Tasting Australia’s Town Square in Victoria Square will kick off on April 5, showcasing some of the best food and wine from around South Australia. Guests will be able to take a masterclass, shop for artisanal produce and kitchen wares, and meet the chefs and winemakers of the festival program.
Free to enter, the festival hub will comprise five bars and 14 food stalls offering a range of dishes all in-line this year’s theme of “small plates”.
On the menu in Town Square is Jock’s Chook Shack, award-winning chef and Tasting Australia programming director Jock Zonfrillo’s gourmet take on the iconic Aussie chicken shop, serving up charcoal-grilled chicken and chips cooked on a giant custom-made barbecue.
Ragini Dey will serve up an Indian version of the South Australian classic pie floater with samosa and daal, while La Popular Taqueria will be cooking soft tacos fresh to order on their tortilla press. Also on offer will be flammekueche — a wood-oven pizza hybrid from the Austrian-Italian border by Tarte Gourmet Flammekueche, sliders by Boston Bay Smallgoods, Bombe Alaskas flamed to order by Gelista artisan gelato, ice-cream and fairy floss creations from Shibui Dessert Bar, and more.
This year Town Square has five unique bars, including four rooftop bars, all run by East End Cellars and offering a range of top drops from Yalumba wines to Kangaroo Island KIS Gin, Pirate Life beer, ciders and more, served in quality Riedel glasses.
Front Bar will be decked out with pool tables and pinball machines, while East End Cellars Bar will offer 40 top wines by the glass and Champagne Bollinger will be available in the Bubbles Bar. Rounding out the rooftop bars is the Yalumba Collections Bar. The Back Bar – a specially converted double-decker bus — will serve up an array of gins and spirits, including Kangaroo Island Spirits’ award-winning KIS Gin.
Guests can be expertly guided through tastings of chardonnay, pinot noir, sake, whisky and more by some of the world’s top winemakers, distillers and sommeliers.
“Everything on the menu at Town Square has been specially curated not only to be delicious and different, and to showcase South Australian produce, but also to have an element of theatre and spectacle,” says festival director Simon Bryant.
“We want people to see the drama of how their food is made – the flames, the steam, the incredible artistry that goes into it all. When you come to Town Square you’re not just getting a delicious meal or a drink, you’re getting a show too – and with our range of masterclasses and other activities on offer, there’s really something for everyone.
“With this year’s theme of ‘small plates’, Tasting Australia’s Town Square is the perfect place to grab a unique work day lunch, enjoy pre-dinner drinks and snacks, or have a gathered feast with friends.”
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment David Ridgway said more than 54,000 people were expected to visit Town Square over the course of the event. Tasting Australia’s Town Square opens on Friday April 5 at 11.00am for dining, drinking and masterclasses, and runs daily throughout the festival until late, excluding Monday April 8.