A taste of Adelaide with chef Simon Bryant
26 Mar 2019
Hosting the annual Tasting Australia food festival, director Simon Bryant reckons Adelaide is perfectly placed for a foodie visit.
You will recognise Simon Bryant from cooking up a storm opposite Maggie Beer in the ABC program The Cook and The Chef that has been running for four years. He is also festival director of Tasting Australia.
Bryant says one of the key planks of the festival is that it’s one of the most democratic of the food fests. “We stand international guests next to our Australian talent on an equal footing,” Simon says. “So you wont find an activation or event where it’s just about an international chef. At a lot of the events you are very close to the talent and we make sure that, for example, at the Yalumba Cellar Room event the chefs are out in your face all the time. We’re not treating them like they’re precious or standing them on a pedestal.
This fun approach shows through in events like the craft beer showcase Bottomless Buns, Beer and Bubbles, the Comfort Food Cabaret and the signature Schnittfest where Michelin-starred chefs and feted local chefs take on the humble schnitzel.
“It’s a case of get your hat off and your Michelin badges and just cook something nice,” Simon says. He adds that it is Adelaide’s ideal location that allows for such a diverse range of food experiences.
“We can say that due to the lucky break of having an incredibly laid-out city we can get to all of our terroir and unique, different places very quickly,” he says. “So you can be on the coast where our fish are, on another coast where our wineries are or the desert, or the plains, valleys and hills in a short time – and that is rare for a city.”
Simon says retirees are at an advantage as they can take their time at the festival and then stick around to enjoy the best of what Adelaide has to offer.
THE TOP FESTIVAL EVENTS
The Glasshouse Kitchen
A pop-up event that returns to the festival hub in the centre of Adelaide. Each night features top chefs cooking to a theme.
Tasting Australia Airlines
Regional day trip to some of the areas a bit further out of Adelaide. Wing it to Coffin Bay for some oysters, Kangaroo Island for a whisky or the Flinders Ranges for some wagyu beef.
East End Cellars Masterclasses
In Town Square, learn more about your favourite tipple or blend your own gin.
Roast
An event that turns the traditional Sunday roast on its head with a contemporary take on this Aussie classic.
Schnittfest
This fun event pretty much sums up the festival as they ask top chefs to have a go at producing the humble pub schnitzel.
Tasting Australia runs from April 6-13 – visit here for more details.
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