Tag Archives: #Adelaiderestaurants

Milano Cuccina, Adelaide – A taste of Italy

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
Milano Cuccina interior

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.

Milano Cuccina
Milano Big Breakfast

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
Milano Cuccina
Plain Toast with Vegemite

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.

Milano Cuccina
al fresco dining

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

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
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.

Thai Crispy Chicken with a Papaya salad
Thai Crispy Chicken with a Papaya salad

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.

Lemongrass Lamb
Hot and spicy, Lemongrass Lamb

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
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.

Coconut Panna Cotta with mixed berries
Coconut Panna Cotta with mixed berries

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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Gringo’s Mexican Cantina, Adelaide

A lazy Sunday called for a casual lunch out with tasty favourites on the menu. Gringo’s Mexican Cantina met the requirements nicely, especially with our resident vegetarian to be catered for.

Gringo's service counter
Gringo’s service counter

The restaurant is a casual family venue, decorated in Mexican colours with trinkets and styling to match. It has a very comfortable, warm feeling to the place. We had been rained on as we arrived so this was particularly pleasant.

Inside the front door
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Table number 10

As we drooled over the menu, we tossed up a few of the meals. A small serve of gluten free nachos for $19.50AUD was the first choice, of course opting for the vegetarian, which in this case is standard. Meat and jalapenos can be added for a small extra cost. We then tossed up between enchiladas, a trio of dips and a taco combo. All menu items have a vegetarian option, so this provided lots of choices instead of the usual two or three some places offer. We finally chose the trio of dips for $18.50AUD and proceeded to the counter to place our order.

Our drinks were brought to our table almost immediately, and we admired the use of a recycled jar for the lemon, lime and bitters.

Lemon Lime & Bitters in recycled jar
Lemon Lime & Bitters in recycled jar
The colours of Mexico
The colours of Mexico

 

 

Barely a few sips later, our food arrived, and while it looked so good, we immediately realised we had pretty much ordered the same dish twice. The three dips were guacamole, salsa and frijole with corn chips. Exactly the same as the nachos, it was just missing the sour cream on top! Luckily, it was all delicious. Next time though, I will ensure we order something a little different.

Nachos
Nachos
Trio of dips
Trio of dips

Overall Gringo’s Mexican Cantina provided a relaxed Sunday lunch atmosphere with tasty well priced food. This seems like a great option for families with young children , with understanding staff, a kids menu and high chairs available. The restaurant was about 75% full during our visit, but the service was prompt and friendly. Additionally don’t worry if you can’t a table as takeaway is also available.

Head in for a visit to Gringo’s Mexican Cantina, and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you.

Gringo’s Mexican Cantina is located at 1 Colley Terrace, Glenelg South.

Visit their Facebook page here.

Gringo’s Mexican Cantina rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

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

Overall = 8

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My Tho City Restaurant, Adelaide – Not just a drive by!

I probably drive to the city once or twice a week. I head down busy Port Road which seems to always have road works happening.  During these trips I pass My Tho City Restaurant and wonder how much business they get and if the food is good.  The My Tho City Restaurant is a lone restaurant located on a busy section of Port Road within a business area. Every time I drive past, I’m either in bumper to bumper traffic, or accelerating to get away from the traffic lights to get ahead of the traffic flow following.

During a recently planned family get together, it was suggested by Josie’s cousin that we give My Tho City Restaurant a try and we jumped at the chance. The restaurant is a located at 199 Port Road Hindmarsh and offers its customers Vietnamese cuisine. It is situated in a renovated house between two buildings which looks a bit out of place. Once there we had no trouble parking with various  choices available along Port road or if you feeling healthy you can park in the Adelaide Entertainment car park and walk the 5 minutes back to the restaurant.

Outdoor dining area
Outdoor dining area

The converted home has an outside undercover dining where the front verandah would normally be and the interior has been opened up to allow a large dining area. The main dining room is decorated with various traditional Vietnamese items, a large fish tank and a bar area.

Vietnamese rickshaw
Anybody up for a ride?
Bar area
Drink anyone, they have a good selection of wines to choose from.

The menu is fairly extensive with a large selection of traditional Vietnamese dishes and a good selection of local wines. If you can’t choose a wine they do allow BYO with a AUD$15 corkage fee. With so many good dishes to sample we noticed that they offer four banquet options that give you the chance to sample a variety of different dishes. We opted for the AUD$34 per head banquet called “The Gourmet”. The gourmet banquet consisted of six dishes with tea or coffee to finish. The first dish was the My Tho mixed entrée plate, which contained chicken skewers, golden spring rolls, fried wonton and crispy sesame prawn toast. We all had a decent share of the plate and each sample was a perfect starter to a long meal.

My Tho Entree Mixed Plate
This entrée mixed plate was the perfect starter to a good meal

The next dish to arrive was their beef salad sensation, a fresh cos lettuce leaf, cabbage, onion and beef, topped with a savoury dressing, coriander and broken peanuts. The salad was refreshing and the subtle flavours cleansed the palate.

Beef salad sensation
Beef salad sensation

Our third dish for the evening was their salt and pepper squid in light spices. They were lightly battered, salt and peppered portions which were cooked to perfection. The soft texture from the lightly oiled batter and the perfectly cooked squid lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper was delightful.

Salt and Pepper Squid
Salt and Pepper Squid

Soon the grilled chicken in herbs and spices arrived and was once again topped with a crumbled nut. The chicken was good without being exceptional. It was nicely cooked and the chicken skin was covered with various herbs and spices, but the flavour was a little too delicate to make it memorable.

Grilled Chicken in herbs and spices
Grilled Chicken in herbs and spices

A combination chicken hot pot with roasted cashew nuts and a large serving of special fried rice, were the final two dishes of the banquet. The combination hot pot, was full of chicken, prawns, bok choy, baby corn, capsicum, carrot and green beans. The hot pot had a good balance of textures and flavours. The large serving of special fried rice was not fancy. You can get the same dish from any Asian restaurant, but it was filling and rounded off the perfect meal.

Combination chicken with roasted cashew nut hot pot
Combination chicken with roasted cashew nut hot pot
Special Fried Rice
Special Fried Rice

After the meals are complete and the dishes are cleared, we finished it all off with a final cup of tea or coffee.

Overall the My Tho City Restaurant wasn’t what I expected. This nice comfortable restaurant isn’t in the best location on Port road, due to the volume of traffic that can bank up. But I could happily go back and do it all again. The service staff were attentive and welcoming. There also weren’t too fussed with me walking around taking photos, so that’s a bonus. The My Tho City Restaurant is well worth the stop, so don’t be like I was and drive by saying “I’ll might try that one day”. My advice is don’t just say it, do it, and when you do, tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

My Tho City Restaurant rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

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

Overall = 8

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Zuma Caffe – Adelaide Central Market

About a week ago we posted a popular blog report on the Adelaide Central Market. With all those scents, sounds and fresh produce stalls offering beautiful food and flavours to its customers we had to make sure we tried one of their cafés. After walking around the market we decided that Zuma Caffe was going to be our lunchtime stop.

Zuma Caffe
Entrance from the Adelaide Central Market

Zuma Caffe is at 56 Gouger Street Adelaide, and the store’s rear backs into the Adelaide Central Market. The shop has seating inside the market, along Gouger street and around ten small tables inside the café. Zuma Caffe is popular with the patrons that attend the markets and it is usually difficult to get a table. Some patience may be required.

Zuma Caffe interior
Zuma’s a small shop with a few tables inside, with photos on the walls

The inside of the shop is two colours,  bright yellow above and blue below which gives the small shop a feeling of a brighter larger space. There are various photo frames on the wall and a nice art piece above the service counter to give it an urban flavour. The tables are small so some repositioning of drinks and food may be required to fit everything ordered.

Wall art above the service counter
Art above the service counter

Zuma Caffe has breakfast and lunch menus available. Breakfast is served Monday – Friday from 7am to 11:30am and Saturdays from 7am to 3pm. The breakfast menu has a good selection of food ranging from AUD$4.90 for a piece of toast to AUD$17.90 for a “Full On”. Their lunch options are a little more limited. The day we were there the Braised Pork Roll and the Chicken Schnitzel were unavailable. Although the selection is limited there was still enough dishes to choose from. Lunch meals range from AUD$12.90 to AUD$19.

Today we selected the Caesar Salad with Chicken, which contained Cos lettuce, crispy bacon, gluten free croutons, parmesan, anchovies and poached egg, topped with Zuma’s house made dressing. The Caesar salad was large and filling, with nice sized chunks of chicken. The dressing had a nice flavour and the egg was poached well. I had trouble locating the anchovies and the croutons were a bit hit and miss. Some were very hard, so hard that I was worried I’d break a tooth, whilst the others were nicely crunchy. I would have no trouble ordering the dish again, but next time without the croutons.

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The other selection for the day was the mushroom, spinach and roast capsicum frittata with fetta on their specials board. The frittata came out with a lovely Greek salad which was quickly consumed. The frittata itself had good flavour and although reheated and a little spongy, it was still a nicely presented vegetarian meal.

Mushroom, Spinach and Roast Capsicum Frittata
Mushroom, Spinach and Roast Capsicum Frittata

Overall Zuma Caffe is a small, thriving eatery in the Adelaide Central Market with decent food. They make do with the space they have and the service is quick and efficient. The store is clean and the staff are friendly. The café is licensed so if you would like a glass of wine or beer with your meal then that’s also fine. It is a busy café, so you may need to time your meal to avoid the lunchtime rush.

We liked Zuma Caffe and we are sure you will like them too. So have breakfast or lunch and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Zuma Caffe rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

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

Overall = 7

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Red Lime Shack, Adelaide – Deliciously Healthy

I have been regularly driving past the Red Lime Shack for a couple of years now and thinking I must try them out. Finally we got there, and I can promise it will not take as long to go back again!

The Red Lime Shack is a vegan cafe situated on St Vincent Street in Port Adelaide. It has been around for a few years now and has had accolades in the past with The Advertiser voting their veggie burger the best in the state in 2014.

Red Lime Shack
Red Lime Shack

The cafe itself has a very strong community feel to it. The furniture is a mismatched hodgepodge of comfy chairs and sofas, with some areas with tables for food, but others for relaxing with a coffee. There are also tables outside for when the weather is nice or if you have your doggy friend with you.  There are many causes being promoted on the counters and surrounds, with paintings and other items for sale from local artists. The walls are covered in posters promoting local events or events that will appeal to the vegan community.

dsc01434
Red Lime Shack
Red Lime Shack
Red Lime Shack
Comfy seats inside, other seating outside.
Comfy seats inside, other seating outside.

My favourite part of the cafe was a free book exchange. Customers are free to swap any books they like from the shelves with ones they have finished reading. There looked to be a decent selection of books on the shelves just waiting to be picked up. Next to the shelves was also a small table to cater for children with some colouring items and toys. Overall, there is a great atmosphere at the Red Lime Shack and I felt immediately comfortable and relaxed.

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Book Exchange
Kids corner
Kids corner

We had called in for lunch. I myself am not vegetarian, but my dining companion was. The menu is actually vegan, but had a great range of items. Red Lime Shack is a breakfast/lunch/coffee venue, so they serve an all day breakfast menu. We chose to have the fruit salad from the breakfast menu but without banana, and this was no problem at all. Of course we also had to try the award winning burger – this one was a pecan, sweet potato and maple patty with fresh salad, onion jam, mustard and tahini mayo. There was also the option of a gluten free bun, but we went with the standard. This was washed down with a BerryRipe fruit smoothly.

Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad
BerryRipe Fruit Smoothie
BerryRipe Fruit Smoothie
Veggie Burger
Veggie Burger
Some of the pies for dessert.
Some of the pies for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to say much about a fruit salad, but this one was fresh and plentiful for the AUD$9 we paid for it. The burger for AUD$11 was delicious, not at all dry like some veggie burgers I have tried in the past, and with a great mix of flavours. The only bad part was that it was so filling we  had to forgo the signature raw lime pie for dessert.

We also did not get a chance to try the organic coffees, but will be back to do so. There is a frequent customer offer with coffee, once you buy seven, the eighth cup is free. Another menu item at the Red Lime Shack is a Suspended Coffee. As a customer I can purchase one, but it is held to be served to a local disadvantaged community member at a future date. Just another way the local community is being supported by this great cafe.

Overall a great, economical place to grab a quick lunch or breakfast in Port Adelaide, to have a business meeting or to meet friends for a coffee. The food may be vegan, but it is tasty and you will not even notice the missing ingredients. Their menu can be found on the website here to get you drooling before you arrive and remember to tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

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

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

Overall = 8

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Early Morning Breakfast at Cafe Brunelli, Adelaide

Cafe Brunelli has been a mainstay of the Rundle Street dining precinct for well over a decade. Famous for their wood oven pizza’s, the Ourworldinreview team stopped in to try out Cafe Brunelli’s breakfast menu. We have previously experienced their lunch and dinner menus at one of their other stores in West Lakes, so why not complete the trifecta.

al fresco dining
Outdoor dining is no problem at Cafe Brunelli’s

Cafe Brunelli’s city store is located at 187 Rundle Street, Adelaide, in the main hustle and bustle of the city’s popular East end. The cafe has a large dining area and offers inside and outdoor dining options. The tables and chairs are a standard wooden setting inside, and they have weather resistant seating outside. They’re not the most comfortable of seats inside, but they suit the styling of the cafe.

Cafe Brunelli interior
The wooden table and chairs suit the styling of the room, although not really comfortable.

Once inside you can’t help but gravitate towards the fresh cake section for the visual treat. If you are like me, the first decision is which cake to order if there is room left after a big breakfast.

Cakes at Brunelli's
So many treats, I’m having the Banana Caramel Bomb

The breakfast menu isn’t huge, but there is enough there to make you consider what you are having. We opted for the Blueberry Pancakes with maple syrup, served with strawberries and cream. These fluffy pancakes were not overpoweringly sweet, but once  finished we couldn’t eat another bite.

Blueberry Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes – not overpoweringly sweet but filling

The other dish we tried was the Eggs Royale. The dish consisted of poached eggs served with smashed avocado, smoked salmon covered with hollandaise sauce on a toasted Italian styled bread. The eggs were cooked perfectly, and when carved into, the eggs released a yellow explosion of egg yoke. The hollandaise sauce was good but became a little sickly once closer to finishing the meal.

Eggs Royale
Eggs Royale, the yellow explosion of the poached eggs once you cut into them was nice.

 

We made sure we tried Cafe Brunelli’s coffee and ordered two nice warm lattes to complete the breakfast. They were delicious, small, warm and milky.

Lattes
These small, warm, milky Lattes were good

 

Cafe Brunelli on Rundle street is a large popular cafe, and with so many tables available, you shouldn’t have any trouble in getting a seat in the morning. If you opt to visit  for lunch or dinner, you can try your luck or book. Find their details here. The meals are quite large so don’t go overboard ordering heaps, unless you know you are a big eater. Ordering of food is done at the service counter and the prices for breakfast are reasonable, ranging between AUD$10-18 especially for the amount of food you get.

Brunelli’s will not rush you out the door, and they also offer food and movie deals by their affiliation with the Palace Cinemas near by. So this could be a good food and entertainment option when you are in the city with friends or family.

If you can’t get into the city they also have stores located at the West Lakes Mall and at 489 Payneham Road, Felixstow.  Next time you’re in the city have a meal at Cafe Brunelli and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

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

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

Overall = 7.5

Pizza Oven
Couldn’t resist posting this photo, what an incredible looking wood oven!

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The Union Hotel, Adelaide – A slice of Adelaide History

The city of Adelaide is not short of a pub or two, or three, or even four. This means that with so many places to have a drink in a city of approximately 1.3 million people the publicans have to find something that sets them apart from the rest. The Kent Town Hotel created the jungle room by building an indoor jungle canopy. The Largs Pier Hotel has a unique rock and roll history offering their patrons a luxury experience with heritage accommodation. Recently the Ourworldinreview team went to the Union Hotel to discover what they have done to make themselves stand out.

The Union Hotel is located at 70 Waymouth Street and is marketed as Adelaide’s original Gastropub. A Gastropub is a trendy bar that serves high quality food and the Union Hotel puts a lot of effort into maintaining a modern contemporary menu.

The building exterior showcases one of Adelaide’s classic historic buildings. The Union Hotel was established in 1855 and has continued to faithfully served Adelaide’s population. When you enter, you can see the hotel has had some modern renovations and updated interior design. They also have this beautiful stain glass skylight letting in the morning sun.

Stain glass skylight
Skylight letting in the morning sun

The corner entrance of the hotel leads into Bar Cuba a small front bar and positive introduction into this modern gastropub. From there the bar separates into three different room types, a casual informal area, a lounge dining room and the more formal dining area.

Casual drinking area
The casual drinking area with the alcove at the back.

The casual drinking area has long benches with stools and a private alcove table where large work groups can mingle for that after work drink and quick pizza.

Pizza Time
It’s Pizza Time, woo hoo!

The major dining area is neatly set out with standard tables and chairs, and has a more formal dining atmosphere.

Formal Dining Room
Formal dining room

Between these two main rooms there is also a small lounge dining area which has a door leading into the small gaming room.

Lounge Dining Area
Lounge Dining Area
Poker Machines at Union Hotel
The Gaming Room

The Union Hotel’s menu gives its customers a good selection of modern contemporary dishes to choose from. After you have selected your meal, head over to the bar and place your order. We opted for the Chorizo Bucatini Pasta for AUD$22  and the Marinated Pork Scotch for AUD$28.

The Chorizo Bucatini Pasta was durum wheat bucatini, mixed with chorizo, chilli, garlic, roasted capsicum, baby spinach and a white wine creamy pesto sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the flavours were well balanced with that little extra kick from the chilli.

Chorizo Bucatini Pasta
Chorizo Bucatini Pasta

The presentation of the marinated pork scotch was picturesque. It consisted of a rectangle block of fried polenta, spicy chorizo, a broccoli floret, caramelised apple and a superbly cooked pork scotch. The meal was covered in a subtle fruit gastrique & red wine jus. Carving into the scotch was fantastic exposing succulent white meat. This entwined with sweet and spicy flavour combination was excellent.

Marinated Pork Scotch
Marinated Pork Scotch

Overall the Union Hotel lives up to its marketing and is truly an excellent gastropub. I commend the Union Hotel for putting so much effort in to provide good quality meals for its customers. The Union Hotel’s offering doesn’t stop there either. They have a good range of craft beers on tap, as well as your more common beers and an excellent wine selection.

For more information on what’s  happening at the Union Hotel or what they can provide, visit them here. The Union Hotel is perfect place to relax after work, or enjoy a special occasion with a good meal. So next time you are in the city, make sure you pop into the Union Hotel. Stay for a drink, have a meal and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

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

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

Overall = 8

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Paul’s Seafood on Gouger Restaurant, Adelaide

One thing is certain, restaurants come and go. If they have the right location, market wisely and deliver what they say they’re going to deliver, then there is a chance of maintaining a sustainable business. The generation of a loyal customer base will drive owner’s to promote the business to attract a greater market share. Us.  I wonder if Bill Paul in 1946 had this in mind when he opened Paul’s Seafood on Gouger Restaurant located at 79 Gouger Street, Adelaide?

I suspect in his own way he did, but I’m sure he would be ecstatic that his dream restaurant has become an Adelaide seafood icon, which has stood the test of time.

There is not much fanfare when it comes to the shop front, it has a dated, but neat frontage with protected side-walk dining for those warmer nights. The interior of the restaurant reminds me of a timber fishing cabin or the poop deck of an old pirate ship. It has two dining levels with wooden tables and cushioned seating.

Paul's Seafood Restaurant
Dining Area and one of the best waitresses we’ve ever had!
The upper dining level
The upper dining level

We were quickly shown to our table near the bar, they must have known we are partial to that odd glass of wine. The waitress who was looking after us was fantastic. She understood the menu, the wines and her bubbly personality and friendly advice encouraged us to purchase more than we originally intended. Her incredible talents are a huge asset to Paul’s Seafood on Gouger restaurant, so hopefully they will be able to hold onto staff like this.

Paul’s Seafood Restaurant’s food and wine menus are large. There is a full range of fresh seafood available to view in the front counters refrigerated section. After a little consideration we decided to try the Seafood Platter for two for AUD$76.90 between two people and the Kilpatrick Oysters (AUD31.90) which the waitresses enthusiasm convinced us to order. We also ordered some Petaluma ‘White Label’ Sauvignon Blanc, once again recommended by the waitress to match our meal.

Fresh and delicious Kilpatrick Oysters
Fresh and delicious Kilpatrick Oysters

Our order started to arrive within ten minutes and the Kilpatrick oysters were delicious. The fresh tasting Coffin Bay oysters were small by comparison to others we’ve had, but excellent. The seafood platter was stacked with garfish, prawn and scallop skewers and calamari. Because there was so much the salad and roasted potatoes were brought out on separate plates.

Grilled Prawn Skewer covered with lemon juice
Grilled Prawn Skewer covered with lemon juice
The Seafood Platter on three plates
The Seafood Platter on three plates

 

We opted for the healthier grilled version of the platter which was a little dry in some places, especially with the prawn skewers. Unfortunately that can occur when you are opting for the healthier choice. The battered seafood platter would be the way to go when ordering this dish. Saying that, the grilled platter was still good.

Overall I think Bill Paul would be proud of the restaurant he created 70 years ago. Paul’s Seafood on Gouger is definitely worth trying, so if you are in the city head down Gouger Street and check out what fish he has on offer. When your there remember to tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Paul’s Seafood on Gouger Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

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

Overall = 8

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Going Beyond India, Adelaide

Located at 170 O’Connell Street, Beyond India is a popular Indian restaurant on the busy restaurant strip in North Adelaide. We visited on a Saturday night with a group of seven people to enjoy their authentic cuisine.

On arrival Beyond India was already bustling with people. I was very glad we had made a booking as I think it would be unlikely to find many free tables on a Saturday night. We were seated immediately, and while waiting for the rest of our group were offered drinks. The waitress was quite attentive throughout the evening often visiting our table to ask if we wanted more drinks or food.

Beyond India have an extensive menu for food and wine, including two different types of banquets. Prices for mains range from AUD$14 to AUD$28, with most meals falling between AUD$18-$20. We decided to order as a group, so we could all try a few different mains. Our order consisted of mostly typical Indian fare – Butter Chicken, Chicken Korma, Lamb Roganjosh, Beef Dhansak,  Navarattan Korma and Jaipuri Chicken Tikka. We ordered both a lamb and chicken biryani in place of plain rice and of course some mixed naan to share. One member of our party suggested we also add the lime and ginger naan, as something a bit different.

Chicken Biryani hiding under the pastry cover.
Chicken Biryani hiding under the pastry cover.
Jaipuri Chicken Tikka
Jaipuri Chicken Tikka
Lamb Rogan Josh
Lamb Rogan Josh
A selection of dishes
A selection of dishes

Our meals arrived in a timely manner even though the restaurant was quite busy. The amount we had ordered was perfect for seven hungry adults. The food was superb! The meats were tender and full of flavour for all dishes. I even heard one member of our group proclaim that the butter chicken was the best he had ever tasted!

As well as the delicious food, we had two bottles of wine, some beers and soft drinks. Beyond India is in the Entertainment Book (a popular discount publication) for Adelaide and we were able to use vouchers for a 25% discount. This brought the price per head down to $26.50AUD – a very good price for a very tasty meal.

For those of you that cant’ get to North Adelaide, Beyond India also have a second location in Modbury, which is north of the city centre. Their website includes the full menu and drinks list to check out before arriving. Online ordering is  available when takeaway is your preferred dining option.

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

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

Overall = 9

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