Eat, Pray, Love: Adelaide South

Showing posts with label Adelaide South. Show all posts

I love adventurous and exciting menu. The menu is always something that I search up before I visit any restaurant or cafe. There are two ways to approach a menu, either the execution of classic food to perfection or being inventive in the creations. The Highway is the latter.

If you follow my blog closely enough, you will notice that I went to The Highway for their game menu launch in May. Nevertheless, this month of July is the month specially dedicated for the mushroom connoisseurs and enthusiasts. I was privileged to be invited to sample the Mushroom Month menu.

We started off with the field mushroom soup. It is served with creme fraiche and crispy shallots. The soup was textural with the blended mushroom and the creme fraiche added creaminess to the soup. Crispy shallots were excellent addition to the soup with their crunchiness and fragrance.

Field mushroom soup

Next up, we had the king brown salad as the entree. It was made up of parsnip skordalia, hazelnut and watercress. The salad was satisfying with the big juicy king brown mushroom.

King Brown Salad

We moved on to the main dishes. The portobello burger was first to come out. It was the dish of the day. It was served with brioche bun, onion rings, cheddar and truffle aioli. The sides were mustard and chips. The flavour combination of the cheddar, truffle aioli and portobello was lip smacking. The cheddar gave the sharp taste to the burger, yet not pinning down the portobello. Oh! And the chips were great too!

Portobello Burger

Apart from the portobello burger, we also had the wild porcini gnocchi with white wine and gorgonzola cream sauce. The gnocchi was pillowy and the extra time of frying in the pan produced a great crusty layer on the outside. The sauce was rich and creamy too.

Wild porcini gnocchi

If you are feeling omnivorous, do order the shimejji and confit duck leg with pink oyster mushrooms and pea veloute. The fat was rendered well and I loved the crispy skin on the duck leg. The pea veloute was smooth and not too overpowering.

Shimejji and Confit Duck Leg

Now this was the fun part, watching how the chef incorporated mushroom into dessert. We were served the button mushroom and chocolate espresso cake with meringue and truffle ice cream. The ice cream was really intense with the truffle oil flavour. The cake itself was not sweet, hence the meringue had the role to sweeten the dessert. This dessert definitely had a savoury touch with this addition of truffle oil.

Button mushroom and Chocolate espresso cake

On overall, it was an interesting tasting as usual. The mushroom month will continue until the end of July, so go and satiate your mushroom cravings before you are too late. Because I tell ya, it will be rewarding! Cheers.

Website: http://www.thehighway.com.au/
Address: 290, Anzac Highway, Plympton
Trading hours: 11am-12pm (Sun-Wed), 11am-2pm (Thurs-Sat)

Love, Victoria

The weather was getting a bit too chilly for May with the howling wind, splashing rain and frosty mornings. And it is this exact weather that gives me the best excuse to store more fats and have more meat! Speaking of meat, The Highway's does offer something different to the adventurous foodies. In its fourth year, the game season is to be launched once again from 18 May. Foodies from South Australia as well as other states are expected to join this annual culinary delight in this coming 2 weeks (18 May - 31 May).

I was invited to the Highway's to sample their game menu. All the food and drinks were complimentary.

Going wild every game season, the menu this year will be featuring wallaby, buffalo and venison. All the game meat are sourced fresh from local outback game meat supplier Something Wild in the Adelaide Central Market.

There are two options of entree that you can choose from. We started off with the first entree, crumbed quail eggs with beetroot puree, pressed red foo potato and micro cabbage. The eggs were crunchy and the pairing with sweet beetroot puree was intriguing. The layering of potatoes was a fancy and textural addition to the dish.

Crumbed quail eggs with beetroot puree, pressed red foo potato and micro cabbage

The second entree was pancetta wrapped wallaby with grilled artichoke and saffron aioli. This was the dish of the night! It reminded me so much of the pressed lamb in Georges. The smell of wallaby was not too strong. It was so tender that I can pull the meat apart and melted in my mouth. The pancetta added the umami flavour and saltiness to the dish. The saffron aioli was really good too!

Pancetta wrapped wallaby with grilled artichoke and saffron aioli

Moving on to the main course, there are three types of game meat - kangaroo, venison and buffalo - which constitute the menu.

The first main course was the native currant and tomato braised kangaroo tail, served with mixed radish, frisee salad and grilled bread. As kangaroo meat itself has a really strong smell, the chef chose the native currant and tomato to braise the meat to subdue the pungent smell. The side salad was fresh and the grilled bread counterbalanced the rich braised kangaroo tail.

Native currant and tomato braised kangaroo tail, mixed radish, frisee salad and grilled bread

Next up was the venison denver leg steak with portobello mushroom, celeriac puree and nasturtium. It was the prettiest looking dish of the night. The venison steak was cooked to perfection with its attractive pink meat. The meat was so tender! And who would resist the plump and juicy portobello mushroom?

Venison denver leg steak with portobello mushroom, celeriac puree and nasturtium

The last main course offered on the menu was the buffalo burger with ciabatta roll, cheddar, caramelised onion, spinach and kutjera radish. The buffalo meat had a similar taste to beef and this burger was like the classic beef and cheese burger. The choice of native ingredients used in each dish was commendable because it portrayed the Australian outback spirit and complemented well with the meat.

Buffalo burger

Last but not least, it was dessert time! We had the duck egg brulee with salted caramel ice cream and pistachio soil. It sounded and looked like an ordinary dessert but surely it tasted different from the normal creme brulee. The duck egg had rendered the dessert so rich and creamy. The caramelisation on top of the brulee was brilliant and the salted caramel ice cream was smooth.

Duck egg brulee with salted caramel ice cream and pistachio soil

The game season will continue until the end of May at the Highway's bar and bistro lounge. So, grab your friends and go wild at the Highway's!

Complimentary wine at the Highway's bar and bistro lounge

Foodies, are you game?

Game season menu

Website: http://www.thehighway.com.au/
Address: 290, Anzac Highway, Plympton
Trading hours: 11am-12pm (Sun-Wed), 11am-2pm (Thurs-Sat)

Love, Victoria

Are you happened to pass by Unley Road and looking for brunch places to go? This blog might give you some ideas. Situated along the stretch of Unley Road are two cafes, A Mothers Milk and Roseys. They are just 17 shops apart (Yes, I actually counted it!)

A Mothers Milk is a corner store cafe offering outdoor seating for its patron. For one visit, I chose the roast pumpkin bruschetta for my brunch of the day.

The exterior of A Mothers Milk

A Mothers Milk serves specialty coffee. Ohh and the barista training is available here too!

The turf of a barista

Flowers on the table always capture my eyes

For the roast pumpkin bruchetta I ordered, it came with Danish fetta, tomato chutney and pine nuts, being served on the sourdough. This dish encompassed every single taste element, including the saltiness from Danish feta, sweetness from pumpkin, sourness and sweetness from the chutney and bitterness from parsley. The roast pumpkin mash was smooth and silky. Crunchiness can be found from the pine nuts and sourdough. On overall, it was an enjoyable dish. The addition of pepper was apt as well.

Roast pumpkin bruschetta

Website: http://www.amothersmilk.com.au/
Address: 105 Unley Road, Unley 5061
Trading hours: 7.30am-4pm (Mon, Wed-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat-Sun)

Roseys is another brunch gem that you could find in Unley. There is a small yard behind the cafe which provides seating for its patron. Covered by the canvas, it is a great place to enjoy your brunch during spring or autumn with the pleasant breeze caressing your cheek.

On one visit, I ordered the zucchini fritters with dill mayo, poached eggs, smoked salmon and fried capers. It was a delightful dish! Dill mayo always complements the smoked salmon well and I can't find any fault in it. The presentation was lovely! The fried capers, graced the fritters well with its saltiness. The fritters had some crunch on the outside and was not too floury. Besides that, the poached eggs had runny yolks. It was a great dish on overall.

Zucchini fritters with dill mayo, fried capers, smoked salmon and poached eggs

My friends ordered the eggs on toast with addition of balsamic mushroom and bacon. You can choose the way you want your eggs to be cooked. One of my friends opted for scrambled eggs and it was cooked well. The texture wasn't hard and thick. The element on the plate in which I found amusing was the rye bread. It was really special and the grain component inside can be intensely tasted.

Scrambled eggs, with balsamic mushrooms and rye bread

Sunny side up with bacon and rye bread

Happy days

Website: http://www.roseys.net.au/
Address: 139, Unley Road, Unley 5061.
Trading hours: 8am-4pm (Mon-Thurs, Sat), 8am-late (Fri), 9am-3pm (Sun)

Brunch is not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. You don't get completely what you would at breakfast, but you get a good meal. -The Simpsons-

Love, Victoria

Do you know what is the limelight of the pastry world at the moment? You might have heard of it, yes! It is the delicate yet complicated CRONUT! (*drum roll*) It was introduced by Chef Dominique Ansel from New York on May 10, 2013. Even though it is only 3 months old, it has taken the world by storm, spanning the whole world with its imposters. In Adelaide itself, Jenny's Gourmet Bakery on Glen Osmond Road claims to have the best cronut in Australia (eater.com).

I reckon we should get more insight into cronut to find out its beauty which attracts thousands of people around the world everyday. It is a half croissant, half donut hybrid which is the result of hard work, taking 2 months and more than 10 recipes. Instead of the simple croissant dough, it is made with laminated dough which has been likened to a croissant. After being proofed, it is then fried in grapeseed oil at a specific temperature. To finish it, it is flavoured in 3 ways - rolled in sugar, then filled with cream and lastly topped with glaze. The whole process takes up to 3 days! Can you imagine how much effort has been put in? Apart from that, it has short shelf life and do not refrigerate nor warm it to preserve its original flavour and texture. One difficult lady hey?

The cronuts caught my attention when I first saw the poll set up by Yelp. After frantically searching for the best cronut in Adelaide, I finally came across Jenny's Bakery which is situated about 10 minutes ride away from the city. Without further ado, here I am at the bakery biting my cronut all the way back to New York.

Introducing the salted caramel popcorn cronut that I have! It is so yummy! Mhmmmm! One could never go wrong with a salted caramel related delicacy! The cronut is flaky on the outside, soft and spongy on the inside. The level of flakiness is between a donut and a croissant. The level of sweetness is apt with the rolling of icing sugar and the salted caramel blends in well.

Salted caramel popcorn cronut

Ohhh! There is another surprise waiting for you when you first take a bite! Upon the bite, the fresh cream flows out! It does not contribute to the overall sweetness of the cronut, in which I find it very soothing.

A bite says a thousand word

The cronuts are situated near the entrance so you cannot miss them at all costs. There are a few toppings available - namely Fruchoc, Fairy floss, Salted caramel popcorn, Choc mint chip and lemon cheesecake. They might have a different variety everyday too.

Types of cronuts available

The exterior of Jenny's Bakery

Indoors

Jenny's Bakery is a lovely shop serving pastries and breakfast with cosy ambience. Definitely a great place to enjoy your chilly morning with hot coffee, buns and pastries.

Vast array of donuts

On overall, the cronut is a pleasant surprise whereby croissant and donut marry each other in a great manner. The layered pastry and donut-y texture just make my day! I am so going back for another nomnom!

Besides Jenny's Bakery, there are a few places in Adelaide where you can find the imposters of cronut:
1) Please Say Please, Grenfell Street
2) Milkaholic, Norwood - Kronut
3) Bakery on O'Connell - O'Cronut
4) First Pour, North Adelaide - cronut from Jenny's Bakery

So what are you waiting for now? Get hold of this latest sensation and let me know your verdict!

Website: http://www.jennysbakery.com.au/
Address: 81 Glen Osmond Road, Eastwood, South Australia, 5063
Trading hours: 8am-5pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-3.30pm (Sat)

Love, Victoria

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier has always been on my dessert list since some time ago but I never managed to visit it. And now my wish came true! Being invited by Chloe, the community manager of Yelp, I stepped into Steven ter Horst Chocolatier (finally!) for a chocolate tasting event as part of the dessert club gathering.

The chocolate tasting event kicked off with the introduction and history of the chocolatier by Steven, the founder of the chocolateria. He is an amiable and passionate chocolate enthusiast. His area of expertise is in the sinfully delicious chocolate masterpiece. Together with him, his partner Chantelle, on the other hand, is specialising in the making of luring cakes and other desserts.

Steven started off this chocolateria as a vendor booth at Adelaide Farmer's Market. As his customers grew, he decided to enlarge his business to a permanent spot. In order to serve his loyal customers, Unley Road was then chosen to house this cosy chocolatier as it is near to the market itself. Steven went to Melbourne for training from Paris chocolatiers, as France is famous for its fine chocolate. Bringing back the essence of chocolate making, Steven made some modification by sourcing and incorporating local ingredients into the chocolate. As far as the creativity is concerned, Steven ter Horst Chocolatier still remains one of the top chocolateria in the town due to the quality of chocolate!

Everyone should go for Steven ter Horst Chocolatier's chocolate tasting at least once in your lifetime! This cost of this tasting was $15, which included a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate, tasting platter consisting of Nuts about Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart as well as a hand crafted chocolate of own choice. It was very worth it especially for a chocolate lover like me!

First up on the tasting plate is the Nuts About Chocolate. It consists of toasted almonds, hazelnut dacquoise, chocolate cremeaux, decorated with chocolate chantilly. The layers of this dessert are pretty defined where you can see different kind of ingredients being used. You can never go wrong with nuts and chocolate as they are always a great combination! The crunchiness of nuts, smoothness of chocolate and whipped cream get married in mouth, creating one of the happiest moment in life! Definitely a try!

Nuts About Chocolate

A visit to a chocolateria will not be complete without a cup of hot chocolate. It is by far the thickest chocolate drink I have ever had! It is rich in chocolate and what makes it special is its nutty after-taste. You can literally feel like drinking melted chocolate block when you gulp the hot chocolate down the throat. Thick and smooth, yet with surprise!

Hot chocolate

If you do not like chocolate with thick texture, iced chocolate can be a good option as the ice cream tones down the richness of chocolate. It is my friend's favourite!

Iced chocolate

The salted caramel tart is filled with layers of rich chocolate ganache over salted caramel. It is not too sweet on overall. However, I found it difficult to cut through the outer tart layer with fork. Hence, I adopted the most original way of eating a dessert, using a bare hand. The tart swept my mouth in a typhoon way as it is to my liking!! One of the best dessert in the chocolateria!

Salted Caramel Tart

There are over 20 different types of handmade chocolate to be chosen from! And each of them has a feminine name! Isn't this special? I found it very interesting. Chocolate is like woman, I suppose?

Different patterns on different chocolate

Note the names

More chocolate

After much explanation and recommendation from Steven, I settled on Eliza, a French floral Earl Grey Tea ganache layered with a quince pate de fruits. It is refreshing as the Earl Grey flavour washes out some of the sweetness of chocolate, leaving the floral scent behind in the mouth.

I also managed to have a quick bite on my friend's Hedgehog, the second most popular handmade chocolate in the shop. It is rich in chocolate and most importantly, the shape of the chocolate is really worthy to be adored at.

The most popular chocolate is the Fleur de Seul, which consists of salted caramel within.

Nutty chocolate bar

Desserts display corner

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier also sells hand-crafted chocolate in pack of 4, 9, 16 and 24 with lovely boxes. Gifts will be never be the same with Steven ter Horst chocolate.