Lazy sundays by the beach, Cafe Froot

Lazy sundays are the best! I'm glad we were able to have a quiet day that started off with a bit of a sleep in - well for me at least.

After Mart came back from his basketball game we decided to head out for brunch, and thanks to my good friend Janice I was armed with a list of new places to try. We decided to head out to Semaphore and explore the cafes that line Semaphore Road. We usually go straight to the Esplanade and completely miss out on these places so it was great to have a bit of a guide - first stop is Cafe Foot!

The name of this cafe says a lot about the decor of the place. Vibrant citrus coloured walls and hand painted furniture greet guests. The place is a bit on the small size but as we were quite late for brekkie we we able to spot a table as people were leaving. Reviews say that the cafe's signature dish is the Green Eggs and Ham - so this is what we ordered and a couple of large flat whites to go along side. Mains go on average for $15.00 but they also do serve sandwiches for around $7-8.

It took a bit of time for our orders to come out, as we waited we spot the dessert display and it was quite impressive - we carefully plan out what to have at the end of our meal - and a huge chocolate cake catches our eye. But, our food comes and we see the portions are huge! Clearly I will not make it to dessert this trip.

Green Eggs and Ham - is a large portion of scrambled eggs topped over slices of wood fire oven baked bread, the green is spinach and the ham a slice of crispy prosciutto. Everything on my plate was cooked very well - the eggs were fluffy, bread well buttered and crisp and our coffees also very good. I had way too much though in my plate and suggested to Mart that for the next visit we split one serving and just get extra serves of ham.

After our main meal, we needed a little something sweet for a finish. Cake was definitely out of the question at this point - so we order fresh fruit juices. I'm so glad we did! They tasted fantastic - Mart had the orange and I had the apple and they hit the spot perfectly. In fact the green apple juice was so good, we think that's one of the things that we'll be craving. The tartness of the apples remind us of the green mango shakes we have back in the Philippines.

Looking forward to making at trip back to Semaphore for more exploring!

'til the next post!

Sharlyn

menu

cafe interiors

fruity hand painted designs on the tables

large flat white

signature dish: Green Eggs & Ham

fresh apple and orange juice

Days off and cheesecake - Udder Delights

Getting unexpected days off are the best! You have a whole day with no agenda, no obligations and your whim can take you anywhere.

This is what happened a few days ago, when Mart had to do an unexpected night shift which resulted in a day off after and we found ourselves with a free day - so we hit the road and headed out to Hahndorf!

We decided to take a late long lunch at Hahndorf Inn and explore shops we haven't been in during our previous visits. A good friend of ours, Jiji, mentioned a while back that cheese tasting at Udder Delights was a must do in the area so we decided to go and check it out.

Udder delights is located also on Hahndorf's main street, they have a 2 story building with seating in the ground floor and lower cellar.  When we got there I drifted towards the cheese display and Mart found a display of pastries and cakes on the other side of the room - more his cup of tea. We decided to have some coffee and try the mixed berry cheesecake that caught his eye.  I must say - this is the best cheesecake I've had in adelaide, and rightly so - since we were at a cheese shop! This little cake is creamy and dense, comparable to the cheesecakes I've had in New York city delis. We loved it so much, we had to take some home with us!

After dessert and coffee, we headed over to the counter for free cheese tasting which presented us a selection of goat's cheese ranging from soft cheeses to the blue. Goat camembert and brie in hand - we make our way back to the city planning the next trip back for more.

mixed berry cheesecake

contact information taken from Udder Delights website:

CONTACT US

Udder Delights calls the Adelaide Hills home. We're so fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful part of the world. The Adelaide Hills are incredibly close to the city, in fact a 10 minute drive from the city CBD will take you to the freeway. A further 10 minute drive up the freeway and you are at the Hahndorf turn off. Follow the direct signs to Hahndorf, just a few minutes up the road and you are at the Udder Delights Cheese Cellar. Could it be any easier?

Open: 7 days a week. 9am to 5:00pm

Closed: Good Friday, Christmas Day & Boxing Day

Address: 91a Main Rd

Hahndorf, SA, 5245

AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 8 8388 1588

Fax: +61 8 8388 1599

Email: sheree@udderdelights.com.au

Web: www.udderdelights.com.au

The Udder Delights Cheese Factory is not open to the general public. The Cheese Factory is in Lobethal at the Old Woollen Mills complex.

Date Nights & the Cork Wine Cafe

I haven't been diligent in posting lately, mostly because I've been having problems signing on to my own blog! If the people of blogspot read this - please please help.

But - to make up for being away, I have a great new find! I left for a long weekend in Sydney a few weeks back to visit with my cousin, who was getting married and to see friends who are practically family to me. Unfortunately Mart couldn't come because of work and even if my trip was just about 4 days it was great to have him pick me up from the airport and went straight to a date night.

The restaurant we wanted to try was full on Gouger (Gaucho's - the smells from this place are amazing and we will definitely find our way back WITH reservations!) so we walked the street and made our way to Hog's Breath - yes, I know - not much for a date night but I had a surprisingly good lamb shank that night.

Anyway, as we were walking down Gouger after dinner, contemplating dessert, we found CORK! A small little wine cafe with the most charming interior. The place reminded me so much of a little bistro/ wine cellar Mart and I used to go to when we were still in Manila. So we traded dessert for a night cap and got a table inside. The bar is the main feature of the interior but there a number of cozy nooks that also caught my attention. The cafe serves tapas and a light menu - we were too stuffed to try it, but we'll definitely be back to sample the food.

The staff are nice and accommodating, they seem to know their wines pretty well and will take the time to answer questions and give suggestions to you. Interestingly they have tasting flights per wine category which allows you a tasting portions of three wines of the category of your choosing. Great for those who want a sample first before settling with a glass or bottle. Mart decided on getting the tasting flight of dessert wines, featuring selections from Italy, France and Australia. I on the other hand was just reading an article on my flight back to Adelaide about the Pinot Noir's from Otago, New Zealand and was delighted to find one in the menu and went for that.

Such a great place, I wonder why I never noticed it before. Most probably because when we go to Gouger Street we're all set for Yum Cha or Peking Duck.

For those who enjoy a quiet evening, come and end your busy day at Cork. I honestly had to think twice about telling people about it - it was too tempting to keep it to myself. We will definitely be back.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

cafe interior

menu board

tasting flight

window seating

CORK Wine Cafe
61A Gouger Street
Adelaide, SA 5000
T 08 8410 0645
M 0431 061 849
www.corkwinecafe.com
Cork Wine Cafe also has a facebook page

Tues-Thurs
4:00 p.m to 12 mn

Friday
12nn to 1am

Sat
7:45 am to 1am

Sun
4pm - 12mn

Mother's Day and French Macarons

I have been having major problems with updating my blog - please excuse my entry being so late. But here's one you cannot miss - especially those who need to have their desserts.

I've always enjoyed French Macarons, I have special special memories having them with my sister and my cousins in Paris. They are little almond meringue cookies with a soft creamy filling. With the very good ones, there also came the very bad ones - those that are too sweet and don't have that chewiness that you're after. I never did find them in the cafes here in Adelaide - until my friend Cate gave me a few to sample.

Enter Pastille Petite Desserts-these Macarons are good! Cate's friend Sigrid has a booth at the Rundle Street Sunday Market and she offered seasonal flavours(fruit in season), vanilla, salted caramel and chocolate. For my first order I got to try raspberry, passion fruit/chocolate, chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel. Fruit flavours were good, but we fell in love with the salted caramel flavour!

Knowing my mom would be in town for Mother's Day, I had to order these little desserts for her. Pastille Petite Desserts accepts orders with a 2 doz. minimum (single falvour per doz.) and with free delivery around the Adelaide CBD. Cost per piece is $1.50 at the Rundle Street Market (2nd & 4th Sundays only) and $36 for 2 doz. pcs.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Salted Caramel & Chocolate French Macarons

Pastille Petite Desserts

P. 0432 066 138
E. info@pastille.com.au

The Tomahawk! Just Cos

If you've been following my blog, you would have come across a few restaurants we eat in quite often. One of them is a steak house in the city named, Cos!

One dish Mart and I could never eat just on our own was the Tomahawk! When my family was over for a visit and wanted the best Aussie steak dinner - we knew this was the place to take them. The Tomahawk is a rib eye steak - char grilled to your desired wellness and is served with different potato sides and several dipping sauces. Size of the steaks start from around 1.2 kilos and can go up to around 3!

For our dinner, we settled with a 1.5 kilo steak for 6 people and my dad ordered his own 300g Scotch Fillet. This dish did not disappoint! We were very happy with the flavour and of course the meat was not dry. I would have been happy though if all the sides were just the truffle scented mash instead of all different kinds of potatoes. Some of which were left almost untouched in the table. The sauce selection ranged from mushroom cream sauce, to bearnaise sauce, to different kinds of mustards and a peppercorn sauce - great for large groups.

Check out the pictures we took with the rib eye bone!

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Family picture with our little (well...not so little) feast!

Close up on the meat please!

Sides of pomme frittes, wedges, potato cubes, mash and mushrooms

Mich loving the truffled scented mash! Our favourite - smells divine!

Yes - that's the bone!

For real!

Contact information from www.justcos.com.au

Address 
18 Leigh St Adelaide
S.A 5000

Phone: 8231 7611
Fax: 8231 7644

Email: cos@justcos.com.au

---

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday 12 pm to 3 pm (lunch)
Monday - Saturday 6 pm - late (dinner) 

Justin's favourite meal - Hahndorf Inn Hotel

During a quick breakfast in the airport, I asked all my family members what their favourite meal in Adelaide was, interestingly no two answers were the same. For my brother Justin, his answer was Hahndorf Inn hands down!

Tucked in the charming Main Street of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, the Hahndorf Hotel has a front bar, restaurant and al fresco area serving diners all day. Aside from the German beers on tap, they have an extensive wine selection. My first encounter with Hahndorf Inn was when I joined a tour of the area back in 2007 - the tour offered a tasting of 3 beers on tap and with that ofcourse we had to have the sausages on offer. Ever since then, it has been a favourite of ours and we find that it's the better option from the other hotels in the area. 

After a nice drive from the city, we arrive at Hahndorf Inn and took a table in the restaurant area. Since it was the first visit of my family we decided to pick our meal from the Taste of Germany Menu and picked the Taste of Germany Platter and the Six Star Sausage Combination. The menu says these dishes serves 2 but the platters were enough for our party of 7. The German Platter had a selections of sausages with pork chop, pork knuckle, potatoes and sauerkraut.  The Six Star Combination was a platter of Wursts and Kranskys served with pretzels. They bring a selections of mustards to the table to accompany the sausages. I have to say that the knuckle deserves special mention, the pork meat was very tender and juicy and very easy to tear from the bone. The platters are great for big groups because there's something to keep everyone happy. 

For the next visit I'd like to try their steaks or ribs from the char grill menu!

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Sandra & Mich in front of the Menu Board

Home baked garlic bread, $5.90

Taste of Germany Platter, $ 52.90

Six Star Sausage Combination, $ 42.90

Happiness!!! 

Contact Information taken from http://www.hahndorfinn.com.au

35 Main Road

Hahndorf SA 5245, Australia

(08) 8388 7063

Road Trip to Victor Harbour & Nino's Cafe!

While my family was here we took several trips out of the city to show them some sites. One of the trips we took was out to the Fleuirieu Peninsula to explore Victor Harbour and cross over to Granite Island.

Part of the attractions are the Whale Center, the Horse Drawn Tram and the penguins on the island. Part of my research for the trip, was not only sites and attractions but also good places to eat. And after my food search, I settled with Nino's Cafe. Located at the end of Main Street at Albert's place it was an easy wall from the parking areas and all the attractions we went there to see.

Pretty much an institution in the area, the cafe has been open for over 27 years and has recently been sold to new owners after the original owners retired.  They offer quality italian food in a casual environment, this is what I wanted to bring our guests to. Somewhere where we can relax after quite a drive and be able to recharge as we explore the town.

Finding the place was a bit tricky, since all the restaurants are quite close to each other - but with the help of Mart's iphone we confirmed that we were going the right direction and found the cafe. We were seated in the ground floor and the lunch crowd was growing as we settled into our table. Nino's fare is typical of a pizzeria - offerings range from soups, salads, gourmet and traditional pizzas and their pasta selection. For their main's, Mart and Justin ordered their lasagna and I'm so glad they did.

From all our orders, I have to say the lasagna was the stand out favourite. The menu describes it to be Angela Solari's original recipe with layers of ham, cheese and pasta topped with a bolognese sauce. This is the ultimate comfort food. It's the best lasagna I've tried here in South Australia - it screams home cooked and is worth coming back for.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Calamari $18.50

Garlic Pizza, small $4.50   large $8

*we had 2 large orders and it was no trouble finishing it off! so good!

Spaghetti Bolognese $16.90

Home made beef lasagna $18

Nino's

Albert Place

Victor Harbour SA

Ph: 08 8552 3501

Breakfast at Nano Ready to Go

Whenever we have company over, we try as much as possible to make them see the sites outside the city. Which means, getting the whole gang out bright and early and ready for a road trip - for mornings like these, we skip breakfast at home at take them over to Nano Ready to Go.

This is one of our favourite cafes, located in the east end of the city, it's set in the very charming area of Ebenezer Place. Nano has your usual breakfast offerings of eggs and sides, danish and croissants but we purposely come here for the breakfast door stops, nano stick and focaccias. The door stops are pizza like pieces of bread topped with eggs and pancetta or mushrooms...etc. Nano sticks and focaccias are panini style sandwiches filled with either deli meats, cheeses or veggies. We always get the salami or prosciutto ones. They have fresh orange juice and a range of coffees and italian sodas on menu. For something a bit more special, try the incarozza or their pancakes topped with fresh berries.

Special mention to the best sugar doughnuts in town - the zepole!

'Til the next post!
Sharlyn

Contact Information from Google Maps:Nano Ready 2 Go‎23 Ebenezer Pl, Adelaide SA 5000(08) 8227 0468‎

Hours:

Today 7:30am – 4:30pm

The Oost Burger! The Belgian Beer Cafe Oostende

Living in the east end of the city has great advantages. I have quite an extended kitchen, especially for when we have house guests. When my family arrived from Manila 2 weeks ago, one of our first stops was the Belgian Beer Cafe Oostende - Mart and I had to let them try the Oost Burger! 

Burgers have so many variations, from fast food chains, to designer burgers, to exotic meats...etc. There are good ones and there are the downright disappointing - the Oost burger has to be one of our favourites and raises the bar for us. The burger is huge - served with chips, one serve is enough to feed two people, you can find this item in the bar menu. The beef is chargrilled and is kept juicy and pink. Served with bacon, rocket, cheese, tomato, beetroot relish,mayo sandwiched in turkish bread, it's all you really need. The bun and fillings are properly proportioned. My only complaint really is that we can't take the burgers home because the restaurant doesn't have the license for take away.

To wash down your burger the bar has an extensive drink menu which include belgian beers on tap.  The bistro and bar menus have so much more offerings - to be honest, I haven't gotten passed the burger just yet but the moules (mussels) are next in my list!

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Oost Burger

Contact information taken from

http://www.oostende.com.au

27-29 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000

Phone 08 8359 3400

Sandra and chocolate fountains!

As I searched the blogs and forums for Adelaide's best desserts I came across the best tip ever! PROVIDORE or stall S66 in Adelaide's Central Market have the best belgian chocolate dark and milk chocolate fountains in town. For as little as $5.00 (depending on your choice of dippers) you can get a cup of fresh strawberries or marshmallows or waffle covered with chocolate. Tell me that's not a great dessert!

My sister Sandra loves chocolate fountains and I knew I had to take my family over to try. So after a great bbq lunch in Chinatown we got ourselves a couple of tables in the market and feasted over cups of melted chocolate. Good stuff!

For those who would like to do this at home, PROVIDORE sells the bars of chocolate for you to melt at home. For those with diabetic relatives, they can join in the fun because there are chocolate bars with reduced sugar.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Contact information taken from Adelaide Central Market Website:

Providore  (08 8231 5977)
Stall S66 Adealide Central Market
Gourmet specialties including Belgium chocolate, truffles, fresh gateaux, tortes, sponge cakes, pies, tarts, pastries, quiches, pates, pasta, confectionery and gourmet meats and smallgoods

Dad enjoying a sugar free muffin

Sandra with her first bite!

Waffle dipped in dark belgian chocolate

Cups of milk chocolate with marshmallows and strawberries

Family

My family came over from Manila - the last 9 days with them have been fantastic! I'm glad we were able to show them around our new home here in Adelaide and the surrounding areas from the Barossa down to Victor Harbour.

Along the way, we shared our favourite places and discovered new restaurants. Soon as I organize the photos, I'll be posting their favourite meals and sharing with you our discoveries.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Mom, Dad, Michelle, Justin, Sandra with Mart & me 

at Hahndorf Inn

Anzac Weekend, Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante

Holidays and long weekends usually keep Adelaide city pretty quiet. We took advantage of this and went in to try Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante on Frome Street. Even if this restaurant is just a short walk from our apartment, it took us this long to try it because its always full when we do drop by.

I've read about Amalfi years back, and have always been curious to try their offerings. They have a menu of traditional favorites from pasta dishes, wood fire oven pizzas and mains varying from seafood to lamb. The interiors of the restaurant are kept simple, first things you will notice are the open kitchen and large chalkboards with the day's specials.

For our first visit, we started with garlic bread and an order of their black mussels cooked in a broth of stock, garlic and chili. This is a favorite of mine from the Philippines and was looking so happy to see it in their menu and was hoping it was close to the one we order in Boracay Island. It was, and according to Mart, may even be better! The broth is salty and tasty and great to soak the garlic bread in! The mussels are perfectly cooked, still tender and easy to eat.

We then moved on to our Cardinale pizza - toppings include prosciutto, bocconcini, basil and mushrooms. The crust was really good and tasty with the perfect thickness and crunch. The toppings did not overwhelm the pizza and the ingredients used were of very good quality.

For dessert, we had an order of their tiramisu. From our whole meal, this is the most forgettable part. We did not enjoy our dessert because it was a bit dry and I missed the creamy mascarpone cream you usually lick of your spoon when having tiramisu.

Sans dessert though, it was a great dining experience and we'll definitely be making ur way back and work our way through more items in the menu!

'Till the next post!

Sharlyn

Menu

Garlic Bread - $4.20

Cozze Aglio Olio - Black Mussels steamed with garlic olive oil, parsly, chili and fish broth, $15.40

Cardinale Pizza, $ 24 / 15.90

Tiramisu

AMALFI RISTORANTE PIZZERIA

est 1981

29 Frome Street City East End

www.amalfi.net.au

Lunch MON-FRI

Dinner MON-SAT

Growlers at the Torquey Esplanade

Capping our great ocean road adventure, we looked for a nice place to have our last lunch in Torquey and chanced upon Growlers.

The restaurant had a nice al fresco area in the front yard of the building and has great views of the beach across the street. We were drawn in by a very full breakfast crowd and charming set up. Unfortunately, we were too late for the breakfast menu so we decided to just have some coffees and wait for the lunch service to begin.

Of course Mart had the wagyu rump steak, served with chips and side salad and I decided to keep it "light" with an order of their Ceasar's salad. Our food came and portions were generous. I enjoyed my Ceasar's salad, I like that I could taste the anchovies and loved the poached egg in the dish. I was very full with the portion that was served, and was happy that the salad was my main dish. Mart's rump steak was very tasty and tender (much better than the other steaks we've had in our Victoria trip). Other items to note in their menu are the coffin bay oysters, wagyu burger, seafood stew and portalington mussels.

Growler's is a very family friendly restaurant with a very wholesome menu we look for when we're on holiday. It was a great find and I'm glad we made the stop. Consider Torquey as your base for a Great Ocean Road adventure - there are quite a number of surprising finds in this town.

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

Wagyu Rump Steak, $22

Ceasar's Salad, $18

add Grilled Chicken, $26

Contact information taken from www.growlers.com.au:

23 The Esplanade
Torquay    3228    VIC

Open 7 days
for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Phone : 03 5264 8455
fax : 03 5264 8034
email : growlers4@bigpond.com.au