Delectaballs

My next choice at Fork on the Road was the sliders from Delectaballs. There were a few flavours on offer, but I opted for the Moroccan lamb with minted yoghurt. While they were being freshly cooked, the lovely gentleman wearing an ‘I like big balls and I cannot lie’ cap chatted to each customer and then used my order to demonstrate to someone who didn’t know what a slider is. My model sliders were well-sized and oozing with tomato sauce and the minted yoghurt, so were good advertising! I was expecting the bun to be a bit too much, but it cushioned the giant meatball nicely and was thankfully quite light. The meatball itself was perfect – well-cooked, high quality lamb mince with a mix of spices I couldn’t quite pick. There was just the right amount of sauce to prevent the slider from being dry, and the rocket made me feel slightly healthier about eating such a big serve of meat! I was surprised by how filling the slider was – I needed a good digestion pause before trying the next thing. Next time I think I’d try the eggplant and parmesan slider – I’m definitely a fan of Delectaballs!

Delectaballs, changing locations around Adelaide, SA                    http://www.delectaballs.com.au

 

Anvil Coffee Co

Oh my – Anvil has such a stunning location that I had to take a minute to soak it in before finding a table overlooking the water. Tucked into the side of Kirribilli Wharf, this little gem serves breakfast and lunch as well as takeaway coffee. I took my time with the menu, but eventually decided on the Something Savoury – chorizo, smashed peas, broadbeans and leek with salad on sourdough. Sadly they’d run out of chorizo, but I was offered smoked salmon as an alternative (yes please). I was a bit disappointed that they don’t offer fresh juices, and I didn’t enjoy the bottled ‘green power’ juice I ordered. My meal came out on a beautiful plate with all of the components piled up neatly and topped with a slice of lemon. I would have preferred a wedge to drizzle, but I managed to get some of the flavour from it. The toast was extra crispy and tough to cut, but the smashed greens were very filling and the overall flavour was lovely. There was plenty of salmon and I couldn’t finish the salad. A couple of tweaks needed, but overall a nice breakfast with lovely views.

Anvil Coffee Co, Kirribilli Wharf, Hobrook Avenue, Kirribilli NSW                           http://www.anvilcc.com.au/

Walt and Burley

This was my second visit to Walt and Burley and I was very impressed with the whole experience. We went for a friend’s farewell lunch, and were seated at an indoor table, explained how the menu works and encouraged to order at the bar. Having had one of the burgers before, I opted for the cajun tuna loin, as part of the ‘from the grill’ part of the menu. It was a great choice – whilst a little pricier than the majority of the lunch menu, the portion of tuna is large, and when my plate came out the fish was perfectly pink inside. The outside had been seared with cajun spices, something tomatoey and cheese, and the tuna was incredibly tender. Every mouthful was a delight. The salad was perfectly matched and had a fresh spring feel about it – the black-eyed beans and zucchini combination was light and felt healthy to eat. The meal was more than enough for me, although I was a bit cheeky and picked at some of the chips we’d ordered to share – so tasty! Friends ordered the buttermilk chicken, which is the next thing on my list to try.

Walt and Burley, 21 Eastlake Parade, Kingston ACT        http://www.waltandburley.com.au/

Lucky Duck

When you have a big night out, a solid breakfast can be unappealing. You can also miss your alarm and rock up late. Despite both of these things happening, I had a fabulous experience at the Lucky Duck cafe and bar. Our group sat in the outside courtyard, which is beautifully set up with succulents on each wooden table and a beautiful geometric mural on the wall. The menu has a good mix of traditional and creative dishes, and I opted for the ‘Duck Bate’: bacon, avocado, tomato and egg on an open sourdough sandwich served with lemon, basil and drizzled with garlic olive oil. Mmm. I also ordered a ‘green juice’, which was advertised with a cheeky sign about Australia’s climate change policy. The juice was perfection – apple, pear, mint, cucumber, kiwi fruit and spinach balanced to refresh (and cure hangovers). The meal itself was equally perfect – the fried egg was still runny, the tomato was brought to life by the garlic oil, the avocado was generous and enlivened by the lemon. I also had a peek at all of the ducks hidden throughout the cafe – perched on shelves, in pot plants and painted on the walls. Such a fun place!

Lucky Duck cafe and bar, 15 Gladstone Road Highgate Hill, QLD   http://luckyduckcafebar.com.au/

The Homestead Cafe

My team at work are a bunch of foodies, and when I suggested going out for high tea on a Sunday, quite a lot of them were keen. I booked us in to the Homestead Cafe, and we were given a private room. I was struck by the beautiful crockery – everyone had different teacup and saucer sets, so we spent the first few minutes comparing and admiring the china. First course was a choice of sparkling wine or orange juice – I opted for the juice, and it was freshly squeezed and sweet. The finger sandwiches were next – they were also fresh (no crispy bread) and my favourite was the smoked salmon. The hot savoury course was the highlight, with caramelised onion tarts topped with goat’s cheese and a delightful arancini ball served with homemade tomato relish. Next were the scones – one per person, served with mixed berry jam and clotted cream. The scone was huge, crumbly and matched the thin jam perfectly. We concluded with a selection of small desserts, including a white chocolate and raspberry panna cotta and carrot cake. It was nice to leave a high tea not feeling overly bloated, and having had a relaxed afternoon out of town.

The Homestead Cafe, 214 Gooromon Ponds Rd Hall, ACT  http://www.homesteadcafe.com.au/

Long Bar

After a very filling high tea, we decided we couldn’t visit Raffles and not go up to the Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling. A friend who’d studied in Singapore had recommended going if only for the novelty of the peanuts. The peanuts? Yep, it’s all about the peanuts. At every table there’s a big wooden box full of peanuts still in their shells, and the Long Bar allows you to experience the imperiousness of the colonial days, when servants would pick up the shells that the British cast on the floor. That’s right, you can, and indeed are expected to, throw your peanut shells on the floor for someone else to clean up afterwards. It’s actually pretty fun. You are also fanned by the modern equivalent of slaves with palm fronds – mechanised palm fans on the ceiling. The Singapore Sling itself is the other draw card, having been famously invented here. I’d never had one before, so it seemed like a good place to start. In the tropical temperatures, the sweet and fruity drink was refreshing and didn’t taste overly alcoholic, which could be dangerous, but was simply delicious.

Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road Singapore                http://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/long-bar/

Mamachau

Oh Adelaide, how I adore your food trucks! They conveniently gather together on the odd occasion for an event called Fork on the Road, which is where I tried Mamachau’s incredible bao. At only $3.50 each they felt like a real steal, and we picked two of the three flavours on offer to try. I had the KFC (Korean fried chicken) bao, with kimchi mayo and Asian coleslaw. The chicken was to die for! Crisp, fresh and tasty, it was definitely the winning choice, with incredibly soft meat inside the fried (but not oily) skin. The kimchi mayo didn’t add as much spice as I expected, but there was plenty of self-serve Sriracha sauce for extra chilli. The slaw was packed in and the bao was springy and not too dense. We also tried the master stock pork belly bao with peanuts and pickled vegetables, which was a great flavour combination, but which paled in comparison to the KFC bao. The pork belly was tender, flavoursome and complemented the coriander and hoisin sauce perfectly. Luckily they also have a store on King William Street – added to my ‘to visit’ list.

Mamachau, Shop 3/118 King William Street, Adelaide SA    http://www.mamachau.com.au/