PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAStuart Gifford introduced the degustation menu to Adelaide in 1978, along with fresh food cooking, the open kitchen and screw cap wines. Three decades on, Sarahs Cafe carries on his untiring respect for local produce and people. He embraces the 100 mile diet, in which one sources all produce (including beer and wine) from within a 100 mile radius. Stuart's ideal culinary world is one where he cooks only ingredients grown by his customers. He is a visionary man concerned about commercial production loss due to drought, and so he champions farmers markets, community gardens and backyard networks.
Chef Steve Lancaster brings you the magic of slow food without the wait. Although the menu choice is not to everyones liking, any dishes presented are guaranteed to satisfy many tastes. The lunchtime plat du jour can be savoured with a glass of wine and coffee for $20, or bag a baguette if you seek the quick and tasty. The French-inspired one wins my affections with its SA blue cheese. This blue beauty appears again with some other Aussie friends in the evening cheese selection. They arrive the French way with bread, before dessert. Dinner banquets are two hot dishes with a generous salad to share; the degustation menu invites soup and dessert to participate in this already crowd-pleasing procession. Pre-theatre dining is catered for but why not stay and salsa, tango, get jazzed up or get down with some blues? Entertainment is in the (well-played) hands of co-owner, Andrew Cooper. When booking live acts he follows the philosophy of going local, whether it ïs food, art or music. But the most engaging of all is Stuart himself; invite him to share your table and his fascinating philosophies on urban food forests with you.
Roz Taylor