Another one bites the Crust.

When Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar asked me if I wanted to host a pizza party on them, I had to think about it for a minute….. and then I said ‘hells yeah!’ This type of offer is pretty much perfect for a lass like me as I possess close to no hostess skills whatsoever, yet I still love to be a hostess! What can I say? Sometimes there is sheer pleasure in failure. Plus it was a real celebration as I just moved into a townhouse where I can fit more than one guest at a time! This girl is moving up in the world!

Once I got the go ahead from my newest and bestest friends at Crust, it was full steam ahead on party planning. I decided the theme would be a Pizza and Popcorn Party for no other reason than they are both awesome foods and any kind of awesome food deserves a party. I would throw a party for an impressive cheese and Vegemite toastie toastie if I didn't think my friends would turn the party into a ‘you could be loosing it’ intervention. Baby blue and red was the colour scheme for this soiree and I was collecting everything I could find in said colours. I hate to get too profound about this but I really learnt something about myself in this process. . . I am the Leonardo De Vinci of table decorators. This was my Mona Lisa, my Salvator Mundi, my Last Supper without having to eat Jesus’s flesh. This was my master piece!

Although I had never had me some Crust Pizza before I was pretty excited about it as I had heard a bunch of positive things.  At 7.32pm, a mere two minutes after the approximated delivery time, the pizza feast knocked on our door with a rat-a-tat-tat. Okay, so it was actually the pizza delivery dude but you catch my vibe! 

Opening the pizza boxes and have a peek inside you could instantly tell that this was no Dominos or Pizza Hutt affair. The ingredients used were undeniably fresh and when the pizzas were removed from their cardboard homes the bottom of the boxes were not as greasy as a pubescent boy's face. That’s a plus!

For me there were certainly two stand outs in the pizza category, the first being the Tandoori Chicken which consisted of chicken breast fillets marinated in tandoori spices, shallots & crushed cashews, topped with mint yoghurt. The chicken was super tender and tasty with the cashews giving the pizza a pleasant crunch. Yum... just yum. The other pizza that went quicker than Beyonce tickets was the Pesto Chicken Club. It had chicken, it had prosciutto, it had fresh avocado and pesto aioli, how could you not like it? I was very impressed by how generous they were with the avocado too. Look at those succulent slithers!

In my somewhat expert take-away opinion, a bunch of pizza places that offer pasta as an alternative provide some pretty average pasta options. It’s like a bad threesome where all the effort is put into the pizza and then the pasta just get the left overs. No one likes to be the third wheel in bed OR in dinner options. This, however, certainly wasn't the case with Crust’s Prosciutto Blanco. This pasta dish was deliciously creamy and pretty much right on the money. I would have no problem ordering from Crust next time I have a hankering for some creamy pasta.

To finish off this epic feast we got into the Black Forest Crumble with accompanying ice cream. It was a very nice bite and an indulgent sweet treat but I was literally too stuffed to really appreciate it! I did however LOVE the Blood Orange Ice-cream. This was the palate cleanser of all palate cleansers, a perfect, sweet conclusion for when you are stuffed to the brim.

I can’t thank Crust enough for letting me throw this delightful dinner party on them. Any excuse to get together with some great people and enjoy some lovely food and wine is good enough for me! Check out the Crust menu here, there is nothing like having a dinner party without having to take care of the ‘dinner’ part!

Until next time… Stay Rad-elaide. 

A pocket full of posies.

Being a full-time student/part-time blogger, the fight against procrastination is as rife as our late night battles against devouring the tub of ice-cream in our freezers whilst watching The Biggest Loser. You’d think that show would put you off eating wouldn’t you? Oh the shame of it all.

Waking up on a particularly chilly Monday morning I knew that I needed to get up and at-em’ before I looked at the clock to find it was midday and I had managed to avoid all assignments, emails and write ups. In order to crank myself into gear I decided to hit up a bestie for breaky because nothing helps me get out of bed like the promise of a good bite and great company.

Rosey’s on Unley road was where we decided to head as it is one of my lady-friends favs and although I had a somewhat unremarkable experience there a while back, I was willing to give ol’ Rosey another go . On a cold and dreary morning one could think of nothing worse than sitting outside with their eggs and bacon but inside was full so there was no choice in the matter. Lucky for us it has a super pleasant set-up with heaters cranked and lush red blankets slung over the chairs to keep us toasty. Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain fall on the canvas above whilst tucking into a scrumptious meal, now this must have been the Winter Wonderland Billy Gilman was singing about!

Like I've said many-a-times before, I think the true test of a breaky place is whether they are able to make the simplest of orders into something special. I went with the Mylor rye bread with avocado and a side of smoked bacon. Row-ho-ho-rosey! DAMN GIRL! You know how to make me some super fine smashed av! This was a seriously delish meal with beautifully seasoned and perfectly ripe avo smash accompanied by fresh and crunchy rye bread. The crispy smoked bacon was as smokin’ as Mila Kunis but not quite as likely to look so bangin’ in a tutu. I understand that announcing ‘I have newly discovered smoked bacon and it rocks my world’ is probably as behind in the times as saying ‘hey guys, who wants my new beeper number?’ but this truly is a revelation for me. Rosey’s bacon = best bacon I’ve had to date.

As you can tell I was pretty bloody impressed by my Monday morning munch but there were three things that stop me from giving this place a full blown raver.

Number 1: The menu is not very extensive. Lucky for me on a breaky menu: you had me at Avo, but I can imagine some people would get there and find none of the menu items particularly hollerin’ their name.

Number 2: I made it back to Rosey’s the following week and ordered the same dish. It came out with sourdough instead of rye. Fair enough! You run out of rye, what can be done? But if it specifically details ‘mylor rye bread’ on the menu, then you are really not getting what you ordered. The least they could do in this sitch is let the customer know when they order instead of placing some sourdough between their knife and fork in the hopes they don’t notice.

Number 3: There's a small gym right behind Rosey’s. No one who has consumed so much their jeans are cutting into their sides enjoys waddling back to their car past a gym class filled with energized fitness goers. I prefer my breaky without a side of guilt please!

SO there you have it boys and girls….. Rosey’s is one of my new favourites and as I just relocated around the corner from this cute establishment, I believe that Rosey and I are going to be great friends. Who knows, I might even like her enough to switch teams.

Until Next time…. Stay Rad-elaide.

Feasts by the fire.

The cold weather is creeping in like a rebellious teenager past their curfew. Soon we will have to put things in the fridge just to warm them up! With the change of season, so comes a change in the foods we like to eat. It’s not too long til we will be swapping our lunch of chicken salads and freshly squeezed juice to hot soups and pots of tea and if you are looking for a bit of cold weather cuisine inspo then look no further! You have circled into the right blogosphere. I have asked some of the top head chefs around Adelaide what they like to munch when the temperature drops. And here is what they said... 

‘My favourite winter meal is polenta. I was brought up eating this specifically during winter as it is hearty, filling and a great comfort food. I love soft polenta with  early Winter pumpkin, baby spinach, pinenuts, crispy pancetta and goats cheese.’ ~ Andre, Andre’s Cucina & Polenta Bar

‘During the colder months, I love nothing better than to fire up my wood oven, cook a suckling pig, with lots of roast vegies and lashings of Adelaide Hills pinot. Sharing and cooking a meal like this with a group of friends is a great way to spend a cold night and bring people together, perhaps it’s a flashback to my Viking heritage.’ ~ Brendan Boothroyd, Stirling Hotel

‘My favourite meal in winter (that we make - not going to lie, pho might win out sometimes) is a bowl of chilli con carne, or what I would call Texas style chilli, served with cornbread. For me, Texas-style means two things: 1) cubes of beef are used and cooked until they are very tender, as opposed to ground beef, and 2) there are no beans or vegetables! (tomato is a fruit, right?). Really, it's simply chilli, beef, and a bit of tomato, with a few "secret" ingredients to give the "sauce" a bit more flavour.’ ~ Dan Mendelson, Pearl’s Diner

My favourites would have to be a slow braised secondary cut of meat like a shoulder or neck. Cooked long and slow so the meat falls of the bone. Filling the house with a smell that reminds me of a winter’s day. Usually in a rich sauce full of vegetables and  served with another favourite mashed_potato.’ 

~ Kyle Wood, Windy Point Restaurant

"My favourite winter dish would have to be a chicken breast marinated in thyme, rosemary and garlic and seared and served with a port, caramelised onion and fresh mushroom sauce.  What a great comfort food to enjoy by the fire." ~ Guillaume Galvez, L'Atelier Gourmand

‘MINESTRA MARITATA: its a soup made with different types of greens like broccoli, chicory, endive and cabbage married with a mix of meat, bone, rind, cheese and spices Why: its a simple way to utilise leftovers.’ ~ Ettore Bertonati, Etica

‘I would have to say our Gulas with Creamy Mash is my favourite, the meat is tender, the sauce is tasty and it's the kind of dish you could keep returning to the pot to get more. It's comfort food and it is cooked like a genuine home made meal. No flavour enhancers or additives, just good old fashioned slow cooked with quality ingredients.’ Nina Jerebica, Suzie Wong's Room

‘My favourite winter dish are TAMALES, tamales basically consist of maize masa wrapped in leaves (corn or banana) and cooked afterwards, they can be savoury or sweet and they are simple delicious. This recipe is 2000 years old and we still cooked them the same way.’ Rafael Loggiodice, Maiz and Mezcal

So there you have it ladies and gents! A generous serving of winter warmer inspo... perfect meals to enjoy dining out on a cold winters night! Or get your chefs hat on and have a crack at making them yourself!

Until next time... Stay Rad-elaide. 

Not quite Bewitched.

I just rolled home from a little bit of lunch action at the not-really-new-anymore-but-haven’t-got-there-yet Plant 13. This Bowden brunch, lunch, and dinner location has generated a fair bit of banter and my expectations were high on arrival.

 

When we rocked up a table of 8 had just left so there was a need for it to be wiped down and split into smaller tables hence we were directed to the ‘waiting room’. A waiting room in an eatery? Hmm I don’t know how I feel about that, it conjures the bad vibe of waiting to get called into the doctor’s room for a lady check-up, rather than the excitement of awaiting a delightful meal. First, it creates an out-of-mind-out-of-sight phenomenon where we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes for a simple wipe and reset. Second, if you’re going to have a waiting room, provide a bit of entertainment! At least at the doctor’s office you get a few SA Life’s to peruse and some building blocks to play with! A couple of couches and an old piano no-one has the nads to play doesn’t really make the cut.

Excitement was the feeling brimming in the air once we got a glance at the menu. Like the moves in an N*SYNC video clip… it’s ALL good baby. I thought however that the menu was a touch small, and I also didn’t appreciate the lack of division between the breakfast and lunch items. A pork bun listed right under poached eggs? Like Samantha Stephens and Gladys Kravitz these are some poorly matched neighbours.

 

In order to get a real feel for the food on offer I decided to go with the Plant 13 Sampler which includes a mini pork roll, grilled cheese and po boy. I felt the same way about this meal as I do about Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing – it’s not a complete flop, but it could be a lot better. The mini pork roll was definitely my favourite with the pork being super tender and having loads of flavour. The other two were just mediocre in my eyes, and the grilled cheese had a whole bunch of mushrooms in it which was not described on the menu. Okay for some, but an unpleasant surprise for mushroom haters.

 

 

My brunch buddy went with the benedict equivalent which she was super impressed with. The hollandaise seemed to be almost aerated which provided a fluffy and lighter dish and she found the coffee to be a particular delight.  

Although I certainly wouldn’t say I was bowled over by Plant 13, I would go back and give it another crack. However just like Van Helsing….I wouldn’t rush back for a second screening. Speaking of rushing…. with the long wait, I think the staff need to become a little bit better acquainted with the concept.

Until next time… Stay Rad-elaide.
 

Boy, those French! They have a different word for everything.

Bonjour!

A few weeks ago I decided to get a little culture up my kilt and make the most of the French Film Festival! With currently reduced uni hours I felt like the free-est of spirits wandering to the movies at lunch time mid-week. What can I say? The man can’t keep me down! Who is the man exactly? Well, I’m not entirely sure but I’ll be damned if he tells me how to roll!

From March 19th to April 7th the two Palace Cinemas in the city were Frencher than a woman walking her French bulldog down the Champs-Élysées whilst wearing a beret and nibbling on a croissant. Ok so maybe not that French, but it was all pretty French!

I went to see ‘Another Woman’s Life’ which was such a lovely, lovely movie. Early on in the film the main character, played by Julliette Binoche, goes to sleep and wakes up about 15 years later where magically her life has continued without her knowing. Waking up with another 15 years of wrinkles on your face: I woman's worst nightmare! She finds she has two children and a disconnected marriage heading for divorce. She is also a big business woman who is as as rich as mud cake. She then goes on a mission to get her life back in order. I feel like that every Monday morning after a big weekend! This is such a hilarious and heat-warming story about second chances, which is something I think we all deserve. Plus the movie is in French which is such an elegant language! You could literally say, ‘Bang me in the back of ya ute’ in French and it would sounds like a beautiful melody to the ear.

Oh and speaking of French.... that croissant shot is from a lovely lunch I had at the new French bistro L'Atelier Gourmand just off Goody Road. Definitely worth a gander.

There are so many rad festivals, fairs and annual events in Adelaide which people seriously need to get amongst. I absolutely loved the film and I plan on getting a multi-pass next year to really make the most of it!

If you'd like to check out this fantastic flick for yourself you can find the trailer HERE.

Au Revoir… Stay Rad-elaide.

You must whip it...

Ever since my last visit to The Loose Caboose, I have been yabbering on about how much I love the place. There’s just something about it that I enjoy as much as a zooper dooper on a sweltering day… which believe me is a whole bunch.  Except when you overdo it and get little cuts on the corners of your mouth and end up looking like the joker… that’s not just me right? Anyway when I heard that the eatery Einstein’s from one of my favourite cafés have something cranking down Semaphore way, I just had to check it out!

Lucky for us the sun had decided to come out and play, and my sister and I basked in the warm rays whilst cruising along listening to some fresh beats (yep I’m sick!) Whipped Bake Bar Café is the Semaphore sapphire we were headed for and we had our fingers and toes crossed that it was going to be a memorable bite!

The café has an undeniably pleasant vibe upon entrance with rich floor boards, white walls and bright pops of colour all over the joint. You can clearly see that the creativity juices were flowing when the design of the café was executed, yet it’s not so over the top to make anyone feel out of place. You never want to take the olds to a ‘hipster hang’ where they keep asking questions like ‘what’s that old bike doing on the wall?!?’ Ohhhh parents.

I decided to go with the eggs benny because as Julia Child said “With enough butter, anything is good.” I was certainly onto a winner because the eggs were undeniably perfect. Firm and bouncy (like the buns of Ryan Gosling) and once pierced with my fork a waterfall of gooey yokey goodness flowed out (presumably NOT like the buns of Ryan Gosling.) The ham was nothing special but certainly met the standard and the bread was something a little bit different. I am not sure what you would call this carbohydrate but it was almost a cross between an English muffin and a burger bun. Either way I don’t need to know what it is in order to love it, which I did! Speaking of love... my dining companions enjoyed their meals just as much as I did.

Not only does Whipped have a super good menu filled with breaky and lunch munches, there is also plenty of baked deliciousness in the glass cabinets to drool over. Next time, that ‘caramel dream’ cupcake will not make it out alive.

On the final roundup I have to say this place gets a mad tick from me. Maybe not quite as ‘special’ in my eyes as The Loose Caboose but super pleasant and just as delectable. Oh and the one disappointment I experienced is the fact that I asked for the hollandaise on the side and I got it on the meal AND on the side. Like how does one hear ‘on the side’ and come to to the conclusion that I wanted a double hit? Who the hell needs that much hollandaise? 

Until next time… Stay Rad-elaide.

The Price is Right...

Jayden Loxton... Come on down! You guessed right and now have two scrumptious candles coming your way. You will be fighting the ladies back with these mood setting wonders! Thanks to Pigeon and Weasel for this fantastic giveaway. I'm putting in my order for Mother's Day riiiiiiiiiiiiiiggghhhtttt now. Wait a minute.... mother's... mood setting.... ewww! 

Until next time... Stay Rad-elaide.

Base camp one.

Well is seems this happening city of ours has come down with a minor case of FOMO. 
 Melbourne has one. Sydney has one. Brissie has one. And now, 'the Fear Of Missing Out' has motivated a movement… Chocolateria San Churro has come to town! Chocolateria San Churro is located on the corner of Rundle Street and East Terrace. Although amongst the hustle and bustle of the East End, the businesses on this site over the years have so far seemed to lack in, well . . . customers. From my outing there last week however, it’s obvious the curse on this location is well and truly broken. Peeps were flooding through this dessert-ery like water through the Titanic!

Upon entering this bright and new sweets stop, I found a romantic little table in the back and perused the menu. For a place called ‘Chocolateria San Churro’ I was surprised at the vast variety of desserts they had on offer! My beautiful dining partner and I decided to get the Churros for two because, well… when in Rome! Or should I say Spain? Either way, like a virgin sticks to missionary, we thought as first-timers it would be wise to stick to the basics.

We were given the choice of two of the four accompanying sauces for our churros, so we went with the dark chocolate and caramel. I think we made a perfect choice as the dark chocolate was super smooth and rich whilst the caramel was gooey and thick with a faultless level of sweetness. The churros themselves however, left me a little confused. I wouldn’t say I’ve earned my Masters in Churros quite yet, but I have had a fair few of these rods of pleasure in my time (heads out of the gutter please.) These were thinner and crunchier than I have experienced and although I enjoyed the chomp and the flavour, I felt that it was let down by the lack of soft, doughnutty goodness inside. Without the contrast of crunchy and spongy: in my opinion, it’s just not cricket.

On this rather toasty night I opted for a cold hot chocolate. This ‘beverage’ was more of a chocolate custard than a liquid and was served with a generous scoop of their vanilla ice-cream.  Holy moly, this thing was unnecessarily huge! I didn’t even get through half of this bad boy and I’m the kind of woman who sees a big meal like a mountain climber sees Everest: something to be conquered.  Unfortunately just like Vitor Negrete, I was left for dead… Ouch!

Although my mind was not blown away by the churros, this place had a whole bunch of sweet treats worth ticking off your tummy’s to-do list. Next time, I’ll be ordering the ice-cream sandwich. Vanilla ice-cream between two soft chocolate cookies… umm couldn’t be keener mate!

And if you have a little squizz on the right hand sign you will see I've started a MTC mailing list. So make sure you subscribe so you can keep up to date! 

Until next time… Stay Rad-elaide.