The Pier – Glenelg

Today was a gloriously divine Autumn day in Adelaide and hubby and I decided we wanted to be somewhere coastal so we took ourselves to The Pier at Glenelg for lunch.

It’s a very welcoming place with gorgeous views. The staff were very friendly and accommodating.
I went up to the bar to place my order and the server was busy with another customer who wasn’t quite sure what she wanted however the server still took the time to acknowledge me and said she’d be with me in a moment.
I love that! All businesses should take notice of customers no matter what their trade is.

Hubby and I chose a sharing platter so that we could sample a few different things that the Pier had to offer. I started off with a delicious Moscato, hubby sipped on an Apple Cider and we watched Ice Hockey on the big screens while we waited for our platter to come.
With sun streaming through the windows, the brilliant ocean in the background and bustling tables around, it really was a glorious way to start a lunch.

Our platter looked delicious when it came out but I could tell hubby was already thinking that it wasn’t enough.

Arancini Balls

 

I didn’t know what to pick first! I ended up trying one of the Arancini Balls. They are lightly fried risotto balls with semi dried tomato, basil and pecorino with  lime aioli.
The first thing I noticed was the little kick the lime aioli gave it. Not a punch, just a little kick. Enough to make it stand out without taking away from the taste. It had a soft gooey centre and a crisp crunchy outer. I really enjoyed the Aranchini Balls and was sorry I’d told hubby I’d only have one and he could have the other two.

 

 

The next thing I went for was the Garlic Bread. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would probably be bread.

It was nice, however I would have liked it toasted a little more. It wasn’t overly garlic too which was nice.

Sometimes garlic bread is so heavy laden with garlic that you can’t taste anything else and it repeats on you for the rest of the day.

The fries were good. Crisp and fresh as they should be and presented in the little fry basket as they are seeming to do these days. I left hubby to devour those.

 

Soft Taco’s

The taco was interesting. Soft taco with pulled pork, rocket, red onion, salsa and sour cream.
It was really so very tasty!

The rocket brought a freshness to the heavy meat taste and the salsa and sour cream had a nice creamy texture which made it a pleasure to eat.
I also found this to be deceptively filling.

 

 

Soft Shell Crab Sliders

I left the Soft Shell Crab Sliders till last as I’m not really a seafood person and those little crab legs were freaking me out. The photograph doesn’t really show what I was looking at from my angle.
They were in a brioche bun which I’ve said before is not my favourite but seems to be the rage for burgers and steak sandwiches these days.
The slider had a strong seafood taste which someone who likes seafood would probably really enjoy. I let hubby have the rest of mine but even I, a non seafood eater, could appreciate the flavour that went into it.

Of course the first thing hubby said when we were finished is “What’s for lunch” but honestly, that would have been a good amount of food for regular people.

I would definitely recommend the Pier. The views were spectacular, everything we had was delicious and well presented and the staff were really so very friendly and made us  feel welcome and at home.

Next time you’re walking along the Glenelg foreshore I recommend you drop in for a drink and little bite to eat!

Have you been to The Pier before?
What did you think?
Let me know in the comments below…

Till next we chow….

 

Portobello

What a nice little treat for us today! Through a set of circumstances, hubby and I found ourselves at Portobello, a great little cafe in New Port.

Portobello boasts waterfront views and when we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff – always important – and shown to a table that made the most of the gorgeous day outside.
I did have to wonder what kind of business they do here as the location isn’t that easy to get to. Having said that, the instructions on their website are really clear and easy to follow, but just the fact that they have to have instructions would be a little worrying for me.

The restaurant seems to have a good layout with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. We noticed a thermomix on the servery counter and wondered what they would use that for.

I personally loved the choices on the menu. This was my kind of menu! Lots of good Italian dishes. Pasta, pizza, risotto.
We ordered some wine then decided to start with everyone’s favourite, wedges, followed by Beef Ragu Rigatoni for me, and the Grain Fed MSA Portherhouse for hubby.

Our taste buds were definitely watering as we saw other people’s food coming out. Everything looked delicious!

Wedges with Sweet Chili Sauce and Sour Cream

The food came out sooner than I was expecting considering the amount of people there.

The wedges were just fantastic. They were crisp, crunchy, fresh and hot! Nicely seasoned, thick wedges accompanied by sweet chili sauce and sour cream.

The only negative hubby had was that there wasn’t enough!

Wedges are wedges and though they were done well, are a pretty common item on the menu so usually not something I’d go out of my way for.

The mains on the other hand… my mouth is watering again just thinking about it!

Beef Ragu Rigatoni

My Beef Ragu Rigatoni was just divine! The gorgeous aroma’s coming from it almost knocked me out before I’d even tried any!

The meat was so tender and so so flavoursome.
The pasta was perfectly cooked al-dente and my serve was so large I actually shared some with hubby.

The sauce was rich and I loved the odd mushroom I found on my plate.

Really a very delightful dish and just what I was craving today.
I was very sad when it was all gone!

 

300 gram Porterhouse

 

Hubby’s Porter-house was really tasty but again he was disappointed in the size as he saw this dish being brought out to others and their serves looked bigger.
We could have been mistaken.
Food envy is a real thing!

Hubby said it was really tender, perfectly pink inside, and had a really nice flavour but he could have done without the red wine sauce.
I had a taste and actually really loved it so I guess that’s just one of those things that does come down to exactly that – taste.
His meal had steamed broccolini and rosemary baby potatoes. The broccolini was still firm – perfect, and the baby potatoes were very crisp and tasty too. Again, his only negative was that there wasn’t enough.

Our waitress was lovely. She was attentive without being intrusive and answered a few questions I had about Portobello.

In summary…
The Good: The food was more than delicious – Better than any I’ve had in a little while. Flavoursome and cooked with love.
The Bad: None really except maybe hubby’s serve was smaller than he was expecting and although I didn’t mind the short walk to the restaurant, I wouldn’t want to do that on a bad weather day.
The Ugly: The only ugly was probably how full and fat I felt as I walked out of there! But I was very satisfied and I’d love to go back and try out a few more delicious items from their menu.
Have you been to Portobello?
Does your experience match mine?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, please let me know in the comments below!

Till next we chow…

The Hackney

Today hubby and I returned to The Hackney.

We’ve been here many times, usually to enjoy a burger but as you can probably see from my previous posts, we’re quite “burgered” out so we thought it might be interesting to see what else they can cook.

The burgers are good enough to keep us coming back so I was hoping the rest of the menu would be just as good.

The staff are always friendly which should be a given but it’s not always the case at different places. I find The Hackney to have a comfortable, not threatening type atmosphere. It’s just one of those places you go to when you don’t feel like cooking!

I ordered the Beer Battered Fish and hubby ordered some Beef Empanadas and the Cheese Chili Fries.

While we waited for our food, hubby noticed the condiment bottles on our table were empty so he went to a nearby table to trade… those bottles were empty too… In fact he had to visit quite a few tables before he found any condiment bottles with anything in them.

The food didn’t take long to come out. Our attention was immediately drawn to the Cheese Chili Fries. They looked delicious and it was a generous serve! The Empanadas looked a bit boring but looks can be deceiving and my fish looked just as you would expect fish and chips to look…

Beer Battered Fish

 

The first thing I tasted was the fries on my plate.

They were thicker cut style and I love them like this.

They were nicely seasoned, warm and crunchy. Just the way I like them!

 

The fish itself was okaaaaaayyyy. There was a LOT of batter to fish ratio but maybe that’s just the way it’s supposed to be. I wanted to really taste fish and I just couldn’t. There wasn’t enough of it in there. But what I was eating wasn’t unpleasant, just a little disappointing.

The salad was nice and fresh and the splodge of dressing on the top was better than none at all.

Cheese Chili Fries

Hubby was in heaven with his Cheese Chili Fries.

He said the beef strips were tender and there was a generous amount of them in this serve.

The cheese was gooey and smothered the beef and fries nicely.
Surprisingly, he offered me some and even more surprisingly, I said no… but watching him eat this, it would be a dish I’d recommend if you find yourself at The Hackney.

Beef Empanadas

 

The Empanadas weren’t so much of a hit.

Again, I didn’t try any but hubby said they were a bit boring.

They were tasty but in a mushy kind of nothing way. He said the pastry was nice but it was kind of sweet.

 

 

All in all I guess it was an average pub meal. Again I’ll say we were comfortable, surrounded by other diners and huge TV screens. Regina Spektor was playing and it was nice just to sit there.

There was nothing terribly bad about it but nothing wowed us either.

Having said that, every time we’ve had a burger, we have enjoyed it to the max!! And we were in “Burgerland” after all so that probably comes as no surprise.

If we happen to find ourselves in The Hackney again, my bet is we’ll get burgers or steak sandwiches with a side of those Cheese Chili Fries.

Have you eaten at The Hackney? What did you think?
Let me know in the comments below!

Till next we chow…

 

La Boca

About this time last year, I was lucky enough to go to La Boca with a few of my colleagues, otherwise I may never have known of this gem of a place!
La Boca is an Argentinean restaurant on North Terrace, opposite Parliament House.

I’ve been back to La Boca a few times since that first time, and today, lunched again with a group of colleagues.
We were able to phone our order in which always helps when you’re pushed for time. Sadly, it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference.

Although there menu is Argentinean (which assumes lots of meat) there are vegetarian options and it is a pretty versatile menu.
Aside from the food, they make an delicious Sangria to which I’m more than a little partial however I don’t know if the recipe has changed as it didn’t taste how I’ve remembered it to taste in the past.

Today’s lunch showed how different a person’s experience can be depending on what you order.

There were six of us at lunch. We were greeted by a very soft spoken waiter who I’m sure was doing his best, but it was really hard to understand what he was saying.
We had pre-ordered our food because we were on strict time constraints yet when we were sat, we were still being asked how the meat was to be cooked, despite having given these instructions earlier by phone.

Argentinean Burger

When the food came it looked great. Big, colourful and fresh.

 

I had no complaints about my burger. The meat was moist and full of flavour, the bread was toasted nicely, the sauces dripping through my fingers. It was delicious, fresh and very, very filling. I would highly recommend this burger!

It came with corn on the cob which was liberally lathered with a seasoned butter and I must say, a refreshing change to fries which is usually what accompanies a burger.

 

Warm Pulse Salad without meat

One of my colleagues had ordered a Warm Pulse Salad.

She had originally wanted it with chicken but was told only beef was available today (despite another colleague having chicken skewers) so reluctantly chose beef.
When it came to the table, there was no meat in it at all.

The waiter was apologetic and brought her out another meal with beef, however by the time it came out, we were almost finished our meals.

Warm Pulse Salad With Beef

Unfortunately, the new pulse salad dish, with beef, was disappointing.

The beef was so tough my colleague could barely cut through it, let alone try to chew and swallow it.

 

We mentioned it to the waiter and to his credit, offered her a substitute dish.

 

As my burger had been tasty she went with that…

 

By the time her burger came out though, we were all well and truly finished.

 

It was also disappointing that despite ordering our drinks as soon as we were sat, they didn’t come until we had  finished our food.

Spiced Chicken and Beef Skewers

 

We couldn’t even give them the excuse of being busy as we were booked at 1.45pm and there was only one other table in there while we were lunching.

I think I scored the jackpot with the burger as there was little, if anything, I could fault in it.

One of my colleagues ordered the Spiced Chicken and Beef Skewers and he said they were tasty.

 

 

 

 

La Boca Steak

Three of my colleagues ordered the steak and they were extremely inconsistent. One was tender while another was dry and fatty and gristly.

You would expect an Argentinean restaurant to have more care when cooking meat wouldn’t you? Isn’t that their specialty?
We had also pre-ordered our desserts and again, were left waiting.
We gave them plenty of notice and in fact, one of my colleagues had to leave and asked to have her dessert in a take away container. Ten minutes later and she had to leave without it even though staff had been notified and there was no one else to attend to in the restaurant by that time.

We waited quite a while for our pre-ordered desserts and were wondering whether any of us were going to be able to eat them in the restaurant or whether we’d have to take them with us.

Eventually they came…

Warm Pineapple Tart

 

 

 

Three of us ordered the Warm Pineapple Tart which  I was told was very yummy.

It came with a coconut sorbet and everyone enjoyed and said it complimented the pineapple tart nicely.

 

 

 

Almond Praline Popsicle

 

 

 

One ordered the Almond Praline Popsicle which was exactly that…
a popsicle on a plate.

 

 

Interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

Milk Bread Custard

I ordered the Milk Bread Custard served with raisins and Chantilly Cream.

It looked gorgeous. It was big!

However it was also extremely dry. Eating it with the accompanying Chantilly cream made it a little better but I just wonder why they wouldn’t have soaked that bread more.
The caramel sauce was delicious as was the strawberry that was on my plate.

Very sweet and a lovely way to finish off that particular dessert.

 

 

 

I did like that they had authentic music playing throughout the restaurant which added to the atmosphere. It’s just a shame some of us had a less then pleasant experience.

The meals were definitely not small. I was very full waddling out of there but it wasn’t the best experience I’ve had in this restaurant.

My food was wonderful, delectable, delicious but not everyone had the same experience and that dampened my own enthusiasm. It’s not nice to see your fellow diners waiting for food, or not getting quality food while you’re enjoying yours. I felt a little guilty!

Imagine being the person who got the fatty, gristly steak, watching the person who got the juicy succulent steak. It was the exact same menu item but came out completely different.

Aside from that though, it was disappointing that despite our best efforts to pre-plan, having a limited time for lunch, the restaurant was not able to deliver, which caused us to be late and caused a bit of unnecessary stress.

Although I still like La Boca as I personally have always had good food there, I probably won’t be in a hurry to go back but I encourage you to try it and make up your own mind.

Have you been to La Boca?
What did you think?

Let me know in the comments below

Till next we chow…

The Unley

Today hubby and I made it to The Unley.
It was his choice and I’m so glad he picked it because it’s a great little place not far out of the city on Unley Road.

Hubby tells me I’ve been here before but I really can’t remember it.

 

I loved the way it was decorated. It was colourful and warm with a kind of retro decor.

A bit of stained glass here, a bit of steel there and somewhere it all blended in to make you feel like you were in a vibrant, happening and definitely interesting place.

The staff were friendly and welcoming. We were greeted right away and told we could sit downstairs or upstairs. Hubby and I went to check the upstairs and it was quiet enough up there so we stayed.

We were given a couple of menus and I started to get excited. Lots of my kind of food to pick from!

Hubby ended up going for the Caesar Burger and I chose from the “specials” menu and ordered a Steak Focaccia. I know there are other things in life aside from steak sandwiches but lately they seem to be my thing…

As we sat, the tables around us began to fill.

Chicken Caesar Burger

It felt like our food came out quite quickly. I was so excited I almost forgot to take pictures!

My first impressions were “Great, big, shiny food!”
Colourful and generous serves.
I could see the lathering of egg and cheese dripping from the sides.

This was going to be a delicious mess!

 

Steak Focaccia

We both had fries on our plate. I normally prefer thick chunky style fries and these were very thin however I didn’t mind as they were very fresh and still had a lot of flavour.

My focaccia was crispy and crunchy, and toasty warm. Between the focaccia, the cheese was oozing and the meat was wonderfully tender and still quite pink inside.

Hubby, a man of few words, said he loved the runny egg in his Caeser burger. I asked him what his favourite part of it was and he just said that everything went together nicely.

These burgers were very difficult to eat and we soon found we had sauces dripping down our hands, but even that didn’t deter from the gastronomic delight we were experiencing. Not even being watched by surrounding tables deterred us from partaking in this delightful, mouth-watering  experience.
I have to say, I was thankful for the thicker than normal napkins they provided. They were double the size and did the job!

We saw plates of food being taken to other diners and the food looked just as delicious as ours did. Big, colourful and begging to be eaten.

At $20 (Caeser Burger) and $16 (Steak Focaccia) this was really great value and I heartily recommend this The Unley.

In fact, I’m looking forward to visiting again soon!

As we were leaving several staff members thanked us for coming and waved like we were old friends. It was nice!

Have you been to The Unley? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!

Till next we chow…