The Stranded Store

My friend and I were left waiting at the allocated place near the entrance for over 10 minutes without acknowledgement (my friend was holding her baby). One of the staff members was just in front of us chatting to friends. People behind us pushed through to the counter and asked for a table. They were given an apathetic reply and everyone left. We were very disappointed– will not return.

Breakfast this morning was lovely here! I had scramble eggs on sour dough bread, my dad had poached eggs with bacon and my mum had the special chilli scramble eggs. The scramble eggs were brilliant! Might even be the best I’ve had. My dads poached eggs were just how he liked them, runny! And the bacon was very nice. And my mum said her chilli scramble eggs were to die for! It was a lot so lack sure your hungry when eating it! My parents also had coffee, they don’t normally like organic coffee but this time they loved it!

Salad junkie returns for another fix, different day, different salad, a whole new taste experience. Very often when I go back to a place for the second time I am underwhelmed and think maybe the first time I was a bit overenthusiastic… but no! Today’s salad and my Mothers Prawn main course were astoundingly exceptional. In over five decades, and that’s masses of salads, these are absolutely the best in my living memory. Thank you chef and thank you too to the kind, friendly and very accommodating staff.

Back in the 70’s there was a most hip of songs blasting through speakers, War’s Lowrider. Imagine yourself cruising through a leafy neighborhood listening to its sax and bass…
And then… in the middle of nowhere this little café pops up with a great menu (if a bit pricy). Had the avocado, toast and egg but it was more of a fantastic salad with great vegetables. A bit overwhelming the number of ingredients every other bite though…
The wine list is small but has a good selection (looking at you, Tassie Riesling).
Slightly hipster, but not overwhelming. I hope the place doesn’t loose its hinges as it gains popularity. An example to follow by the o-​so-​vanilla Peel St venues.

The chai was so lovely. Soy milk was an extra .80c which made the price a little too high for me to be a regular but I will definitely go again sometime. The brownie was delicious too. A cute little venue.

After searching Unilocal for a place to have lunch we came across The Stranded Store which I am glad we did!
On the outside it looks like a small café, but on the inside it appears to be a restaurant.
Staff are helpful and prompt with service and the food was fresh and out of this world!
The menu has an item for everyone, I had the pan seared Tasmanian salmon and my partner had the pork belly and prawn salad and both made our mouths water!
I do recommend you make a reservation though as it gets very busy.
if you’re after something tasty give them a go.

I’ve had brunch here twice and a lunch, all were absolutely delicious.
The avocado and lime is absolutely amazing, wonderful combination of zesty vibrant ingredients. The steak sandwich is also highly recommended.
The fact that this place takes bookings is a big plus too, avoids disappointment.

Wonderful place for lunch. In fact one of the best lunches I have had in awhile. Be aware that the menu is not at all kid friendly. Also keep in mind that dishes take awhile to arrive after ordering. The wine list is short but good. Recommend the sparking Pinot noir.

What a great little place! In the picturesque suburb of Colonel Light Gardens, this café is a hidden gem. Beautiful, clean, chic interiors; good (not great — my soy milk didn’t blow me out of the water) coffee; fresh, flavoursome, interesting meals; and friendly, fun staff.
I was feeling boring (and a little out-​of-​sorts from the night before) so opted for the simple breakfast — poached eggs with avocado, spinach and mushrooms — and was not disappointed (those mushrooms?! gah!). However, I have to say, the breakfast cassoulet (hold the pancetta, please) has me pining to go back.
(In case you’re in need of a little hair-​of-​the-​dog, as I was; their Bloody Mary is the bomb. Just sayin’.)

Fancy pants are the words I would use to describe The Stranded Store — but in a good way! We came here for lunch because the coffees we have had from here previously have been excellent so we wanted to see how how their food compared. (They also do breakfast — we were just there at lunchtime). I got the grilled SA prawns with spicy tomato, haloumi and fennel and my man got the duck, lentils, beet root and parsnip purée (we think!). We shared a side of roast potatoes as well.
My lunch was delicious — prawns were quite big and very fresh. The dish had almost a Moroccan taste to it — I found it a touch too spicy but I am a weakling when it comes to spice! I was pleasantly surprised with how filling it was, considering it don’t look like it would me. You can tell they use good quality produce! My man enjoyed his duck dish a lot, but he ate most of the roast potatoes as he was pretty hungry. Those potatoes were amazing by the way, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sprinkled with rosemary.
The prices are a bit steep — for a student especially — but I enjoyed my meal immensely and you definitely get what you pay for.
There is a nice atmosphere, although it can get a bit noisy inside as it is fairly small. There are tables outside which are perfect for sunny days and having a coffee with your puppy dog!
I will be back to sample their delicious looking prune brownies, friands and macaroons at later stage for sure.

Always consistent, great food and coffee in a relaxed village locale. Friendly service and love that you can sit out the front with your pooch!

Oh I do enjoy being in this store. With fabulous coffee made with love and appreciation and sweat — only, the sweat doesn’t fall into the cup of course — and tastebud tantalising food, this is a sweet place to take your mum or your love or your friends to be looked after.
With appreciation of local artists, the array of things on display changes and allows for the presentation of art — even participating in the SA Arts Festival when it comes around — which makes artists happy and jump on couches high-​fiving the air.
The 4 stars is for the dedication to hard work that is applied to both the food and drink. Its a small place, so it gets real noisy but if you are aware of that, then its the atmosphere of enjoyment. The food doesn’t arrive on your table fast, which is a good sign. No one wants pre-​cooked fluff arrive minutes after you ordered it. You want to have to wait, so you can enjoy a coffee before it arrives. Maybe you aren’t into coffee though… so enjoy your complimentary water and the company of those with you or those around you.
The negative one star is for taking-​of-​order service. They seem to have a person who takes your orders to then pass them along. Fabulous idea! Almost like the unofficial host/​ess or maitre ‘d. Most people are really good at acknowledging you have walked in the door into the very tiny entrance and are waiting to be served. But, there are a few who don’t. And the few who don’t on the few times it has happened seem to miss you arriving, but see their regular visitors quite well. Its no huge deal, but if this was sharpened, it would really improve the impression. Everyone wants to feel acknowledge and welcomed.
So — beyond that — these guys are bang on target. They dedicate the time to making sure that what you get is great. So — get in there and get this on your list of places to be at often.

Long story short: I really, really like this place.
There is plenty of good café dining around Adelaide and most of it is pleasant, if unimaginative, but The Stranded Store offers something unique. The rotating menu here, whilst limited, is really delicious and steps it up past the usual enjoyable lunch and brunch standards with impressive style. It is a small place, but the nice décor and attentive service are great. In addition, I love that it is outside of town, with easier street parking making it a convenient Southern location to meet friends, with food that lives up to CBD standards.
Today I enjoyed a ciabatta with baba ghanoush, spring peas, squash and pomegranate, which was a super flavourful and unusual combination that was far more interesting than the typical roast vegetable dish you might expect from a vegetarian meal. I finished off my meal with a little lemon curd and passionfruit tart in a chocolate pastry shell, which was impressive as well. Nothing here is super fancy or over the top, but it involves good ingredients presented in fresh and interesting ways.

Both times I have visited the stranded store I was not disappointed. Love their special soups they have on offer and their zucchini and goat chevre bruschetta was delicious. Now with their ever changing wine list it is great for a Saturday lunch. The atmosphere is relaxed and staff are very friendly and accommodating. I am looking forward to trying their breakfast. Recommend a visit if you are close by and if not it is worth the trip.

I came to the Stranded Store with big expectations, friends have it equal to the excellent (and nearby) Pantry on Egmont and I had heard rave reviews about their coffee so I was ever so excited to be trotting off to the Store to tuck in to a leisurely brunch.
I came here with friend in tow on a Friday, timing it so we’d miss a fair bit of the school run crowd and grabbed a table inside. The Stranded Store has quite a small seating area for such a popular spot and competition for tables and noise levels inside can be overwhelming at such an early time in the day. The Store is nicely decorated and the walls feature changing artwork for sale. There is limited outdoor seating on the footpath and the Stranded Store also boasts a small function room, suitable for meetings and the like, just off from the main dining area.
The breakfast menu is rather select with five options on the cards and people who favour an eggless or vegan brekkie will struggle to find a satisfying meal. I’m not a fan of eggs so usually opt for the vegan option when eating out, but their isn’t a tailored choice for the vegans among us so I ended up with a palatable Bircher Museli to munch on while sipping some mild black coffee. My friend was served up an impressive eggs Benedict which was declared to be «almost perfect».
The push for tables was clearly felt as after our meals we were asked if we wanted more coffee and then asked again once those were emptied, and then served up with the bill rather promptly and then walking past a long line of waiting patrons.
Overall the experience at Stranded was rather nice, but with the overwhelming noise levels (I shouldn’t have to yell to be heard by someone sitting next to me) I’d probably opt for another café in the area to have breakfast or lunch in but would drop by in the lazy afternoons.

This is a gorgeous little place for lunch, with a new menu!
I had the crispy skinned free range chicken (which absolutely tantalized my senses) combined with pomegranate, cucumber and a preserved lemon and saffron yoghurt.
If you like The Little Fig, you’ll love this, it’s a bigger area and the staff are lovely company.
For dessert, I had the lemon and wild berry cheesecake tartlet which was TO DIE FOR, however it was a little pricy.
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Price (according to produce): 7.5÷10

Conflict of interest warning: I grew up in the ‘burbs of CLG, so I have an undeniable softeness-​of-​heart for this hood.
CLG is a sweet, leafy, family friendly neighborhood slightly south east of the city. Which makes it perfect for the lovely softened crafternoon type vibe this place has going on.
I joined The Gals here for last Saturday morning, and though I’m not a sweets-​for-​breakfast kinda girl, the sourdough with homemade peanut butter, honey, crème fraîche and rosemary almost turned me.
I did love my poached eggs with avo on Turkish with olive oil, and I also felt kinda righteous for being somewhat healthy, so snaps for me. My compadres’ salmon on sourdough also induced some jealous twinges from over here.
The list of vego and carnivorous lunch burgers looked fab, there were all sorts of chickpeas, relishes and other deliciousness-​es being bandied about on the menu so this joint is def on my next Sunday lunch list.
*important: staff appear achingly hipster, but are in fact very sweet and personable, and if Australia ever brings in the whole tipping bizzo– you’ll feel good about doing it here.

Nestled in the quiet neighbourhood of Colonel Light Gardens sits the oasis of The Strand, latest café from Kelly Tate who also owns The Little Fig in nearby Melrose Park. Delicious Fair Trade coffee awaits, sourced from local roaster Trevor de Groot. Local and organic produce is the focus of this peaceful family friendly space, with much of the produce coming from the Adelaide Hills.
A seasonal breakfast and lunch menu is prepared seven days a week and includes highlights such as Bircher Muesli ($ 10.50) with cinnamon toasted hazelnuts, natural yoghurt and poached fruit and scrambled eggs ($ 15.50) using free-​range eggs, smoked salmon, buttery leeks and goat’s curd sourced from the Adelaide Hills on a toasted bagel. I was unable to resist the sweet potato and chickpea burger with baby spinach, roasted beetroot, caramelised onion and aioli in an artisan roll ($ 12). The burger melted in my mouth and the combination of beetroot and caramelised onions left me surreptitiously wiping my finger on the plate in the hope of getting another hit of flavour. I will have to return to try the delectable looking homemade sweet treats and loose-​leaf boutique teas, as I was far too full from swiping forkfuls of my companion’s namesake salad the Stranded Salad Nicoise ($ 10.50) which was full of flaked salmon, asparagus, tomatoes, egg, capers, potatoes, olives and fresh dill. Delightful food, served with suburban charm.