Wednesday 4 July 2007

remembering and cataloguing.

A few eateries I've frequented in the last few months and have forgotten to mention:

Post Deng Cafe, Little Bourke St, Melbourne
We went with Molly and Dave upon his recommendation, when we couldn't get into the place he recommended more. I loved it. They serve Szechuan food, which I don't really know anything about, but I can tell say that more of it tasted like stuff I ate in China than anywhere else I've tried. We had 4 dishes - a chicken, a beef, a tofu and an eggplant, plus an entree of dumplings and a cucumber dish. I can't remember what they were unfortunately, but I do remember that they were all good, and I especially liked the eggplant which was really soft and almost creamy and had a dressing that tasted a little like a balsamic reduction but probably was nothing of the sort. The beef was the 'Szechuan Beef' which apparently tasted nothing like Szechuan Beef should, but rather like Beef in Black Bean Sauce. I'm not sure if they mixed up our order or what, but it tasted good so it didn't really bother me. None of the dishes were overly oily, and the good selection of vegetable dishes didn't mean that I didn't leave feeling heavy and greasy. I seem to recall the bill came to about $20 each (no drinks), which I thought was pretty decent for the wide selection of great food, but considering slightly tacky and dated decor, I don't think they could charge more.

Melt Pizzeria, King William Rd, Hyde Park, Greater Adelaide
We went here for my birthday after I'd heard so much about it. I was a bit disappointed to be honest. It's pretty of cool inside, but quite cramped and dark, especially seeing as it appears to double as a bar for trendy Unley-ites having Friday night post-work drinks. Although the pizzas were gourmet and pretty good blah blah blah, they still seemed kind of pricey to me, possibly because Melt seems to be positioning itself as a kind of three course fine dining establishment, which I just find kind of weird when it's pizza. Although Melt has a bigger menu, I'd recommend to the Good Life instead, which has better pizzas cheaper, in as good a setting but without being as overtly trendy.

Kanteen,
South Yarra, Greater Melbourne
Tom wanted me to try this place because they serve their coffee a little cooler than usual so as not to scald the milk. Thank God for that - I just don't understand why people want their coffee hotter than they can drink it? That being said the coffees were good, but not spectacularly out of the ordinary. We went for breakfast, and I had a bowl of porridge, while Tom had some black sticky rice with coconut milk. Both were very nice, but I think I was craving the T-bar's porridge which mine didn't quite live up to. There were lots of other options on the menu that looked really appetizing too, which I'd like to try. It's a pretty cool place - it kind of seems like it's built in an old shed, but it's got some funky decor which makes it all work, and it caters to a wide range of people (there were lots of kids near us). The day that we went was really cold and windy, which meant that the location right by the river wasn't such a plus, but on a nice day I imagine it would be lovely. Reasonably priced. Oh and look, they have a website.

Maya, Market St, off Gouger St, Adelaide
This Indian place has been there for ages, but I'd never tried it before until I accidentally ended up there with a few vegetarian friends. I had the Saag Paneer, and I think it possibly topped Beyond India's which was hitherto my favourite. We also had naan, raita, rice, pappadums etc all of which were decent. Apparently Maya specialises in dosas (filled Indian flour pancakes) which I negelcted to try so maybe next time. The bill (including a soft drink each) came to somewhere between $20 and $25 each, which makes it not the cheapest Indian around, but still competitive. Maya also has an amazing 'deli' counter with a huge range of Indian sweets to take home, as well as a few things like paneer which are handy if you can't be bothered making it yourself.

Silk, Rundle St, Adelaide
This is apparently the new(ish) venture for the chefs of Adelaide favourites T-Chow and Ying Chow, which is not really that surpring since a lot of the menu is similar (or in some cases the same). The dishes are a little more refined, (and a little tamer), but the atmosphere is significantly nicer too. I always go for the broad beans with chinese chutney, which is a Ying Chow dish, and I should branch out I suppose but I do so like it. The 'fungus' (mushroom) dishes look awesome though and I don't think I've seen anyone not enjoy their meal. We went most recently for dinner, and for a main with a beer/wine each plus rice and tea, we paid between $20 and $25 each. Lunch is a bargain though, as they have a deal where you get a choice from a reduced range of mains with rice, plus a glass of house wine for $10. Silk always seems a little empty, which I find really sad considering it's significantly better than most of the places along Rundle St these days.

Burger It, O'Connell St, North Adelaide
This gourmet burger joint seems to have become my local by the disappearance of all other burger places nearby. Burger It makes great gourmet burgers with organic ingredients, MSA beef, free range chicken etc etc. It also uses lots trendy ingredients (eg. pear, sage tapenade), and makes its own sauces (aioli, plum, satay etc). They have a couple of good vegetarian options, and can make them vegan, as well as the traditional (and more trendy versions of) beef burgers, chicken burgers and a fish burger. I like the chicken one with the brie and pear the most, and they have good shakes, although I'm not in love with their skinny too salty chips. Because of all the gourmet and the trendy, it is kind of expensive (most burgers alone at around the $10 mark), but you do get what you pay for. I used to find the decor a little sterile, but it's much warmer now that they've changed the colour scheme from purple and blue to brown and mustard, although it still feels more suited to take-away than eating-in.

Thea, Gawler Place, Adelaide
I've been meaning to include this for so long, but it feels a little redundant since I've probably dragged everyone reading this blog there at some point. It's Taiwanese vegetarian food, which in this case is quite plain and wholesome. I like the curry rice the best by a mile though - root vegetables in a spicy, nutty sauce on a bed of rice, topped with lettuce and some 'crispy plum potato' - and it's the perfect dish for a cold wintry day like today. Want! They also have a small range of snacks (I like the Pandan Lotus Buns), but where they really excell is the drinks. If you want a non-alcoholic beverage, what can you get beyond a soft drink, or at best a freshly squeezed juice? Thea serves flavoured teas, which are better than they sound. The fruity ones taste like natural juices blended with tea (mango, grenadine, passionfruit) while the milk based ones are often more unusual flavours like taro, lavender and almond. They also have 'snow bubble' drinks which are more like a frothy fruit flavoured milkshake. They are served either hot or cold in tall glasses and you can choose to have bubble tea tapioca 'pearls' if you want. They're all good - I've never had a bad one, although the almond may not be for you if you don't like marzipan - but my favourites are the grenadine green tea, the milky taro tea, and the honey lemon drink which is often just what the doctor ordered. A curry rice and small tea will cost about $11, and they're only open for weekday lunch, excepting dinner on Fridays.

1 comment:

Molly said...

Heya Em,
So glad that you guys liked Post Deng. And if you liked that, you'll love Supper Inn (when we eventually get inn there!) I can't remember what we ordered either, I'm afraid I don't pay a lot of attention and just let Dave choose :-P But I do remember that the chicken was the traditional version of what we would call Kung Pow chicken.
Hmm, I think I feel like Szechwan now :-)
x M