If you’ve read my earlier post Frequent Flying to Jerusalem you would have read Josie and I have been involved in a couple of internet groups that like to meet up for dinner, conversation and in this case ‘books’. We have been involved in the worldwide activity of Bookcrossing for quite a long time and through Bookcrossing we have met many book lovers from all over the world. Bookcrossing has also given us the opportunity to travel overseas and interstate to attend their annual conventions. For more information about Bookcrossing, please check out their website, www.bookcrossing.com.
Tonight we are meeting up at our usual meeting place Caffe Amoré, located on the corner of Pulteney Street and Pirie St, Adelaide SA 5000. Caffe Amoré is owned and run by Rob and Lori, a couple of lovely people who are always friendly and helpful. Their establishment is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and they also have an upstairs function area that can accommodate 130 people. After a conversation with Rob, he advised that in the event of someone wanting to book the function area, they will actually close the cafe for the selected night and allow the booking party access to both levels.
When you first walk into the cafe, you notice that it is clean, with relatively modern furnishings. There is a scattering of plants in selected spots throughout the premises and they also have an ATM in case you decide you want to extend your night and visit a few of Adelaide’s bars and nightclubs.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is friendly, and when we were there, there were a lot of people playing backgammon at various tables. So it shows Rob and Lori don’t worry if their customers stay as long as they like, and they don’t put pressure on you if you decide to just hang around and have a chat over a coffee or two.
The service is also quite quick, but you will need to go up to the central service counter to order, as they don’t have enough staff to provide full table service. They accept most credit cards, with additional fees incurred on Amex purchases.
Caffe Amoré has their standard menu, which has a large variety of Italian influenced cuisines, from pizzas, pastas and main dishes. They also have an extensive drinks list, so you won’t have to worry about choices for good quality wines or imported beers. In addition to their standard menu they also have a seasonal specials menu, which changes a couple times a year. As we have been coming here for a substantial amount of time, we have had the opportunity to sample most of their fare and from a foodies point of view their food is pretty good. The chefs have a good eye for produce, and the flavours and presentation of food they prepare is easy on the eye and palate. I can put my hand over my heart and say, “I have never had a bad meal at Caffe Amoré”.
Tonight we opted for a Margarita Pizza and a side of chips from their main menu, the Surf n Turf from their specials menu, finished with and banana caramel cream tart. I also asked our good friend Pete about his selection, the Chicken Parmigiana-infused, also from the specials menu.
Now you can’t really get a Margarita Pizza wrong, the dough is rolled out nicely with no air bubbles, topped graciously with cheese, fresh tomato, olive oil, garlic and basil. This is the goto pizza for my girls, so I always get no complaints about this simple but flavoursome pizza. The chips are delicious, not over cooked or under cooked, with a sprinkling of salt to taste.
My Surf n Turf consisted of a chargrilled scotch fillet with creamy garlic lemon prawns, with a side serve of chips and garden salad. I ordered my steak medium rare so it could still be identified as steak. When it arrived, I thought, “you know what, they haven’t let me down” my steak was cooked to perfection, it was easy to carve into and the succulent juices emitting from the steak were wonderful. The prawns were of average size, so didn’t overtake the visual spectacle of the dish and the creamy garlic lemon sauce was very good. I did at one stage catch myself trying to soak up the rest of the sauce with my chips, trying to get every droplet and didn’t care if anyone saw me. It was just one of those dishes. I washed it down with a nice glass of Maglieri Cabernet Sauvignon a South Australian wine from McLaren Vale, which went extremely well with my steak…a good choice.
Our good friend Pete, opted to try the Chicken Parmigiana – Infused. I know what your thinking “infused?” The description of the meal is a baked crumbed chicken breast, spread with sweet chilli hollandaise and mozzarella cheese, again served with a side salad and chips. When it arrived at the table, both Pete and I looked at each other and commented about the amount of mozzarella covering every millimetre of the crumbed chicken breast. As Pete took his first bite he was unsure about the mixture of flavours, but shrugged if off and continued to consume his meal. By the end of the meal, his confusion of flavours was gone and he was ready to highly recommended the meal. So I think next time I’m here I’m going to give it a go.
My banana caramel cream tart was creamy with a rich flavour and a smooth texture, which topped off a good meal and a good night.
In regards to value for money, the serving sizes are quite decent so I believe you are getting value for your spend. Pastas have an average price of AUD$20, pizzas come in three sizes, a small for around AUD$15, a medium for around AUD$16 and a large for around AUD$22. Main course average at about AUD$24 and bottles of beer and glasses of wine ranging from AUD$6 – $9.
Overall, I would recommend this lovely cafe restaurant, so if you decide to try Caffe Amoré or book out their function room, say hello to Rob and Lori and tell them Simon from OurWorldinReview sent you!
Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)
Decor = 8
Atmosphere = 7
Service = 7
Price = 7
Food = 8
Overall = 7.5
