My first birthday in Adelaide, Zucca Greek Mezze Restaurant

October 2009 marked 2 special events - Our first wedding anniversary and my first birthday away from Manila. To cap a very special weekend - we had dinner at Zucca Greek Mezze Restaurant in Glenelg.

Zucca has been awarded the best Mediterranean Greek Restaurant by the Restaurant and Catering South Australia in 2009.

I've first heard of the restaurant by seeing its chefs on tv shows. Mart and I frequent Glenelg when we need a break from the city and have walked passed it quite a number of times. The restaurant is located in Holdfast Shores with great views of the bay and an al fresco dining area.  We decided to reserve this place for a special occasion and I was the lucky one with a birthday coming up! 

The interiors are very contemporary and is quite cozy. Large glass windows give you a great view of the sunset as you settle in to start dinner.  For this evening we decided to go with the Mezze dishes (taken from the website - Mezzedes - “…smaller meals which are balanced to give you an array of different flavours and best enjoyed when sharing with friends.”) so that we could try more than just 2 or 3 items. It took a bit of time for us to decide but we ended up with a varied selection of mezze dishes - too much for 2 people for sure! We started with a selection of pita with 3 homemade dips - fetta roast capsicum, tzatziki and scodalia. Our mezze dishes comprised of grilled spiced greek sausages with pickled lentils and saganaki cheese, chargrilled octopus with beetroot and garlic, moussaka & chicken souvlaki. Zucca also has an impressive wine selection to complete your meal choices. For dessert we had a mezze plate of homemade desserts such as baklava and kataifi.

Zucca has become one of our top favourite places to go to. I will keep coming back for that char grilled octopus and Mart loves the Moussaka. We often see couples out on dates, whole families celebrating birthdays or a night out with friends. Zucca's comfortable environment and great Mezze style of dining is the complete formula for a fun night! 

'Til the next post!


Sharlyn

Pita with 3 homemade dips - $17.90

Mezze dishes - $16.90 each

Mezze dessert plate - $ 16.90

Information from the website: http://www.zucca.com.au

Shop 5 Marina Pier Holdfast Shores SA 5045

Telephone: 83768222
Fax: 83768233

Open 7 Days
12pm – 3pm + 6pm – late

One Night in Singapore, The Makansutra Gluttons Bay

En route to Manila, we only had a one night lay-over in Singapore. If you only have that much time in one place, I suggest you do as the locals to get the most of your time in a new city. In 2007, I had a chance to visit Singapore to sell Philippine made bags and home accessories in a bazaar with my good friends Christine & Alfred. They have studied and now work in Singapore and despite our very hectic schedule, I felt the local experience the best when they took me to The Makansutra Gluttons Bay. This is an open air hawker's center located in the Esplanade Theaters by the Bay.

I dragged my husband through the MRT (train system) for a midnight "snack".   It was a very humid night, but because the center was located by the river it was not too unpleasant to be eating outdoors. From this area you will have great views of the Singapore Merlion & The Fullerton Hotel.  In a matter of minutes, we had a feast in our table all taken from hopping between each stall. Local trick in taking a table - just place a pack of tissues on your table of choice and people will know that it's taken and you can go off to shop for your meal. Do not leave valuables, like mobile phones or a wallet though.

Meals in places like these range from AUD$ 2-5 per dish. I had to have our favorite flat noodle dish char kwey teow and a glass of Nai Cha (iced milk tea). Unfortunately, that's all we had room for as it was already late and we had quite an early flight out to catch but it's easy to get traditional favorites like Kaya Toast, Chili Crabs, Chicken Rice and a lot more!


Til the next post!


Sharlyn

Hawker stalls & Dining area

Noodle Stall

The famous kaya toast with kopi

Check out the prices!

our half eaten char kwey teow! the servings are quite large

Once you see this building, you'll know you're in the right area

The view from the esplanade

Some useful information taken from -  http://www.esplanade.com.sg

Makansutra Gluttons Bay

# 01-15

T: +65 6438 4038
F: +65 6336 7029

Operating Hours
Mon-Thu: 5pm - 2am
Fri-Sat: 5pm - 3am

Sun: 4pm - 1am

CYMA Greek Taverna, Boracay Island Phils.

November 2009 marked the wedding of our great friends Nijay & Mia! After a great wedding in Manila we jetted off to Boracay (yes, with the honeymooning couple and a few of their relatives).

Even if people say that the island has been over developed over the years, Mart & I will probably still keep coming back to this island. The sand really is like fine white powder, sunsets never get old and the food is great! Boracay is foodie heaven!

The cuisine in Boracay ranges from wet market stalls, international brands (yes, Starbucks has landed here too), and beach side barbecue kiosks (for the famous chori-burgers!).   My favorite is discovering local favorites which serve up not only Filipino food but an array of international cuisine. My family has been coming to Boracay since my siblings were little and we do have a list of favorites. 

Here are some of our must eats when in Boracay: Pasties from the English Baker, Sea Wind Hotel's breakfast pancakes (they're in between what a crepe and pancake should be!), Hawiian BBQ ribs, Creme Brule at Discovery Shores Hotel, Chicken Inasal from Bacolod Chicken House, Deli items from Aloha Deli, Tinapa rice form the Lazy Dog bed & breakfast, and the list goes on and on. That's because every time you visit - there's always something new popping up.

Part of my must eat list is a little greek restaurant tucked away at D Mall called CYMA. We knew of this restaurant way back in the day - they have now expanded with branches located in the huge Manila malls. For some reason - the original is still the best for me, nothing (even its own branches) can compare!

CYMA Greek Taverna bring s Greece to the Philippines serving up Mezedes (appetizers such as dips with pita), souvlakis, gyros, pastas and salads. But my must have in Boracay is a dish called MIDA ACHNISTA ME KRASI which is simply a bowl of steam mussels tossed together with butter, garlic, white wine, lemon and parsley! It is such a simple dish but because of the freshness of the mussels, garlic bread and a glass of wine is all you need.

Some other dishes to note is the ROKA Pasta, Yemistes (rice stuffed green pepper), Mahi Mahi fillets, the whole fish selections, spinach and artichoke fondue, and the CYMA roasted crabs.

As I write this I'm wishing I could make my way back there soon...

Til the next post!

Sharlyn

CYMA Boracay

My favorite dish!

The Boracay Sunset

Contact information taken from the CYMA website:

http://cymarestaurants.com

* service is for lunch and dinner
** casual dining

Flying Fish, Port Elliot

Our dear friends Cherrie and David doing their pre-baby (the little one comes in March!) road trip from NSW down to Victoria and back! They came to visit Adelaide for a few days as their mid way pit stop and we decided to take them for a day trip to Victor Harbour to see the sites. 

As I looked through brochures and websites I found a charming cafe by Port Elliot - The Flying Fish! The restaurant is located beach front in Horseshoe Bay. They have a choice of 2 dining areas - the restaurant and the deck. The restaurant serves Modern Australian fare and menus change with the season. For this trip though, we settled in at The Deck for their famous Fish & Chips in a paper cone! We also threw in some calamari for good measure. Great casual ambiance and reasonable prices - if you've got to have fast food, this is the way to go! 

'Til the next post!

Sharlyn

The Deck

View of Horseshoe Bay

Cherrie & David Johnson with their Fish & Chips!

Contact Information taken from the website:

http://www.flyingfishcafe.com.au/

Flying Fish Cafe:

No. 1 The Foreshore

Horseshoe Bay

Port Elliot

South Australia 5212

Phone: 08 8554 3504

Facsimilie: 08 8554 1928

Email: fly.fish@bigpond.net.au

Web: flyingfishcafe.com.au

Opening times:

The Deck

Coffee 7 days 9am - 5pm

Lunch 7 days 11am - 3pm

Brunch Sat & Sun 9am - 11am

The Restaurant:

Lunch 7 days 12pm - 3pm

Dinner Fri - Sat 6pm - 8.30pm

Tanunda Stop Over - Keil's Fine Food & Coffee

Sine we had a few days at the Barossa, I took some time to google a few of the local shops I'd like to visit. One of them is Keil's Fine Food & Coffee, they have a catchy tag line - where the locals meet. Of course after that I wanted to visit for sure.

It was such a hot December day, a bit too hot for a hot lunch so we decided to stop over for an Iced Coffee at Keil's (Keil's uses Toby Estate Coffee - to read more go to http://www.tobysestate.com.au)  As we ordered, there was a display of pastries and sweets - lunch that day turned out to be a an order of white chocolate mud cake! Yum!

Iced Coffee

White Chocolate Mud Cake

Aside from eating in, you can also shop for some of the local produce on sale inside the charming little cafe.

Cafe Interior

I would definitely stop over for a coffee here, the next time I'm in town.

Till the next post!

Sharlyn

Contact Information:

Keils Fine Food and Coffee

• 
  
  63-67 Murray St
  Tanunda 5352 SA
• Phone: (08) 8563 1468
• 
  
  Mon-Fri 7.30am-5pm
  
  
  Sat 8.30am-5pm
  
  
  Sun 7am-4pm

Christmas at the Barossa, Appellation Restaurant

My Christmas gift this year from my husband was a quick get away at the Barossa! Staying over for a few days gave us enough time to go around the different towns and sample new places to eat. 

One of my surprises was a dinner date with Mart at the award winning Appellation restaurant located at The Louise hotel. I've been wanting to experience dining here since my first visit to Adelaide in 2007 and our little getaway allowed for us to finally do so. Apellation prides itself in being the best in regional cuisine, so it's a great experience for those who are new to the area.

The arrival experience at The Louise was impressive and very charming as beds of lavender line the plant boxes in the central courtyard. We are greeted at the door and led to the patio for cocktails. We find ourselves sitting in the lounge pieces scattered in the space and enjoying the views of the nearby wineries. It almost felt like we were in a friend's house instead of an award winning restaurant. 

I order a raspberry margarita - the best I have ever had! The berries used to make it were so fresh and made every bit of difference in my drink. We get a chance to read the menu while we soaked up the scenery. We are presented with the option to do a 2-3 course dinner or the tasting menu. We later decided leave the tasting menu for another visit since we still had to drive to our hotel. You see, each dish would be served with a wine pairing - and with 7 dishes and wines to match, we might not have made it out the door - let alone back to our hotel! 

In between our 3 chosen courses, we were given extra complimentary dishes. I started with the creamy “risotto” of fine barley with leeks, garden greens and two cheeses then moved on to a duck tasting plate and then had the Roast Fillet Coorong Angus Beef for my main.  No dessert this time - there was simply no room! 

It's quite a pricey night out but definitely well worth the experience.  A la carte menus are priced by the number of courses chosen, it's about $105 for 3 dishes. A separate menu will be presented for dessert and cheese, each with their own pricing. Tasting Menu is $240 per person which includes food and the wine paired with each course. They suggest at least 3 hours for this dining experience. 

Service was excellent and the food was presented so well. It was a great experience, a definite highlight of my first Christmas in Adelaide!

Till the next post!

Sharlyn

The Lousie Courtyard

You don't get to places like these every day

Cocktails at the patio

Appellation Interiors

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

By Telephone:	Call the restaurant 7 days per week from 11am where your call will be answered by one of our team. From within Australia: (08) 8562 4144 From outside Australia: +61 8 8562 4144
By Email:	dine@appellation.com.au Click this link to format an email message addressed to Appellation. Please be advised that bookings requested via email are not confirmed until we have contacted you directly and advised you of availability.
By Fax:	Send a fax to the restaurant. Please be advised that bookings requested via fax are not confirmed until we have contacted you directly and advised you of availability. From within Australia: (08) 8562 3133 From outside Australia: +61 8 8562 3133

Valentine's Day at Stamps!

As I am going about my blogs backwards - the last big day out for us was Valentine's Day. This day was quite special, mostly because out of the 4 years of dating and the 1 year of marriage we never got to spend this day together! Previous to my moving to Adelaide, Mart and I were always in different countries come Valentine's - so this year it was quite a special day.  All the credit should go to Mart though, for finding this incredible little restaurant in Mitcham.

Stamps is located in a quiet and charming suburb around 15 mins away from the city by car. It was the most unassuming place for a date - no busy streets or big crowds. Just a charming little restaurant hiding behind some grape vines sitting next door to the old Mitcham post office, hence the name. The interiors are contemporary but very warm, I was pleasantly surprised and charmed by this little gem.

Stamps gives you a quite a dining experience. We were there with quite a number of couples but due to the size of the dining room, we didn't feel like we were competing for service. The staff was constantly monitoring our water and wine glasses, dishes were cleared after every course and they were all so very gracious and friendly. Menus change here every season, and they have an extensive selection of Australian wines. As a special treat  they presented us with a 3 course menu for Valentine's Day.

Dinner for us started with 2 glasses of sparkling rose wine, complimentary with our meal. For starters, I chose the Terrine of grilled provencal vegetables with crumbed woodside chevre and 2 pestos. Mart went with the prawns which was served with a mango and avocado salsa. It was a wonderful start for us both, my vegetables were perfectly cooked and the tomato pesto gave such a rustic and interesting flavour, the crumbed cheese with the basil pesto was also excellent. Mart loved his prawns! He enjoyed the combined flavours of the prawn and the salsa - it made quite the impression him. And for someone who adores meat - that's saying a lot!

For mains we both sucummed to the Clare Valley fillet of beef and truffle mash. I am usually not a fan of beef fillets for fear it will come to me quite dry but we were happy to get our steaks perfectly medium rare! The truffle mash, needless to say, smelled heavenly. This made every bite that extra more special.

Dessert options included cinnamon waffles & a cheese selection but we only had eyes for the chocolate souffle served with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream on the side! To cap of the meal we had the option for coffee or tea, once served, a plate of petit fours (which included truffles and biscuits) were presented. I was one happy camper!

With our very full tummies we say good bye to the staff and we were given a complimentary jar of their homemade strawberry jam (they took care of breakfast too!).   It was a great date night - and another great find. All the dishes were excellent - and I would love to go back to sample their seasonal menus.

I highly recommend a visit to Stamps, a great little place for a special occasion or just when you crave a great meal.

Contact information can be found below, I'm also including a few photos from that night. The photos were taken with Mart's iphone so please forgive the quality of the shots.

Till the next entry!

Sharlyn

Here is the contact information, taken from their website (see link provided) :

Contact

Address : 12a Welbourne Street, Mitcham, South Australia (see map)

Phone : (08) 8272 8815

Email : info@stampsrestaurant.com.au

Website: http://www.stampsrestaurant.com.au

Opening Hours

Breakfast

Sunday : 9:00am - 11:30am

Lunch

Tuesday - Friday : From 12:00 pm

Sunday : From 12:00 pm

Dinner

Tuesday - Friday : From 6:30 pm

Saturday : From 6:30 pm

Monday : From 6:30 pm

• $50 set menu only
• Any 2 Courses
• Complimentary corkage*

Welcome!

Welcome to Life on a Plate! As I look back at the year that's passed I sometimes cannot believe the big changes that have happened to my otherwise steady existence. This time last year, I was back in my office in Manila tying up loose ends as I was getting ready to move away from my comfort zone to join my husband in Adelaide, South Australia. 

My life in Manila was fantastic! I have a great family, my best friends in the whole world and a career in interior design beginning to take shape. I worked as an interior designer for the last 10 years, the last 4 in my own practice that I shared with friends. But as life was taking shape for me back home, my husband was starting his as well in Adelaide. When we decided to take things to the next level and start our married life together, it was decided that this big start would happen here, in South Australia. We were excited by the opportunities and stability Australia could provide. So after a great wedding and a few months of waiting for my visa to work out - here I am - blogging from our bedroom in our city apartment.

I'm sure that just like most of you reading this, when you look back at the big and small moments that define your life, you can associate a dish or two that made things that bit more special. Food is such a big part of any Filipino's day! We live for our morning coffee, office lunches, after work dinners and weekend getaways.We are notorious for our long list of non-working holidays and long weekends! Every birthday, graduation, work promotion, favorable report card is never over looked.  Feasts big and small can be witnessed from food courts, sidewalk hawker stalls, restaurants and homes. My family is no exception - we love to eat and we love to travel! There is nothing better than going to a new place and finding something fantastic! 

So here I am - in Adelaide - one big place that's something new - so with my husband in tow, we start exploring! I am no chef, food critic or nutritionist - I am just a foodie, out to have a good time with my friends and family.  In my first 9 months here we have discovered great places and memorable dishes - and are ready to find more. Join me in this food trip around Adelaide...Australia and the world! 

For now, I'll be working backwards and will be posting from our previous finds but once that's all set up - I'll be sure to post my discoveries and new offerings from our favorites as they come.

That's it for now!

Sharlyn