocolate (of which more later) to a 10-course degustation menu, I found it impossible to get a bad meal in the city of churches.

I arrived in Adelaide midafternoon to a lovely sunny day. The temperature, though, was a lot cooler than Sydney and dropped considerably after dark and even more as I drove towards the Adelaide Hills .

My destination was the suburb of Magill, and Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant .

In the original Penfolds vineyard of Magill Estate and surrounded by vines and historic stone buildings, the ultra-modern restaurant has magnificent views of the lights of Adelaide.

Perhaps it was the cool night air, or my faulty thermostat, but a silk shirt and pashmina were not enough to keep me warm in the elegant surroundings.

Having to wait two hours for my main course did not help, either.

A complimentary appetiser and glass of wine are served while you peruse the interesting menu and then you wait and wait.

I eventually asked the waiter if our main courses of pheasant and duck would be much longer . . . they arrived soon after. Dessert, a delicious raspberry souffle, came quickly after the main course. Good food, great surroundings shame about the wait.

But where else can you buy Grange Hermitage by the glass?

Next day we drove into the Adelaide Hills proper. We were delayed somewhat by someone running into the back of our hire car so it was late-ish 2.15pm when we rang ahead to Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill to see if we could have lunch. But lunch finishes at 2.30pm and they were sorry but they could not help us.

We drove on to Hahndorf and decided to have some traditional German fare. Walking up and down the long Main Street, we finally decided on the Hahndorf Inn Hotel.

The friendly waitress told us that the kitchen was closing in five minutes but if we could choose quickly she could get an order in. We could and did and before long we were facing steaming skillets of Kassler Rip pork chop, kransky, bratwurst, sauerkraut and potatoes.

Faced with this rich feast, a crisp sauvignon blanc was called for. Did they serve wine by the glass?

When I chose another South Australian white the barman asked if I had ever tasted a local Hahndorf wine. He offered to pour me a taste of both. How could I refuse? I ended up opting for the refreshing local sauvignon blanc.

The sideboard was laden with the yummiest cakes but the German grill had left no room a pity; we did not see nicer cakes anywhere in the Hills.

Adjoining is the Hahndorf Inn Showcase Store where you can buy all the types of meats you have just eaten, plus lots of other goodies, including chocolate-dipped dried fruit.

The next day we decided to paint the town red the rest of the population seemed to be painting it green as the Rugby World Cup had come to town. We headed out to The Grange restaurant at the Adelaide Hilton, domain of renowned Cheong Liew, and embarked on the 10-course degustation menu every course of which was perfectly matched by an Australian wine.

From the kingfish bonbon , ocean trout sambal and shaved calamari served with Mitchell Growers semillon, to the sago and treacle souffle, tropical fruit broth, fresh fruits and sorbet served with Cape Jaffa Second Pick semillon/sauvignon, everything was perfect food, wine and service.

Another delightful gourmet experience not to be missed is a visit to Adelaide's Central Market on trendy Gouger Street. Nothing in Sydney or Melbourne comes close for quality and choice. One stall was offering ``25 different kinds of Dutch liquorice" and The Smelly Cheese had a huge variety of, well, smelly cheese.

You can buy all kinds of olive oils, fruit, bread, fish, meat and organic produce and the T-Bar stocks every kind of tea (including chai) imaginable.

Haigh's (the market branch is one of many in the city) couverture, or confectioners' dark chocolate, is perfect for dipping strawberries.

At Cibo Espresso, also on Gouger Street and throughout the city, I hear the coffee is great but I don't drink it. But I can vouch for the Italian hot chocolate, which is terrific. They also sell cannoli in two sizes, so you can indulge without the guilt.

So many choices, so little time.

We decided to have lunch at Jolley's Boathouse, beautifully situated on the River Torrens, before catching our flight back to Sydney.

There are paddle boats moored in front of the restaurant and the Popeye river boats moor just upstream, so diners can watch all the waterway activity below.

We had allowed two hours for a leisurely lunch but this proved a mistake. When you arrive at 1pm for lunch you don't expect your main course to be served at 2.30pm.

Starters of saffron and lemon soup with dill and crabmeat and tuna with seaweed teriyaki were followed by equally delicious main courses of King Island lamb and spiced flathead with eggplant and feta salad. It was a pity we had to bolt our main course and there was no time for the delicious dessert menu.

Adelaide is just the place for a relaxed, gourmet getaway just make sure you have plenty of time to spare.