New-look casual dining

Relentlessly pushing ahead as always, Peter Harrington, pictured, at Sage in Gorman House, is planning a new restaurant. He’s not saying much about it yet, but says he spent a month in the US gathering ideas, and a concept is being drawn up by well-known Melbourne architects Adam Dettrick, who hang their hats on sustainability. The new place will “transform the casual dining scene in Canberra”, Harrington promises, with a “very competitive price point, bar seating, open kitchen, ultra-fresh regional ingredients and plenty of atmosphere”. You can believe the energy that will back up these fine words, given the guys’ commitment to regional produce. The have closed for lunch, except Saturdays, a move Harrington, just returned from a visit to the Marionvale Murray Cod Farm, says will give them more time to scour the countryside for produce. Sage holds a truffle dinner with grower Sherry McArdle-English on July 24.