The Flute

Given Flute is only open from 8am-3pm on weekdays, I only manage to get there when I have the day off work. Yay, rejoice, day off work! Off I went to Flute, excited to try a new pastry or cake. I couldn’t go past the caramel and pecan cake ($7.50), which turned out to be the most magical, delicious piece of baking I’ve had in a very long time. The top of the pyramid is full of gooey caramel, which isn’t too runny, and is full of little balls of chocolate that add some crunch, and a couple of mini pecans, to whet your appetite. Next is the hazelnut mousse layer, which is utterly heavenly. I mean, give-me-a-big-bowl-full-and-leave-me-alone-for-my-life-will-be-complete heavenly. YUM. But it gets better. In the bottom layer, which is cake guarded by a pastry wall, there are hidden pecans inside!!! They’re incredibly sweet and are probably at the ultimate potential that any self-respecting pecan would aspire to achieve. The whole thing was very filling, so I ended up saving the second half for later (future me is going to be very happy). Basically, my advice is to drop everything and get one of these.

The Flute, 8 Barrier Street, Fyshwick ACT, http://www.theflutebakery.com.au/

Ginseng

I met up with friends at Ginseng for dinner before a night at the movies, and we each picked one dish to share. We started things off with a serve of the crispy duck pancakes (normally a serve of 6, we asked for 8 to split evenly). I was impressed with the service – they were prepared freshly on the table next door for us on individual plates and the duck pieces were plump, tender and generous. The pancake wrapper was thin and there was a slice of cucumber and a small sprig of spring onion, plus the hoisin sauce. Yum. The three mains came out shortly afterwards – honey prawns, Szechuan beef and sizzling Mongolian lamb. The sizzling lamb was really tender and the sauce was to die for – the right balance of sweet and salty. The beef had a great sweet and sour flavour and plenty of vegetables packed in, but I think the dish of the night was the honey prawns. Yes, I know they’re really unhealthy, but wow they tasted good! The batter was light and crisp and the prawns were so juicy, their seafood flavour enhanced by the honey. Yep, I’d definitely order like that again. Yum!

Ginseng, 15 Flinders Way, Manuka ACT, no website

Hortas

On a perfectly warm afternoon, Mum and I headed down to Port Noarlunga for lunch with a craving for fish and chips. Wandering around, we saw the beautiful location of Hortas looking out over the water and were sold. We sat out on the balcony and ordered two serves of the fish and chips. The food came out surprisingly quickly, as we were commenting that sitting on the deck felt like lounging at a friend’s place, it was so relaxing and comfortable! The plates were huge, with two pieces of beer-battered garfish, a mound of chips, a bowl of tartare sauce and a garden salad on the side. Whilst the presentation was pretty, it was a bit hard to eat on a plate with no free space. The fish was nicely battered, with the batter leaning more towards the dense side, and inside the fishmeat was perfectly cooked and tender. I found the flavour a bit unusual (just this type of fish? The Coopers beer batter?) but I enjoyed it with the lovely tartare sauce. The chips were a bit on the pale side for me, but were cooked through, and really, you just can’t go past that view.

Hortas, Port Noarlunga Jetty, Noarlunga SA, http://www.hortas.com.au/

Urban Pantry

Urban Pantry has undergone a refresh – both to its decor and its menu. The fresh, clean-looking space has made presentation a priority (as its Instagram account attests), so I met a friend visting from Melbourne there to try the new offerings. I ordered the Chef’s Pan ($18), with a poached egg, haloumi, spinach, roast tomatoes, asparagus and mushroom, which sounded like a delicious and healthy way to start the day. Our food came out quickly, and I was smitten with my dish before I took one mouthful, it was so pretty! I broke open the egg, which was dotted with quinoa, and the perfectly runny yolk oozed out to coat the assorted vegetables – mmm. I started with the good stuff – hello haloumi! It was lightly grilled, and had a nice, strong flavour without being overly salty. Winner. Next the tomatoes, which had also been perfectly seasoned and tasted like summer. Tick. I am a huge fan of asparagus and I adored this amount, steamed just right for me (not totally soft) and cut into bite-sized pieces. The mushrooms had a really deep, earthy flavour and it was great to lighten things up with some spinach. The fancy toast served on the side was fabulous too. So, delicious all round really!

Urban Pantry, 5 Bougainville Street, Griffith ACT, http://www.urban-pantry.com.au/

Pressed Juices

I know I’ve blogged about Pressed Juices before, but they have such a fun range that I couldn’t help myself. This time I wandered past one of their Sydney stores, and was determined to try something different. I hadn’t had any of their ‘green’ juices, and the lady kindly offered me a couple of samples to try, but while I was sipping on those, my eye was caught by one of their smoothies. I double checked – yes, dairy-free – and went for it on an impulse. It was, luckily, a great choice. The texture was like a slightly runny smoothie, although surprisingly thick for a cold press containing nothing but fruit. The four ingredients – pineapple, coconut, lychee and lemon (yes, they were the only ingredients in the whole thing) – were really well balanced. The pineapple and lemon were the most distinct flavours, but neither was overly sharp and the coconut made the overall flavour a bit creamy. I also really liked the ‘bits’ of pineapple and coconut left in the smoothie, which enhanced the texture, although I imagine could be offputting for anyone not a fan of pulp. So, two for two on the Pressed menu.

Pressed Juices, Shop 1, Region Food Arcade, 2 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW    http://www.pressedjuices.com.au/

Good Life

Adelaide has some amazing pizza places, and Good Life is one of the first that I really fell in love with. I’ve been going there for years and always end up ordering the same pizza – it never disappoints! Mum and I stopped in for a weekday lunch and were seated out on the balcony. We got my favourite, the chicken, potato, rosemary and parmesan pizza, to share in the large size ($29.85). The pizza came out fairly quickly and was visually stunning – large chunks of chicken were covered in fresh, not-melted parmesan and golden potatoes. Mmm. The flavour matched the presentation – the chicken pieces were tender and plump, if a little fatty, and packed with flavour, well matched with the subtle sliced of roasted garlic and the infrequent and not-overpowering dottings of rosemary. The pizza base was thin and crisp, especially along the crust, and was nicely seasoned for maximum tastiness. The potato was perfectly cooked, but the highlight for me was that parmesan – I adored the bitey flavour and the generous portion per slice. We couldn’t quite finish the last piece, but gave it a good try. A reliable favourite to keep coming back to!

Good Life Modern Organic Pizza, 44 Jetty Road Glenelg, SA http://www.goodlifepizza.com/

Double Shot

I have an incredibly awesome group of friends who will make pretty much any excuse to catch up – luckily breakfast is often that excuse. We gathered at Double Shot on a weekday morning – I started out with an apple, orange, pineapple and mint juice ($7), which was served in quite a large jar and was nicely balanced between the ingredients – there’s nothing like a fresh juice to start the day! I’d tried the mushroom dish before, so this time I went for the scrambled eggs with pecorino, grilled asparagus and truffle oil ($19). Our food was brought out mostly together (a short wait in between the first and last person to be served), and I felt like the presentation was a bit slap-dash, as though the ingredients had just been tossed on the plate, but I guess it’s hard to make scrambled eggs pretty! The asparagus was perfectly cooked and went perfectly with the fluffy, creamy eggs. The pecorino added a great bite to the dish (I liked that it wasn’t all melted into the eggs), and the truffle oil was in there working its magic. The toast was a bit too crispy for me, but other than that it was a lovely meal, both food and company-wise.

Double Shot, 18 Duff Place, Deakin ACT, http://doubleshotdeakin.com.au/