All posts by OurWorldinReview

All Aboard for the National Railway Museum

January 28, 2017 OurWorldinReview 2 Comments

I’ve lived in the City of Adelaide nearly all of my life. And the majority of that time has been around the Port Adelaide area. Port Adelaide was once a thriving centre of commerce for international and domestic cargoes arriving to Adelaide by sea. It used to bustle everyday with stevedores discharging and loading the berthed vessels and sailors frequenting the numerous bars. Today Port Adelaide has a quieter atmosphere. Gone are the flood of ships and the mass of sailors, and many of those popular old stores and bars have long closed. However, tourists are still making their way into the Port to see its established history. Port Adelaide has a multitude of attractions available for visitors, from museums, cruises and guided tours. We decide to head into Port Adelaide to visit some of these popular attractions starting with the National Railway Museum.

The National Railway Museum is open daily from 10am and is mainly run by a dedicated team of community volunteers. Entrance to the museum is through the main souvenir shop. The shop is stocked with a good amount of memorabilia for you and your children to remember the wonderful day.

Souvenir Shop and Railway Museum Entrance — Souvenir Shop and Museum Entrance

Once through the shop you can make your way over to the main exhibition. Make sure you stop at the level crossing and look out for the passing train. The museum runs a small train ride which does two full circuits of the museum grounds. So be careful, and keep an eye on little children. The museum staff is happy to advise when the next train ride will run, so your family doesn’t miss out.

Train Ride Crossing — Watch out for passing trains!

Train ride — Take a ride around the museum on Ken

The main pavilion is quite a sight, with all the well maintained trains and carriages lined up. Visitors can immerse themselves in the exhibits by entering the opened passenger carriages or climbing into the drivers cabins. The patrons can see the changes in standards between the different travel classes. From the luxury cabins of first class to the seated compartments of second class. They also have the ability to look at the service trains which brought goods to Australia’s remote communities. These trains contained grocery stores, butchers, banks and a Post office, to name a few. It is amazing what goods and services these trains provided to the people of rural Australia.

Train 409 in the main pavilion of the National Railway Museum

The museum has various station displays, from re-creations of the station masters office to the communications office and old signalling stations. Furthermore, they have historic memorabilia of the old Adelaide train station before its development. The old ticketing desk and departure board brought back memories of days long past when my grandmother used to take us into the city for some school holiday adventures.

A stroll out into the museum yards shows us more trains ready to be refurbished. The museum also has some disused advertising freight wagons like the old West End beer wagon, and the TNT transport wagon.

If you keep following the footpath around, you will find yourself at another large pavilion with a range of commercial trains from different eras. Here you will find some engines that have done some incredible journeys lugging coal, iron ore and other commodities along Australia’s vast rail network.

The National Railway Museum is a great day out, the restored trains look fantastic and children will love climbing in and out of the carriages and engines. There are some educational and interactive screens available, but some need to be repaired as they don’t all work. The train ride is quite nice but a little short, so you may need to do a couple of trips to appease the children. Alternatively, the museum also runs the longer train ride along the foreshore at Semaphore, which is a good option.

I recommend combining the National Railway Museum and the Aviation Museum since they are very close to each other and well worth the visit. Therefore while you’re visiting tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional Information

76 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide SA 5015
Ph: (08) 8341 1690
Website: www.natrailmuseum.org.au

Trading Hours

Daily 10:00am – 04:30pm

Accommodation is available around the Port Adelaide area

Book now with Booking.com

Entry Cost

*Post contains affiliate links

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Australia, Events

Adelaide Comes Alive: Santos Tour Down Under

January 18, 2017 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

As the New Year brings us new adventures and new opportunities, it also brings a myriad of fantastic events to the city of Adelaide. In the first four months of every year, the city of Adelaide comes alive. During this time Adelaide hosts some major sporting events. This includes the cricket, tennis and the incredibly popular cycling race the Santos Tour Down Under.

The Santos Tour Down Under is the first major world cycling event in the world cycling calendar. All the major cycling teams and the who’s who in the cycling world descending on Adelaide to experience what this great city has to offer. Adelaide’s goal is to put on a world class event. Where the riders goal is to win the prestigious ochre winners jersey.

The Ourworldinreview team attended the People’s Choice Classic to soak up the atmosphere and join in on the fun. The one thing that is certain is Adelaide knows how to host an event. The 2.3km track is surrounded by local restaurants and the adjoining park-lands are scattered with mobile food and beverage trucks. The city also erected a stage area in the park-lands for a free after race concert with one of Australia’s best DJ’s Havana Brown.

Although the cycling race is the main attraction, the tour organisers make sure there is plenty of action for the spectators. The People’s Choice Undies Run for bowel cancer is a welcome part of the event with a large turnout of competitors running the 2.3km course to raise money for this terrible disease. There is still time to donate so if you can spare a dollar or two, please support this worthy cause.

The combination of the women’s and men’s pro cycling tour events sees the women contest the course first. It is amazing to see the speeds these athletes get up to. The race goes fairly quickly with an exciting but frenzied sprint finish to decide the winner. The same can be said about the men’s race, once it starts there’s a frenetic pace with a breakaway and subsequent capture by the chasing peloton.

The main sprint contenders, world road race champion Peter Sagan and Australia’s Caleb Ewan rely on their lead out trains to propel them to the finish line. The riders jostle for position, the crowd holds their breathes hoping there isn’t an accident, and they hit the line at about +50km/hr. In this marvellous race, Caleb Ewan comes out on top and the crowd erupts to cheer the intense finish.

The race, the atmosphere, the weather and the supporters are fantastic and the best part is, there is another 7 days. The Tour Down Under lasts for 9 days with the riders competing in 6 road stages and tonight’s People’s Choice Classic. The stages take in some of the highlights of South Australia and provide welcome promotion of our wonderful state. If you happened to have missed this event then head out over the next few days and enjoy the sights and racing. Or if you can’t make it this year then pencil in the dates for next years and come along and enjoy South Australia hospitality.

Santos Tour Down Under Survival tips

Remember, it will be summer in Australia and temperatures can get to 40 degrees Celsius. So make sure you drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Wear a hat and apply sunscreen as it takes only 10 minutes to get sunburnt. Set yourself up in a shady area as you should have plenty of room to take photos. Get a good camera so you can take those action shots. But beware; if you are taking photos make sure you look at the riders to see where you are positioned. It would not be a good thing if a rider hit you at high speed.

Additional Information

The Santos Tour Down Under is a sensational event and occurs in Adelaide in the middle of January. The stage course maps are available from their website.

Website: www.tourdownunder.com

Make sure you book your accommodation early, to get the best locations close to the city circuits.

So enjoy Adelaide and enjoy the Santos Tour Down Under.

*Please note, this post contains affiliate links.

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Australia, Restaurants

Milano Cuccina, Adelaide – A taste of Italy

January 15, 2017 OurWorldinReview 2 Comments

Another early morning saw us driving into the city, where we had to make a drop off to the central bus station. Since we left before breakfast, we made our way to the eastern side of the Adelaide city centre to have a hearty meal. With many fabulous choices available we opted for the family owned and run café restaurant called Milano Cuccina.

Milano Cuccina is located on the corner of Hutt Street and Wakefield Street on the bottom floor of the channel 10 building. The cafe restaurant offers diners a traditional casual breakfast or an Italian influenced lunch and dinner service.

Upon entry into the establishment we were warmly greeted by one of the staff and offered multiple tables to sit at. We decided to sit at a comfortable looking booth and started by ordering some smooth creamy and delicious coffees.

Lattes at Milano Cuccina — Two Lattes and a Cappuccino

The waitresses were friendly and efficient and have some of the nicest Italian accents around. Not what you expect in little old Adelaide. Personally I liked their accents, because I could imagine myself sitting in a cafe in northern Italy ordering a meal from a local. The breakfast menu is fairly traditional with most of the dishes commonly found in most cafés around the city. I didn’t mind this because it was quite easy to come to a decision when choosing what to have.

We ordered the Milano Big Breakfast; the Eggs Benedict without ham for our vegetarian and some plain toast with that all important Vegemite.

My Milano Big Breakfast consisted of two poached eggs on a couple of pieces of toast, bacon rashers, a pork sausage, fried tomato, a field mushroom and wilted spinach, served with a hash brown. The serving was quite large and filling, with the majority of the dish nicely cooked. My only concern was that the pork sausage was a little dry, a tad bit overcooked and I was unable to finish it.

Milano Cuccina Eggs Benedict — Eggs Benedict without ham, served with two hash browns

The Eggs Benedict arrived at the table and looked rather plain on the plate. Our resident vegetarian was still happy with the dish, but couldn’t complete the whole dish (she’s quite little, and not a big eater). As for the toast, it is what you should expect. Simple, warm and easy to spread.

The interior of Milano Cuccina is quite comfortable. They have a couple of booths, a main seating area and al fresco dining for those perfect Adelaide days. The interior is colour coordinated and decorated nicely with photos and sport memorabilia hanging from the walls. They also show their support of upcoming Adelaide events with promotional material available near the front door.

Overall Milano Cuccina is a friendly everyday cafe restaurant. Their breakfast is quite common but good. The servicing staff is pleasant and the strong Italian accents are nice to listen too. They are also available in the Entertainment book for a dining discount. For the full Italian dining experience I recommend trying their Italian influenced menu for lunch and dinner. So when you’re in Adelaide pop into Milano Cuccina and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional Information

80 Hutt Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8227 0961
Website: www.milanocuccina.com

Main Meal Price Range AUD$18.00 – $30.00

Trading Hours

Weekdays: 7am – 10pm
Weekends: 8am – 10pm

Milano Cuccina rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =7
Atmosphere =7
Service =8
Price =8
Food =7

Overall = 7.5

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Australia, Hotels and Accommodation

Heading out for a night at the Hilton Adelaide Hotel

January 2, 2017 OurWorldinReview 2 Comments

I know I might be biased but the city of Adelaide and the surrounding wine areas are a fantastic place to visit and live. This has been endorsed by travel reporting mega giants the Lonely Planet with Adelaide and South Australia being ranked number 5 in the best regions to visit in the world (woo hoo, home town pride). This fabulous endorsement means additional visitors to Adelaide and with many good hotels in Adelaide, where should you stay? Our team headed into town to see what the Hilton Adelaide Hotel has to offer.

When you know where you’re going and are considering booking a hotel, what are the things you look for? Do the hotels need to offer other facilities like, gyms, swimming pools, restaurants, health spas, business centres or bars? Or are you just looking for a clean room to sleep in free of those pesky bed bugs? Are you a hotel shopper, looking for the best price, or are you loyal to a particular hotel brand?

Hotel loyalty may be new to many of you, but like airlines, hotels offer their customers the option of joining their loyalty programs. If you tend to spend a lot of time in hotels, then remaining loyal and amassing your stays or nights within a certain hotel chain is the way to go. The Hilton Adelaide Hotel is such a hotel that offers its customers earned benefits when staying at any Hilton branded hotel. Their Hilton Honors program allows qualified customers chances for room upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, and access to their executive lounges to name a few.

Hilton Hotel Adelaide — Victoria Square Water Fountain

As recent Hilton Honors Gold members, we thought we’d experience the benefits for ourselves. We decided to book a King Hilton Guest Room and made our way into the city. The Hilton Adelaide Hotel overlooks Victoria Square in the heart of the city.

Adelaide Hilton Hotel — Reception Desk – Welcome to the Hilton Hotel Adelaide

Upon entry into the hotel the reception desk is located to the left and the Collins Bars is down a short corridor on the right. On check in the hotel staff were very friendly and we were immediately upgraded to a King Hilton Executive room.

King Executive Room at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide — King Executive Room

We were soon in the elevator and making our way up to our room. The King Hilton Executive Room are quite spacious with plenty of room to swing a cat (no animals were harmed during the review of this hotel). There are complimentary magazines and water available in the room and the Wi-Fi is easy to access and free. The King sized bed is very comfortable with your choice of pillows, based on your preferences.

Rooms offer the usual features like a television with local and paid channels. There is also a selection of in-house movies available. Coffee and tea is also provided and the extremely old bar fridge is fully stocked. The room also has a safe for the security conscious, an iron and ironing board, and a hair-dryer for the large bathroom.

The bathroom is large and contains a bath tub and a separate shower cubicle. Bathroom amenities and towels are refreshed with the room serviced daily.

By booking the King Hilton Executive room or having enough hotel status provides access to the executive lounge on the sixteenth floor. The comfortable lounge is a good place to relax, catch up on some reviews on your laptop or at the desktop computers provided. You can help yourself to the complimentary drinks or snacks like these beautiful macaroons.

The Hilton Adelaide Hotel offers many other facilities for their customers. Their small Swimming Pool is located on the first floor balcony. Amazingly, this balcony area is a little stark, one end of the balcony has the pool and the other half is just a large empty space. This large area could be utilised a lot better to give the hotel added value, something like a balcony bar or outdoor dining area.

The Gym is also located on the first floor which looks out across the pool. This fully equipped gym with an attached spa and sauna area is immaculate, well presented and everything you want from a gym.

If you don’t want a full gym workout then the hotel also has a tennis court and small running track.

If you are getting hungry or thirsty then head to the ground floor and get comfortable in the popular Collins Bar, or feast at Coal Cellar + Grill the Hilton’s on site restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served at Coal daily. We decided for breakfast at Coal and with an enormous selection of food options, you will not go hungry eating here.

Overall the Hilton Adelaide Hotel provides good service to its customers, with comfortable well maintained rooms. Some of the furnishings and facilities like the tennis court and pool area are out-dated but the hotel is working to rectify this. The hotel has an excellent restaurant in Coal Cellar + Grill and the popular Collins Bar is always good for a relaxing nightcap.

The Hilton Adelaide Hilton experience was definitely worth it, and they have rooms available from the standard guest room to executive room and suites. So book a stay today and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional information

233 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: +61-8-8217-2000
Website: www.3.hilton.com

Rooms available from approximately AUD$150 – AUD$400 per night

Restaurant bookings and menu for Coal Cellar + Grill

Book your stay today at the Hilton Adelaide Hotel

Join Hilton Honors Loyalty Program

Hilton Adelaide Hotel Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Service = 9
Comfort=9
Cleanliness = 9
Price = 8
Facilities =8

Overall = 8.5

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Australia, Restaurants

Silk & Spice, Adelaide – Don’t judge a book by its cover!

December 17, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

Since childhood you would have heard the phase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and nothing can be truer when describing The Silk & Spice Thai restaurant at Torrensville.

We recently attended this restaurant and I must admit from the outset I was a little wary about what we were getting ourselves into. The first impressions of the restaurant from the outside weren’t good. In fact we nearly missed it while driving past due to the exterior being quite dull. Silk & Spice is located in a re-purposed family home with two signs indicating it as a restaurant. Silk & Spice has approximately 16 off street car parks around the back of the restaurant; otherwise you may need to try finding a park on busy Henley Beach Road.

Once inside the restaurant you can’t help but be a little surprised at how nice the interior is. The owners have segregated the main rooms into small intimate dining areas, so noise from other guests is kept to a minimum.

Entry interior of Silk & Spice Thai Restaurant

The rooms are nicely furnished and have plenty of space to move around without having to bump into other restaurant guests.

Silk & Spice restaurant interior — Look at the space between these tables. No bumping into other customers here.

Upon entry we were immediately greeted by their friendly staff who quickly guided us to a corner table. The menu presented was quite large with all the usual Thai cuisine dishes available. Likewise the wine list was also well stocked with popular favourites, so finding that accompanying drink won’t be any trouble.

Dining areas at Silk & Spice — The rooms have been converted into small dining areas

We decided on our food selection and once the waitress arrived we ordered an entrée serve of Chicken Satay. For our main courses we ordered their chef suggested Lemon-grass Lamb and a Thai Crispy Chicken. We accompanied this with a serve of steamed rice to soak up those fragrant spicy flavours. Then for dessert we decided to try their Thai Sticky Rice with Banana and a Coconut Panna Cotta with mixed berries.

After some light conversation and photo taking our food arrived pretty quickly. The chicken satay was the first dish presented and was covered in a thick layer of tasty peanut sauce. The chicken was nicely cooked providing a good appetiser.

Chicken Satay at the Silk & Spice — Look at all that peanut sauce covering that chicken satay

Our main dishes arrived soon after and the Thai Crispy Chicken was coated with a tangy and spicy sauce that was delicious and gave the dish a little chilli kick. The meal came with a refreshing papaya salad which assisted in quenching the palate.

The chef recommended Lemongrass lamb once again was nicely presented with well trimmed lamb slices. The meat was cooked nicely and covered in a spicy curry sauce with quite a lot of bite to it. As a suggestion, try ordering the medium heat dish if mouth burning spice is not your thing.

Once the mains were polished off we waited for our highly anticipated desserts. My Thai Sticky Rice with Banana came with a side serve of coconut ice cream. The texture and consistency of the rice was smooth, with a mixture of crushed banana. Their coconut ice cream was fantastic, a beautifully presented and delicious dessert.

Sticky rice with banana and Coconut ice cream

Our Coconut Panna Cotta was served in a cocktail glass and topped with fresh berries. The sweet creaminess of the Panna Cotta was sensational and once finished, we definitely thought about ordering another.

Overall the Silk & Spice is an excellent place to eat, their location, outside exterior and advertising exposure needs a lot of work. As a customer, you could easily drive by this restaurant without knowing. Our recommendation is to stop and enjoy their good quality food. The serving staff is excellent, extremely friendly, and happy to have a quick chat with you. So give them a try and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you.

Additional information

211 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville SA 5031
Ph: (08) 8352 8888
Website: www.silkandspice.com.au

Main Meal Price Range AUD$12.90 – $27.90

Trading Hours

Lunch: Wednesday – Friday 11:30am to 2:30pm Dinner: Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday 5:30pm to 8:30pm (kitchen hrs) Friday – Saturday 5:30pm to 9:30pm (kitchen hrs)

Silk & Spice rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =9
Atmosphere = 9
Service =9
Price = 9
Food =9

Overall = 9

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Australia, Restaurants

Day trip to Hahndorf, South Australia and the Farm Shed

November 27, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

There are times in my life when I flash back to my childhood. I hear a phase like “Let’s go on a day trip” and I feel like I’m that little kid again, all excited to begin a new adventure for the day. So when the suggestion came that we head to Hahndorf for lunch at the Farm Shed, I was out the door and in the car waiting eagerly for everyone else.

Hahndorf is a popular historic German township about 28 kilometres from the Adelaide city centre in the spectacular Adelaide Hills. The township offers a variety of things to do for visiting tourists. It’s popular for its wineries, local stores like Udder Delights, the Hahndorf farm barn and Beerenberg store and Strawberry Farm. For some information about our trip to Hahndorf, visit Josie Wanders to find out why Hahndorf is considered a gem of a town.

Whilst enjoying the sights and playing tourist for the day we headed into the Farm Shed for a quick meal and to get out of a sudden rainstorm.

The Farm Shed is one of Hahndorf’s premier wine bars and restaurants. It is found inside a heritage listed building on the main street that was once Australia’s first Lutheran school. The Farm Shed contains two table serviced sections, a quaint front bar roadside and a restaurant down the gravel driveway. Head Chef, Brad Perrott has created an interesting menu, with a selection of native and standard meat cuts for his customers.

This trip we opted to stay in the front bar area and settle in for a quality lunch. The wine bar area has rustic furnishings that suit the style of the restaurant. Since we were eating in the bar area we decided we’d try out their pizzas, all topped with good local, fresh produce. We choose two of the tempting signature pizza’s, The “Big” Smoke and the vegetarian version of the Mediterranean.

Front Bar of the Farm Shed — The Farm Shed offer a good range of beers, wines and ciders.

The “Big” Smoke consisted of delicious smoked chicken, bacon, mushroom, caramelised onion and cheddar cheese on a perfect pastry base covered in BBQ sauce. It was probably one of the best restaurant made pizzas I’ve tried. The flavour and quality of the produce was second to none. A truly exceptional tasting pizza!

The "Big Smoke signature pizza — The “Big Smoke signature pizza

Our second pizza was the healthier vegetarian option Mediterranean, consisting of roast pumpkin, red onion, mushroom, roasted capsicum, baby spinach, cheddar cheese and crumbled feta. Once again a quality pizza with superb flavour combinations and fabulous local produce.

Hahndorf’s Farm shed offers it customers some excellent food, in the comfort of Australia’s first Lutheran school. Although the price of meals can become expensive, there is no doubt about the quality of the food served and the freshness of the produce. Hahndorf is definitely one of those not to miss towns in South Australia, so spend a couple of days there. Make sure you have a meal at the Farm Shed and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional information

64 Main Street, Hahndorf SA 5245
Ph: 0451978848 or 0433155988
Website: www.farmshedonline.com

Price Range AUD$9.00 – $75.00

Book Available Accommodation in Hahndorf

Opening Hours

Mon: Closed

Tue: Closed

Wed: Closed

Thu: 11.30am to Close

Fri: 11.30am to Close

Sat: 11.30am to Close

Sun: 11.30am to Close

The Farm Shed rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =9
Atmosphere = 9
Service =8
Price = 7
Food =10

Overall = 9

*This post contains affiliate links

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Australia, Restaurants

Cafe Bavaria – Last Morning in Victor Harbor, South Australia

November 17, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

It’s our last morning in Victor Harbor, the birds are making their morning calls, and there’s a slight chill in the air. Encounter Bay is calm, and George the friendly Pelican is sitting on his rock. He’s patiently waiting for a local fisherman to come along and give him some breakfast. Unfortunately there’s no fisherman today and like us George has to hunt down his own breakfast. He heads off to fish and we make our way to Café Bavaria.

Located in the heart of Victor Harbor, Café Bavaria offers their customers indoor or al fresco dining and from the number of people situated at the tables you can tell it is quite popular. There are some workers in uniforms having breakfast together and some tourists like us looking for a good nourishing start to the day.

As it is still a little cold, and I’m a little precious, I convince Josie to sit inside at one of the small tables. As the name of the café suggests Café Bavaria is German influenced and the menu reflects the same, with some German dishes. The interior of the cafe isn’t fancy; there are a few scattered tables, a service counter and a full cake display.

Café Bavaria cake display — Look at all those fresh cakes! I wonder if I’ll be able to fit a slice in?

As I’m feeling a little hungry we select their “Full Monty” breakfast option, a serve of pancakes and two café lattes for that coffee fix.

Café Bavaria cafe lattes — The morning coffee fix

The pancakes were served with cream, maple syrup and blueberry compote. The three perfectly round pancakes were light and fluffy and the cream, maple syrup and blueberry compote gave them a sweet delicious finish.

Sweet pancakes with cream, maple syrup and blueberry compote

The aptly named dish the Full Monty comes with eggs of your choice. In this case poached, bacon, knackwurst sausage, grilled tomato, mushrooms, a hash brown and continental toast. The food was good and piled up of each other and we were unable to finish the entire meal. This would definitely be my go to meal if I was suffering from a hangover and in need of a large breakfast.

Café Bavaria Full Monty — Now this is the Full Monty

Verdict

Café Bavaria is a good place to have breakfast. The meals are quite large so make sure you bring your appetite. Service is quick and efficient and the coffees are small but very good. In regards to price, the meals do give you value for money. The shop may become busy quickly, so make sure you time your visit carefully. You may have to do some sightseeing around the foreshore before a table becomes free. So if you are looking for a good hearty breakfast in Victor Harbor try Café Bavaria. Enjoy the large meals and remember to tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional information

Café Bavaria 11 Albert Place, Victor Harbor
Ph: (08) 8552 7505
Website: www.cafebavaria.com.au

Business Hours: Daily 08:30am -03:30pm

Price Range: AUD$4.20 – $21.90

Café Bavaria rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =6
Atmosphere = 7
Service =8
Price = 9
Food =8

Overall = 7.5

*This post contains affiliate links

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Australia, Restaurants

Exploring Baudins Restaurant at McCracken, South Australia

November 15, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

After a busy day of having fun in Victor Harbor, you just want to have a nice relaxing meal. Maybe you’ve been exploring the local sights and enjoying that Fleurieu Peninsula hospitality. Hopefully you’ve jumped on the Cockle train to Goolwa or visited the educational South Australian Whale Centre. Now, you just want to rest have a good meal, a glass of wine and recap the days events. Well my advice is to make a night of it at Baudins Restaurant at the McCracken Country Club.

The Cockle Train from Victor Harbor to Goolwa

Baudins Restaurant is a part of the McCracken Country Club. The country club offers accommodation, an 18 hole golf course, bistro and Baudins Restaurant for a fine dining experience. To the left of the main entrance McCracken Country Clubs patrons enter a bar area which leads towards Baudins Restaurant. You are greeted at the main restaurant door by a waitress, and if your table is not ready you can make your way back to the bar for some pre dinner drinks.

Entry into the Baudin Restaurant — Entry into the Baudins Restaurant

The restaurant is in a large function room overlooking the picturesque golf course fairways. The tables are nicely spread out and consist of a mixture of booth tables and standard settings. Once our table was ready our waitress showed us to our booth table and we quickly settled in.

Baudin Restaurant dining area — Baudins Restaurant dining area

By comparison to other restaurants, the table was pretty bare. We didn’t have any place-settings, no cutlery, no side plates, just a stark table. It took about ten minutes before we were handed menus, which was not a good start. I could tell they were quite busy and with only two waitresses serving the room, you could see they were doing their best. It took about twenty minutes before we were served again to order food and some drinks and another 10 before the drinks arrived. Luckily the waitresses were friendly and we weren’t in any rush to leave.

The restaurants menu offers a good selection of meals created with locally sourced produce. We opted for the Chicken and Asparagus filled Filo pastry on a Napolitano base and the Twice cooked Pork Knuckle for our mains. For an entrée we chose a half a dozen Kilpatrick Oysters and for dessert we couldn’t resist trying the Eton Mess. Baudins restaurant also offers an excellent range of local wines to accompany your meal.

Some of the best Kilpatrick Oysters I’ve had in a long time

The meal started to arrive about twenty minutes after we ordered, which was a huge improvement from the initial service received. After eating the Kilpatrick Oysters all I can say is wow! The oysters were cooked to perfection and the balance of flavours was sensational. I must say these oysters were some of the best I’ve had. And do you know what, the food only got better from there.

Our mains arrived shortly after that and the chicken and asparagus filo was crispy, providing that crunch with every bite. The chicken and asparagus filling was not dry or over cooked. The filo encapsulating the moisture of the filling without it seeping through. Additionally ,that Napolitano puree added an extra smooth texture which enhanced a good meal.

What can I say about the twice cooked pork knuckle except it was a good size and the crackling was…. Awesome! It was served with creamy mashed potato, some braised cabbage and a spicy plum and ginger sauce. Full of flavour but a little hard to cut, more because I just didn’t know where to start. Do you go, crackling, meat, crackling, meat or do you have the vegetables first. Once I’d made my choice it was delicious and extremely filling. The plum and ginger sauce combined with the pork was always going to be an absolute winner.

With the main courses out of the way we patiently waited for our Eton Mess. Again we weren’t disappointed with the product placed in front of us. Unfortunately with no spoons available we had to wait while the staff searched for suitable spoons. It was a case of, do I need a spoon to eat this? I’m sure the other patrons would understand! It is Eton Mess! Although they returned with two different spoons it didn’t matter, as the Eton Mess was fantastic. The folding of meringue with the smooth cream and raspberry coulis was tantalising on the palate. Baudins’ Eton Mess was a perfect way to finish off a quality meal.

The Verdict

In my honest opinion Baudins Restaurant has a lot of potential to be an elite restaurant. I’d say the kitchen cohesion and food preparation must be excellent, because it reflects on the food that they produce and present to their customers. I cannot fault the food, the flavour, the menu options, they were all excellent. My main concern is the main room floor management needs a little improvement. The staff is friendly and helpful but the lack of room control, makes them look a little overwhelmed. A little thing like showing your customers to their tables with menus in hand gives the service some efficiency. Pre-setting tables so your customers aren’t waiting for cutlery, all reflect a well thought out service. With quality food on offer these minor front of house issues should be easily rectified.

When you are in Victor Harbor, I recommend making your way to Baudins Restaurant, their food is excellent and you must try their Eton Mess, over and over again. Have a great evening, drink some good local wines and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

McCracken Country Club’s Baudins Restaurant additional information.

For Bookings, Baudins Restaurant is located at the McCracken Country Club, McCraken Drive, Victor Harbor. Phone: 08 8551 0200

Book your McCraken Country Club Accomodation here

Baudins Restaurant is open for dinner service Tuesday – Saturday nights

Entrée Prices range from AUD$6.00 – $16.00 Main meals AUD$18.00 – $44.00 Dessert prices AUD$9.90 – $16.90

Baudins Restaurant rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =8
Atmosphere = 8
Service =6
Price = 8
Food =10

Overall = 8

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Australia, Hotels and Accommodation

The Bluff Resort Apartments

November 9, 2016 OurWorldinReview 1 Comment

One of the hardest choices when travelling is finding the right place to stay in. With so many hotels, resorts and Airbnb apartments to stay in it all comes down to location and cost per night. On our recent trip to Victor Harbor we planned to Quad Bike at Waitpinga Farm and spend time in the main tourist area of Victor Harbor. After some research we decided the Bluff Resort Apartments would fit the bill nicely, so I quickly organised a room.

The Bluff Resort Apartments is situated on the side of Rosetta Head. Rosetta Head overlooks the entrance to Encounter Bay and has spectacular views of the ocean. The Bluff Resort boasts a history going back to 1836, with it currently located on the old whaler’s station site. The resort contains 42 apartments on various levels. The first level has balcony views of the bay and township. Whilst the rear offset level studio apartments have limited views. Each apartment has one car park per room. Seaside apartments having access to undercover parks whilst other rooms only have open parking.

The reception is located between the two main buildings next to the resorts sparkling clear blue pool. Due to our expected late arrival we were offered an after-hours key drop service. Although not needed it was nice to know that we didn’t need to rush to ensure we could check in.

Queen bed in a offset rear room at Bluff Resort Apartment — Queen bed in a suite

After the friendly check in, we were allocated one of the rear suites. These rooms are fairly large and capable of accommodating a family of four. The suite contains a queen bed for the parents and a fold out lounge for the kids.

Bluff Resort Apartments — Fold out lounge for the kids to accommodate four people

The rooms have a self-contained shower cubicle and a separate toilet. Both rooms are tiled from floor to ceiling and would get pretty cold on a frosty morning. Luckily the room does have a working heater/air conditioner so you can set the room to your own comfort level. Other room accessories include, an iron, cups, crockery and that all important hair dryer.

Each room comes with an in-room coffee supply and a fridge containing milk. Not your measly little pod milks that you get in major hotels, but a 250ml fresh bottle. Hallelujah! The rooms also have local television with 8 other satellite channels featuring sport, films, news and children’s programs. Rooms also come with free Wi-Fi in case you need to log onto that device.

Bluff Resort Apartments Coffee and Tea Selection — Coffee and Tea Selection

Bluff Resort Apartment Features and Information

The facilities solar heated swimming pool is located out the front of the hotel overlooking the bay. Opening hours are 8am – 9pm during the summer. 8am – 8pm during spring and autumn and if you’re daring enough you can swim in the winter from 8am – 5pm.

Bluff Resort swimming pool — Crystal clear swimming pool. Still too cold to go for a swim. Maybe next time.

BBQ facilities are also located next to the swimming pool and are available during pool opening times. The only condition is that you leave the area tidy after use.

BBQ Area Bluff Resort Apartments — It’s time for a BBQ

The resort is located right next to Eat @ Whalers and although adjoining the resort it is a separate business offering breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Reception is manned daily from 8am -5pm Sunday to Thursday and 8am – 6pm Friday and Saturday. Snacks and some personal products are available to purchase if you can’t make it to a local shop. The resort also has a guest laundry located next to the pool that is open 24 hours. Laundry powder is available to purchase from the reception.

Check in: 2pm Check Out: 10am

Price Range: AUD$155 Suite – AUD$385 3 Bedroom Apartment

Verdict

The Bluff Resort Apartments are a comfortable clean resort that has a lot going for it. Currently their views of the bay are outstanding, but with a new development occurring in front of the resort views may possibly diminish. We did enjoy our stay here and was chuffed by having enough real milk in the room to both enjoy a in house coffee. You know, the little things! We would happily stay at the Bluff Resort Apartments again and believe you would too. So book a night or two and remember to tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Service = 8
Comfort=8
Cleanliness = 8
Price = 8
Facilities =8

Overall = 8

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Australia, Restaurants

Whales, Penguins and the Hotel Crown at Victor Harbor, South Australia

November 6, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

I have always liked going to Victor Harbor. The relaxed lifestyle with the possibility of seeing whales frolic and socialise or visiting Granite Island’s local penguin colony, has always held some amazement. Usually after exploring the conservation areas, we seem to always end up in one of the pubs for a drink and a quick meal. This trip we ended up at the Hotel Crown for lunch to see what they have on offer.

Warland Reserve Water Fountain — Whale Tail Fountain in Warland Reserve

The Hotel Crown overlooks Warland Reserve and the causeway that leads out to Granite Island. From the outside it is a beautiful historic two storey building. Once you enter you find yourself in a large dining area. We end up sitting next to some glass windows that lookout into a water featured pond and check out the sizeable menu.

The Hotel Crown offer an average range of pub fare. This includes salads, burgers, schnitzels, seafood and other meat dishes. Food prices range from AUD$12.90 for a plain small schnitzel or roast to the Seafood for 2 platter for AUD$49.90. They also provide a good selection of wines with a per glass cost of AUD$4.50 – AUD$10 and bottles ranging from AUD$20 – AUD$50. Each meal comes with access to the salad bar and daily soup.

Salad Bar — A well stocked salad bar, all fresh and delicious

We couldn’t resist the sensational value of the Seafood for 2 platter option. It consisted of Natural Oysters, Grilled Scallops, Baked Mussels, Crisp Fried Squid, Grilled Prawns, Crumbed Salmon, Chips, Aioli and a Bottle of Morgan’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc or Shiraz – Cabernet. Exceptional value!

We help ourselves to the salad bar and tried their chicken and sweet corn soup. The salad is fresh and the options are very good, which is a positive for any vegetarians as I could find only one vegetarian main course, their AUD$17.90 Falafel Burger. It isn’t too long before our Seafood for 2 platter is brought out and from a visual inspection it looks good.

The natural oysters are a perfect start with a squeeze of lemon juice. Next is the grilled scallops, which are covered with a crumbed baked, and immediately on taste you lose the subtle flavour of the scallops as they are simply overpowered by the seasoned crumbed bake. We follow that up with the baked mussel, which again is covered with a crumbed seasoning, but this time it works, the strong flavour of the mussels isn’t drowned out by the topping.

The grilled prawns are fantastic, they hold in the moisture and are not dried out and are excellently cooked. The crumbed salmon is fine, it’s like you get in most fish and chip shops minus the litres to oil. The chips are a good size and the tartar and aioli sauces are also okay. Unfortunately the big loser of the dish is the crisp fried squid, it had a burnt oil flavour. It was like it started out as a salt and pepper squid. It was then deep fried and overcooked leaving the taste of burnt oil and seasoning. We had to leave the squid mainly untouched. My recommendation is for the Hotel Crown to reconsider their presentation options of some the the platters elements. The Morgan’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc was young but a good quaff.

Morgan's Bay Sauvignon Blanc — Morgan’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc

The Hotel Crown is good pub, and from the amount of patrons visiting at lunchtime it is a popular one. Its location is fantastic and their dining area is large with tables dotted around the room with plenty of mobility, so wheelchair access is favourable. Like most pubs in Australia they have counter service and except most major credit cards. They are also in Adelaide’s entertainment book which offers 25% off the total bill up to AUD$35.

Overall the Hotel Crown is a friendly pub, which offers average pub fare. Honestly, we were a bit surprised by the Seafood for 2 platter, because it is exceptional value. They have plenty of things going for it, like a play room for children. Thankfully young parents can have a bit of a rest while their children entertain themselves. Another generous offer is that from Monday to Friday, children eat free for lunch and dinner. All we can say is give them a chance but don’t expect too much and if you do visit, tell them Simon for Ourworldinreview sent you!

Booking Information

The Hotel Crown is located at 2 Ocean Street, Victor Harbor.

Victor Harbor offers various affordable options for accommodation.

Hotel Crown rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor =6
Atmosphere = 6
Service =6
Price = 9
Food =6

Overall = 6.5

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McCracken Country Club’s Baudins Restaurant additional information.

Baudins Restaurant rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Bluff Resort Apartment Features and Information

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Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Booking Information

Hotel Crown rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

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