LOCATIONOn the corner of Light Square and Currie Street.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAIf you have been a South Australian anytime over the past three decades, you surely have supped or socialised at one of the Schmidt’s venues. High in Adelaide’s hospitality hierarchy, Anthony and Lyneece now reign solely over the Colonel Light Hotel. Rescued from near ruin, its inners now gleam in arctic-like white polished perfection. The street level bar segues casually into “Anto’s Fish and Chip Shop” where Anthony is adamant you will experience the “best steak sandwich in the world” – constructed with aged Angus scotch fillet, it is off to a good start. Prime, local product is what the nosh here is all about. Take your appetite upstairs to the Balcony Restaurant and revel in regions of it, thanks to Sarah Turner.
Awarded Chef of the Year in The Advertiser’s Adelaide Food Awards 2007, this Barossa Valley girl refuses to relinquish the role of South Australian produce flag-flyer. It lives throughout her menu. A first glance at the scallop entree results in an immediate prayer that it also comes as a main. Thankfully it does. More of the pan-seared beauties are also released into a second course serving with haloes of truffled potato foam, grounded with a porcini ragu. Soy beans and baby cress bring the dish closer to mother earth. Another heavenly descendent from Sarah’s kitchen is handcrafted gnocchi with wild fungi, sage, cream, zest of lemon and black truffle. Accept the gnocchi as an entree because the green tea-smoked pig belly only comes as a main. Shame…not. This makes ordering both dishes a natural progression. The lil’ porker is rested on cauliflower puree, as are its scallop friends, and crowned with salmon roe. Find time to look up from an ice-cream sandwich to digest the view. Although spiced sable, macadamia parfait, glass caramel and quince
are quite distracting.
Roz Taylor