Sarah's Sisters & Semaphore Garden Shop: In the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia

With its seaside village feel, Semaphore Road offers plenty of choice for the serious shopper. But now, the notion of retail therapy has been taken to another level for those who want to combine some classic weekend pursuits.

Eating, drinking and gardening are certainly great Australian past times and they're all combined at Sarah's Sisters. With a cappuccino you can admire next door's Semaphore Garden Shop.

From "plant of the day" to "plat du jour", this blend of floral and culinary indulgence is the brainchild of restaurateur, Stuart Gifford and Nurseryman Adam Freeman. As next door neighbours they knew they could create something special by simply tearing down the walls that divided them and maximising the features that united them.

Sarah's Sisters is located in what was built as a general store in the 1860s and later catered for the people of Semaphore as the local butcher shop for about a century. The old butcher shop tiles are still a feature and probably help to inspire artist Cheryl Sherrah.

Just make sure you don't trip over her or the large pot she's mosaicing. It's part of a fundraiser for children with cancer, which she's undertaken with the help of some local kids and a few broken plates and coffee cups courtesy of the kitchen and waiting staff at Sarah's Sisters.

But for most of us the appeal is in the creation on the plate in front of us. But don't expect a vast and varied menu at Sarah's Sisters. Here the emphasis is on a small range of dishes done well with care and plenty of time.

"It's a way of having slow food but actually having it ready on time. The idea comes from the Parisian cafes where a local or regular goes in, sits down, the staff asks 'the usual?' and gives them the plate and a glass of wine. It's as simple as that."

And as you tuck into your "rustic bake" or something similar the thought of a colourful and relatively painless garden makeover is always within sight.

So plenty of food for the soul and the backyard garden at Sarah's Sisters and the Semaphore Garden Shop on Semaphore Road. Artist Cheryl Sherrah runs regular mosaic workshops. You can contact her on 8449 7467.

Sarah's Sisters & Semaphore Garden Shop
117 & 119 Semaphore Road
Open Daily

Sarah's Sisters closed on Wednesdays
Contact Cheryl Sherrah on 8449 7467.

Published 29th April 2007