Sensational-Adelaide.com

They speak mandarin with a thick mainland accent though.

Howie wrote:They speak mandarin with a thick mainland accent though.

so western-japan then

Wayno wrote:thanks Will & Andy, we'll probably visit Mesa Lunga or similar in the CBD. Another that looks interesting is Casablaba. It's on Leigh St and has both an inside and outside eating area.

Will, the Semaphore Rd strip certainly has become a terrific destination (will only get better with time), but it's a tad too distant for our booze induced friday evening - the cava will be flowing freely, and my wife is insistent on visiting The Apothecary later in the evening.

14 of us ended up going to The Wine Underground in a private room (The Barossa). Unbeknownst to ourselves, they recently withdrew their Tapas menu, but the chef was gracious and agreed to whip up his best spanish cuisine.

I must say this place is great destination, with 2 private rooms downstairs (at opposite ends of the bar), and a restaurant on the ground level. THe private rooms kept the noisy bar area at bay, and the bar area itself is a mix of mod and classical furniture (think Chesterfields). Oh and the wine range is to die for - from good quality modest priced bottles, to Hill of Grace.

We are thinking of visiting Mesa Lunga for our next CBD gastronomic outing.

got take away from cafe Michael 2.....

brilliant stuff

I like Mesa Lunga as well

The best fish and chips in Adelaide are at Captain Hook around the corner at the Greenacres Shopping Centre on North East Rd. The chips are perfect and the many types of fish are fresh and juicy especially if you have your fish crumbed. The prices are reasonable.

There are a few idiosyncrasies though:

- Due to some acoustic effect in the air extractor system over the cooking area the shop is filled with a weird roaring noise that the staff don't seem to notice.

- The place closes at 8:30pm.

- There are so many staff, all in blue uniforms, yet service is quite slow. Several people seem to attend to each order, and there is a complex system of customer taking numbers, orders being written and posted for the 'oil chefs' as in a restaurant.

- The shop is as clean as a surgery. Many of the staff seem to be 'wipers'.

- They have a large number of different sizes and types of cardboard and polystyrene boxes that your meal comes in, depending on what you order

- There is a more than life-size Captain Hook in the shop.

- The bunches of tomatoes, chillis, garlic etc among the raw fish on display are all real, from the boss's garden. You get fresh lemon and tartare sauce with everything.

the best Fish and Chips is at Charcoal Chicken on North East Road in Tea Tree Gully. Brilliant stuff there

The best Chicken and Chips is at Chickens to Go on Lower North East Road in Campbelltown. Brilliant stuff there!

Anyone eaten at Taverna on Jeffcott?
Yet to go, but apparently the servings are massive and most people struggle to finish their meals.

Sadly, Taverna on Jeffcott has just closed. I ate there once and rev's right - huge meals.

Speaking of struggling to finish... In Coffin Bay at the oyster farms they let a few oysters grow out until the oyster meat is about the size of a chop. It's usually crumbed and fried. There's a little game played by the fishing lads over there in which unsuspecting females are talked into eating a raw giant oyster 'in the traditional way'. The joke is that the resulting performance, which usually involves overcoming the gag reflex, looks very like something else.

Last night I saw a foodie travelogue program starring the cook Poh in a visit to Coffin Bay. She fell for the 'swallow this oyster whole' trick, on national TV, complete with gagging. Hilarious. And those latté sipping Sydney wankers reckon we're unsophisticated!

You're kidding? It's closed? Any idea why?
I've heard nothing but good things about it. It's apparently always busy.
Trust me to sit on my ass and wait and miss out

rev wrote:You're kidding? It's closed? Any idea why?
I've heard nothing but good things about it. It's apparently always busy.
Trust me to sit on my ass and wait and miss out

They are moving to larger premises on Wellington Square, where the bottle shop is.

Great news. My one meal there was excellent, and filling.

That building on the corner of Wellington Square used to have a verandah and balcony. It would be good to see that feature restored - sitting upstairs on the balcony overlooking the square would make for a good evening.

Good to hear. I doubt they'll be open within the next two months though?
Hopefully, have some people coming from overseas.

Anyone know of anywhere, um, unique, or good?
We all know of Rundle Street etc, but I'd rather take them somewhere that isn't typical.

I've been thinking of the restaurant/cafe up at Mt Lofty over looking the city, and Utopia at Waterfall Gully which is apparently the only restaurant in Australia at the base of a waterfall.

Fino at Willunga (next to the Alma Hotel) is a pretty good spot to take guests. Main courses are about $20 - $30 each, so it's not super cheap, but the serves are decent sizes and the ingredients are fresh. The cook used to be at the super trendy Star Of Greece restaurant at Port Willunga but Fino is a lot more laid back. You can get cheap BYO booze at the Alma pub next door.

At the other end of the scale, if you want a really cheap, nourishing feed, or if you're carb loading, try the Kronpuss Bakery factory shop at 185 Torrens Road, Ridleyton. It's actually the admin office of the bakery in an old house, but once you've walked past the ladies in accounts, you're in a small internal room decked out with pie warmers and glass-fronted fridges. The stock is fresh but is sometimes a bit below retail standard in shape or whatever. Hot pies and pasties are about half retail and cold ones or cakes are even cheaper. Avoid the sausage rolls. You make your selection and pay the accounts ladies on your way out.

Note: The 'cash register' for the this shop is coins and notes in a cake tin on one of the desks, operated strictly by the accounts ladies. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DEPOSIT OR TAKE YOUR OWN CHANGE FROM THE CAKE TIN. The accounts ladies have lightning reactions possibly due to past heists and THEY WILL TAKE YOU DOWN if you attempt this.

rev wrote:Good to hear. I doubt they'll be open within the next two months though?
Hopefully, have some people coming from overseas.

Anyone know of anywhere, um, unique, or good?
We all know of Rundle Street etc, but I'd rather take them somewhere that isn't typical.

I've been thinking of the restaurant/cafe up at Mt Lofty over looking the city, and Utopia at Waterfall Gully which is apparently the only restaurant in Australia at the base of a waterfall.

Red Poles at McLaren Vale is a top spot for lunch on a sunny day. book in advance. Unlike many McLaren Vale restaurants that aim for a view, Red Poles is nestled in a scrubland valley, a garden setting where you can sit on the verandah, or at a garden table. They typically have live background music. highly recommended.