The Agora Gourmet App is a revolutionary idea that celebrates and promotes local South Australian produce. The launch of their app took place in the heart of Adelaide at Eleven, with an event called The Agora Battle of the Beverages.

The event featured a 3 course meal developed by Callum Hann featuring local produce from iconic South Australian producers. Each dish was then paired with two drinks (gin from Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, wine from Cooper Burns wine, or beer from Barossa Valley Brewing) and as guests we had to vote on which drink was paired better with the dish we were eating.

This idea of interaction is exactly what carries through to the Agora Gourmet App. Created by Denham D’Silva of Barossa Valley Brewing, the App identifies restaurants, cafes and bars that stock or use a range of South Australian produce. When customers visit these venues and post about them on social media, they can link the post to the App to receive rewards points which can be redeemed for free drinks. Essentially this two way promotion of South Australian produce benefits both producer and consumer, because the Agora Gourmet App understands the true power of social media.

For entree we enjoyed Barbecued King Prawns with Chorizo from Barossa Fine Foods. An absolutely delicious and visually stunning start to the evening. The chorizo had some spice to it, but the yellow romesco with the dish matched it perfectly. In a almost evenly split vote, Rosé wine won over House gin in this first battle.

Our main dish was heavenly Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder supplied by South Aussie with Cosi. This melt in your mouth meat had everyone salivating, and Shiraz wine won over Pale Ale this time.

Lastly we had Buffalo Curd Creme with honeycomb and pickled figs from Woodside Cheese Wrights. Unlike anything I’ve ever had, this sharp and tangy cheese was sweetened by the delightful honeycomb crumb. An unlikely but perfect pairing! In a tough final battle, Stout won over Savoury Allsorts Gin for this dish pairing.

The Agora Gourmet App is available to download on Android and iOS now, so you can start posting and redeeming straight away!

Words by Heidi Ioannou from The Hungry Heidi