Little NNQ

Meeting up with friends for a Gouger St dinner in Adelaide, I picked the new kid on the block – Little NNQ, the outpost of Nghi Ngan Quan. The menu is full of exciting-sounding things: DIY cold rolls, curries, and soups. I ordered the entree sized pho as a starter, which was more like a small main when it came out, full of rare beef, beef balls, onion and noodles. The broth was fabulous and not overly salty, and I was well on my way to full after drinking every last drop. I had the grilled scallops with ginger as my main, along with the orange and kumquat juice, which was served in a mason jar and had a refreshing citrus bitterness to it. The scallops came out with five on the plate drowning in sauce, accompanied by  piles of spring onion. Sadly the scallops were overdone, losing their softness to chewiness, but the sauce was spectacular and I ate a lot of it with rice. I would have been disappointed with the serving compared to my friend’s giant bowl of sour soup if I hadn’t had the entree. Verdict? Tasty dishes worth trying, despite imperfections.

Little NNQ, 125 Gouger Street Adelaide, SA, no website

SAD:Cafe

Sure, the name is odd, but when put in context next to sister store DAS boutique, calling your cafe ‘SAD’ makes some kid of sense. Luckily, this place is anything but sad, located on the revitalised Ebenezer Place that is becoming a bit of a foodie haunt. My friend and I snagged an outdoor table, but I did spend some time admiring the simple decor inside when ordering – pleasant mint-coloured walls, presumably upcycled wooden furniture and cute art in matching frames. I ordered the poached eggs with sweet potato and caper hash, and the iced tea from the specials board. Both came out promptly – the iced tea was served in a jar with a straw and was lovely and refreshing, made from lemon, cinamon, ginger and honey. The eggs were perfectly poached and oozed all over the three lightly toasted buns (heaven). Whilst not what I expected from a hash, the fried sweet potato triangles were lovely, and the avocado hollandaise was a delicious luxury. Surprisingly, the spring onion and capers really brought the dish to life, and there were plenty to include in each mouthful. I definitely left this place perfectly happy.

Sad:Cafe, 10 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide, SA                    http://www.sadcafe.com.au/

Exchange

I’ve been following Exchange’s instagram account for a while and was sucked in by the incredible photos of dounts that they keep posting. Sadly when we went they didn’t have any donuts, but the brunch menu beckoned. Exchange has a light and airy location off Rundle Street, which is enhanced by its simple decor. Cyclist-friendly, we found a table amongst the lycra-clad patrons and read through the short menu. I started with a local orange juice made in Lobethal (a bit disappointing that they don’t offer fresh juice, but good to support local) and ordered the Gloria plus bacon. I was impressed by the presentation when it arrived, everything beautifully stacked and dusted in dukkah and basil. The avocado was spread generously on both pieces of the toasted Turkish bread, which was crisp to perfection and topped with rashers of honey-glazed bacon. Mmm. I struggled to finish my dish, as did Mum, who had the fig and hazelnut french toast – also beautifully presented with fresh strawberries and orange segments; I suffered some serious order envy. If you’re in the city stop in at Exchange and have some donuts and/or french toast for me!

Exchange Specialty Coffee, Shops 1&2 12-18 Vardon Avenue, Adelaide SA       http://www.exchangecoffee.com.au

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

 

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/

Bracegirdles

All throughout my university days and even now when I visit Adelaide, Bracegirdles is my go-to for a decadent treat. Their chocolate is my absolute favourite when it comes to boutique chocolatiers across Australia, and I think it’s at its best in molten form. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered anything at Bracegirdles apart from their chocolate fondue – they offer a range of sizes with different accompaniments, but the ultimate for me is the fondue for four with fruit, shared with friends. You have a choice of milk or dark chocolate for your fondue. After ordering at the counter and admiring the range of truffles, there’s a cozy upstairs space with armchairs which is lovely in winter, or the balcony overlooking Jetty Road for people watching in summer. The plate arrives with banana, strawberry, orange and pineapple, all fresh and sweet. They do offer a lolly version for those with a really sweet tooth, but I found it a bit too much, as their chocolate is very sweet. One of the best things about Bracegirdles is that they sell their chocolate buttons for DIY fondue, so interstate visitors can recreate the magic at home. Love it.

Bracegirdles, 31 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA                http://www.bracegirdles.com.au/

Melt

This was my second time eating at Melt, and it was just as good as the first at their other location on King William Road. The Waymouth Street restaurant has a green theme – it runs through the tiles, the website and even into the water jugs, which are packed with fresh mint leaves to make tap water refreshing. We opted for the CBD lunch special – a selection of tapas, pizzas and salads, and were amazed at the high quality of every single dish. The tapas included fried zucchini balls with an amazing mayonnaise, pan-fried haloumi, the best baba ganouch I’ve ever had and chilli green beans. This was promptly followed by three pizzas (between five people) – ‘albondigas’, with Spanish meatballs and cherry tomatos, ‘funghi’, with mushrooms, egg and watercress, and ‘the 38’, with zucchini, speck and mint. I’d requested ‘funghi’ as it was my favourite last time, but this time I was sold on ‘the 38’ – the flavours were perfect for spring and very fresh. All the bases were lovely and thin with just the right amount of crispiness. I absolutely expect there to be third, fourth and fifth visits here, at the very least.

Melt Pizzeria, 38 Waymouth Street, Adelaide SA http://www.meltpizzeria.com.au/