So, most of you who follow me on Instagram (seriously, I'm addicted to the thing) would know that I was in Adelaide over the long weekend for almost 5 days. Reason for my visit was so that I could attend my sister's uni expo for her final year exhibition. Mum even flew in from overseas for the occasion to show her support because we know how damn hard she's worked all year. She's doing Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering and it's not easy AT ALL. I did Civil and even I was struggling with that. For her final year project, she built a plasma gun... with a pen.
We had a GREAT time in Adelaide. Even though it's my 3rd trip here, I always enjoy a short visit to Adelaide. Just spending lots and lots of quality time with one another while exploring some sights and sharing meals together. It's not easy for us to cook over there so we ate out a lot. Hope you don't mind that these photos were all taken with just my iPhone.
We realised that most of the places we went to were pretty nifty so I thought I'd do a recap of our meals in case people need recommendations for where to eat next time they're in Adelaide =)
United Latino Cocina
Housemade Poached Salmon Salad
Ropa Vieja - $17.50
Slow cooked, shredded flank steak with capsicum, onion, garlic and cumin served with black beans and rice
This place was AWESOME. Mum and I found this quaint little Latin American restaurant tucked away in one of the lanes along Rundle Mall in the CBD. So glad we came across this as we were struggling to find a place to have lunch and almost ended up at a food court.
The food was really fresh, vibrant and bursting with flavour. Very reflective of its colourful culture. Our beef with rice was SO good. Portions were massive and very value for money too.
My impression of the cuisine has severely declined by all the fastfood Mexican type establishments that seem to be popping up everywhere. But this was nothing like that. The place was fun and casual. Great service by the South American staff with Latin music playing in the background. I really do love how one can experience so much of a culture through Food. And this is a prime example of one of those instances.
Rice
Hot and Sour Seafood Soup - $6
BBQ Honey Pork Fillet - $15.80
BBQ Bean and Pork - $14.80
Lotus Bean Curd with Seafood - $16.50
Crispy Young Chicken in Red Vinegar Sauce - $15.80
I friggin' LOVE Rice! Anytime someone asks me of where I like to eat in Adelaide, I always say Rice. It's a great little Chinese restaurant that serves exceptional food at an affordable price, first introduced to us by a family friend. Most of the dishes are rather creative and you don't find anywhere else too. I've loved this place ever since I first came here in 2010 and my sister still come here about twice a month (lol).
First of all, the BBQ honey pork fillets is a must. Tender, juicy and sweet. Sounds simple but tastes anything but. Everything else here is good so it just comes down to what you like to eat. The chicken we ordered was crispy yet juice amidst a sweet unctuous sauce. Lotus leaf tofu was quite special because it also had a smoky tea leaf flavour throughout the dish. Other dishes I've ordered here in the past which I enjoyed include the cold sliced pork, steamed black bean eel and spring rolls.
Sushi Train
You can't come to Adelaide and not visit any of the Sushi Train branches. You just can't. I cannot get enough of this place!! I know I've said this time and time again, but one thing that Melbourne SEVERELY lacks is a good Sushi Train restaurant. And please don't tell me to try Sushi Hotaru in the CBD because I have and my opinion still stands.
Favourite thing about Adelaide's Sushi Trains are the aburi salmons. I always need to order them. This time around they had the aburi salmon volcano ship (i.e. topped with mayo seafood and torched), which was my favourite item this time around. Sounds weird, but their vegetable tempura and avocado slice sushi is great as well. Everyone's got different things they enjoy here so it just depends on what looks good to your eyes (and stomach) that day.
Lickerish
Beach Pizza - $24
Selection of fresh South Australian seafood, anchovy, crispy capers and green olive tapenade
Mullaway
with orange, fennel and goats curd
Crumbed Confit Chicken Wings
250g Grass Fed Scotch - $26
with cafe de paris butter, hand cut chips
Smoked Rainbow Trout - $16
with kipfler potato, asparagus salad, lemon caper dressing
Tommies
wrapped in zucchini, stuffed with quinoa and tomatoes
Rhubarb and Strawberry, Lemon Trifle with Chantilly Cream - $14
Decided to try this place after a quick search for places to eat on Urbanspoon. Located in the gorgeous beach town of Semaphore, I didn't realise how gorgeous the setting was gonna be until we arrived. The setting was so cool, casual and you can tell that everyone there was having a good time. It was an open air concept, which I liked. The staff was super friendly and funny, which is always great to exchange a few jokes with the staff. You'll also find that the staff have so much fun working there because I could hear them laughing all night, no kidding.
Food was good overall. Mum enjoyed her steak very much and my favourites of the night were the awesome boneless chicken wings with aioli and also my fish stuffed with quinoa and tomatoes -- divine! The only flop of the night was the pizza because it became really soggy from all the seafood. Price was quite fair as well, I thought. Considering we pay so much more in Melbourne, it's shocking.
A view of the beach, great sea breeze coming in with awesome music playing and awesome service, this was definitely a place I would be happy to hangout every weekend. I need to find a place that's as fun and affordable as this place in Melbourne.
Red Door Bakery
Morrocan Lamb and Eggplant Sausage Roll with Housemade Chilli Jam
Beef Angus Pie
Creme Brulee Tart and Lemon Meringue Tart
Red Door Bakery was located just at the row of shops outside my sister's place in Hyde Park, a really lovely little neighbourhood. We stopped by for breakfast one morning.
I really enjoyed my sausage roll but favourite thing about it was the super delicious chilli jam. Onion sweet with deep flavour and the right amount of spiciness. Nice and sticky too. Delicious. Brulee Tart was a fail because the top layer was so burnt which made the whole tart bitter. Everything else was enjoyable. Nice little cafe to enjoy a pleasant Saturday morning breakfast.
Argo
Selection of Green Juices
Sweet Potato Fries with Aioli - $7.90
The Love Burger - $11
Sweet Chick Wrap - $10
Argo Deli Piadina - $10.50
Portobello Mushroom Piadina - $10.50
Sis took us here because it was a place she recently discovered and enjoyed. They do a wide array of lunch items and there seems to be something for everyone. To me, one of Argo's specialties also include the large selection of green juices, something that's become more and more popular these days. They were clean, healthy and refreshing, perfect for a hot day.
Food was tasty and price is also very affordable here IMO. And sweet potato fries is always a good idea, no matter where you are. A good fuss free lunch option.
Vietnam Restaurant
A very modest restaurant
Iced Vietnamese Coffee
Combination Soup
Seafood Salad with Prawns, Scallops and Calamari
Grilled Quails
Rice Paper Rolls with Pork Skewers
Vietnam Restaurant is a place that I can almost guarantee that Adelaide locals will take visitors. At least, that's where my friends and I get taken to all the time when we visit. It's so popular.
Why? Because of the signature dishes here. But please be warned that not all the dishes here are good! We've tried a number of the items from the regular menu that's not part of the specials or chef's recommendation and they were quite bad. But, the ones from that specials menu page is great.
The DIY rice paper rolls is a must. Fun to make, delicious to eat. Grilled quails is famous here but I prefer the one from Mabrown in Melbourne. A new thing we tried was the seafood salad, which was awesome! Fresh zesty flavours with a spicy kick. I enjoy the slippery noodles and abundant seafood it had in it. Oh, and do try the Iced Coffee too.
Sabai Cafe
Iced Coffee and Iced Chocolate
Beef Massaman Curry
Open Beef Pie with Mashed Potato
Chicken Pad Thai
Fish and Chips
This was also a place I found on Urbanspoon and wanted to try on our last day in Adelaide. I found it interesting because it was a typical brunch place that also served Thai dishes as well. I realised later it was because the chef there was Thai as well.
First, I really loved my iced drinks here! Tall, refreshing and not too sweet or rich. The pie and pad thai were okay, just average. But the Massaman curry had great flavour. My favourite that day has got to be that Fish and Chips!
I really liked their take on it by using lots of fresh barra slices (with skin on), instead of one big fillet. Higher surface area of crunch and more enjoyable to eat. Also, the potatoes were AMAZING. One of the best yet, definitely. I actually prefer handcut chips to be soft and mashy in the middle, instead of fluffy, which it was. But best part was that it had so damn much of the crunchy fried bits on the outside. Addictive. They gave a nice serving of pickled red onions as well, which brought balance to the entire dish. I definitely enjoyed every bite of this and look forward to eating this again next time I'm back in Adelaide. Hopefully it will be just as good.
Last but not least, I could NEVER leave Adelaide without buying takeaway from Sushi Train to eat at the airport. So delicious. A tradition that must not be broken =)
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