Burger Theory

Adelaideans are so lucky – you guys are going through a serious burger craze, and you get fun places like Burger Theory! Firstly a food truck, now a bricks-and-mortar store (sound familiar?), Burger Theory is everything that a burger place should be; no frills, fresh-cooked and full of energy. We both ordered the Pearl’s Cheeseburger ($11) and shared a side of fries ($4). Yes, at first glance the burgers look small, but good things come in small packages! Firstly, let me say that these are rock-star patties – utterly delicious and perfectly cooked, this is everything that a self-respecting burger patty should aspire to be. Burger Theory has also won my heart by targeting my ultimate weakness. Pickles. You guys, there are a LOT of pickles on this burger. Not just a couple of shredded bits, or two lonely slices, but a whole base covered in thick sliced pickle goodness. This is obviously amped up to “winner” by the ketchup and mustard sauce combo. The fries were excellent too, crisp outside and soft inside, I didn’t think they needed sauce and we devoured them pretty quickly. So heart-eyes emoji all around, basically. #cometocanberra?

Burger Theory, 8-10 Union Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.burgertheory.com/

Ink Bake Grill

Ink Bake Grill does a roaring lunch trade – on arrival, we joined a long queue so had plenty of time to decide on what we wanted to eat from their blackboard menu. I’d decided on the beef stroganoff pie, only to find that they’d sold out. Instead, I ordered the lamb and chardonnay ‘doggie’ (hot dog), served with honey mustard, tomatoes and sweet potato crisps ($11.50). Our food came out fairly quickly, considering how busy they were, and I was delighted by the pile of chips and jam-packed hot dog roll. It’s the kind of dish you can’t wait to get stuck into. I started with the chips, which were liberally seasoned with chicken salt, with just the right balance between crispy outside and soft, fluffy inside. Yum. The hot dog was equally delicious – the sweet potato crisps added a great contrasting crunch to the sausage, which had a great lamb flavour. The honey mustard was well complemented by gooey cheese, and everything was freshened up by the slices of fresh tomato. This is a really tasty, hearty meal on a cold day – I’ll be back for sure.

Ink Bake Grill, Shop 3, 7 Geils Court, Deakin ACT, http://www.inkbakegrill.com.au/

Yat Bun Tong

A friend and I ducked in for a quick dinner at Yat Bun Tong on a Thursday night – we were the only ones there, and ordered four fun dishes from the menu (apologies, I didn’t record the prices). I was feeling a bit under the weather, so my favourite dish was definitely the chicken and corn soup, which was HUGE and probably the most comforting thing to eat when sick – delicious. Next up was the prawn toast, which came with four triangles and a bowl of sweet plum sauce for dipping. Whilst not the absolute best prawn toast ever, it was really tasty and had plenty of sesame seeds and great crunch. Dish three was the xiao long bao (10 to a serve), which had lovely, salty soup inside. I found the skins a bit thick for my taste, and the dumpling filling was a tad small, but given the rarity of this dish in town, quite reasonable. By this point we were getting full, but the shallot pancake came out and was again more than I expected. The texture was a bit heavy on the batter side, but we devoured it – really moreish. A really enjoyable spread of consistently good dishes.

Yat Bun Tong, 10-12 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Petal Met Sugar

Petal Met Sugar isn’t the kind of place you can just order one thing from. I mean, look at their delicate, elegant sweets! So we ordered two cakes to share – the Vanilla and Rhubarb Eclair ($7) and the Salted Caramel ($6). The Eclair had a strip of dried rhubarb laid on top of a thin layer of sweet icing, but when you bit into the the soft, springy choux pastry, there was the lovely discovery of vanilla creme patissere. This paired delightfully with the sweet rhubarb jam also hidden inside – the flavours were subtle and sophisticated together. Next was the Salted Caramel, which was visually stunning – encased in a tart shell and topped with edible flowers, caramelised popcorn and gold sea salt (seriously, wow!). True caramel fans rejoice! This dessert takes your caramel just to the point of toasted bitterness that requires real skill – surely a moment longer and it would have been burnt. The result is a really rich flavour that has far more complexity than something less-cooked, and I found the balance of the salt just right for my taste. The popcorn added a fun textural contrast too. My conclusion? Everything here is pretty much perfect.

Petal Met Sugar, 68 Sir John Young Crescent, Woolloomooloo, NSW, http://www.petalmetsugar.com.au/

 

Movenpick

So when I imagine mango icecream, sorbet, or anything really, I somehow come back to the utterly divine flavour of the mango pudding served at yum cha restaurants. I have no idea whether that’s an authentic dessert or not, but for me, it’s the benchmark of mango flavour – second only to fresh, ripe mango in authenticity. Movenpick’s mango sorbet just knocked mango pudding out of the ballpark. I have enjoyed Movenpick’s flavours in a couple of cities now, but the mango I tried at the Melbourne Central kiosk is probably up there with my beloved Strawberry flavour. The serve is smaller than other stores, but when the flavour is this great, I don’t really mind. There are strands of mango woven into the sorbet, showing how genuine the flavour is – this is the kind of sorbet that would be a perfect palate cleanser, it’s so fresh and refreshing. Each mouthful coats your tastebuds in mango-y goodness, with a beautifully creamy texture that made me question its status as a sorbet. Movenpick, you’ve done it again. I will be back for sure.

Movenpick, Melbourne Central (Level 2), Corner of Swanston and La Trobe Streets, Melbourne VIC, http://www.moevenpick-icecream.com/au

Sweet Bones

What do you do at Sweet Bones when you want both granola and a smoothie? You combine them into a smoothie bowl and have both, yay! I adore Sweet Bones’ dairy-free menu, so I picked my smoothie, the Fit Sistas Smoothie with strawberries, banana, apple juice and flax oil, and added Eileen’s granola and seasonal fruit to my order to make the smoothie bowl ($16). The granola here is unbelievably good – jam-packed full of dried fruit – apricots, cranberries and sultanas – plus more nuts than you can poke a stick at (almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias) AND sunflower seeds… Oh, and did I mention that it’s all toasted in maple syrup? Swoon. The granola was still crunchy was despite floating in smoothie, and I actually enjoyed the combination with the smoothie far more than I do granola with milk. The smoothie had great texture – not too icy, and with a nicely balances sweetness – and there was sooooo much of it! The fruit on top (oh, hello banana, Granny Smith apple, strawberry and passionfruit!) added a great splash of flavour and a mix of textures, creating a filling, wholesome breakfast that I can’t wait to order again.

Sweet Bones, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT, http://sweetbonescompany.com/

Genki Roll

Genki Roll has a special place in my heart – I used to eat lunch there quite regularly as a student, so on this visit I tried my old favourite, the hot udon soup, to see if it’s still as good as I remember. The answer is yes. For a great value $5.20 you can get a regular sized udon, and I added tempura vegetables for an extra $2.50. The bowl was still a good size, and the tempura was going nice and soggy in the broth (yum). The noodles remain beautifully springy and given the different widths, I wonder if they’re made in store (does anyone know?). New is the pile of not-very-authentic greens on the side, which I avoided. The tempura vegetables did seem to contain prawns (maybe a communication error?) but was fabulously fried and full of onion and other good bits. Soaked in the broth, they were perfect. The prawn was a bit ho-hum, but as always, the broth is the real star and it was just like I remember -salty, and with that proper Japanese flavour that udon broths should have. Sure, it’s not exactly healthy, but on a chilly afternoon, this dish will warm you to your bones.

Genki Roll, Adelaide Central Plaza, Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA