Sunshine Iceblocks

Ok, so technically it’s autumn (bummer), but luckily I have a solution to this tragic summer-ending season. It’s called #icecreamthurs – let’s eat icecream every Thursday until it’s summer again! Back in January I visited Fridays After Five at Aldinga in Adelaide’s south, and fell completely in love with Sunshine Iceblocks, one of the stallholders. Selling iceblocks, gelato and shaved ice (perfect on a 40 degree day), they use only fresh, seasonal, local ingredients, and boy does it show. I ordered a Nectarine and Orange iceblock ($4.50) and opened it up with joy – the pieces of nectarine with the skin still on were clearly visible in the iceblock. Yay! Given the heat I was worried it would melt too quickly, but it actually lasted really well, allowing me to fully enjoy the beautiful flavour. First, nectarine and orange are meant to be together. There’s sweetness, there’s citrus, there’s a bit of tartness from the skin – the overall taste is pretty much perfect, without being sugary or too sweet. Dad tried the dark Belgian chocolate gelato, which was equally delicious (although more melty) in its own way – rich, decadent and not bitter, I basically cannot wait until my next visit to try more (raspberry lemonade is top of the list for next time!).

Sunshine Iceblocks, various locations, SA http://sunshineiceblocks.com.au

2KW

Adelaide has jumped aboard the ‘rooftop bar’ bandwagon with 2KW, a sleek, sophisticated venue with stellar views across the city. Dear friends of mine treated me to lunch there, and we worked our way through the ‘Let Us Feed You’ menu ($65 pp). The first course was 2 freshhly shucked West Coast oysters each – large, plump and perfect with a drizzle of lemon. Next up was the Chacuterie plate, with proscuitto, peach, blue cheese, and greens, all coming together to create a delicate balance of flavours that was pure pleasure. The portion was generous and delicious. There was quite a long wait between courses here, but the Clare Valley chicken with achiote (a Caribbean spice) and chargrilled orange was worth the wait. Drizzling the orange juice on top, we devoured the tender meat, relishing the coriander on top and keen to find out where to get achiote from (it’s amazing!). The final dish was the Jack Creek 120 day grain-fed scotch fillet, served with chimmichurri and grilled spring onions. I was pretty full at this point, but oh man was that steak good. My only criticism was that it was served medium, without having asked us (we definitely would have gone medium-rare), but otherwise it was a delight, tender and well-matched with the accompaniments. Oh, and the side of triple-cooked salt and vinegar potatoes deserves its own blog post – to die for! Please eat some for me on your visit.

2KW Bar and Restaurant, 2 King William Street, Adelaide SA, https://www.2kwbar.com.au/

Fish Head

Adelaide has some really rocking modern Asian fusion restaurants, and Fish Head joins the ranks with gusto. Offering Indonesia, Malay and Indian cuisine, the menu is exciting and fresh, just like the food. We went for dinner on a stinking hot weeknight, and ordered a bunch of dishes to share. First up, the tempura soft shell crab with a herb salad ($15.50) was utterly delicious – the crabmeat was tender, the shell crisp and the salad had a good amount of kick to it. The crispy pork belly ($12.50)  paled a bit in comparison, and the staff didn’t explain there were only 3 pieces (4 of us were sharing), which was disappointing. But the mains were all excellent, starting with the gado gado ($17.50), drenched in peanut sauce with firm tofu and plenty of fresh vegetables, it was perfect and refreshing on a hot night. The highlight was definitely the butter chicken ($20), which we had with rice ($3.50 pp) and garlic naan ($3.50 pp). The chicken was super tender, and the curry had such depth of flavour I could have sat with a bowl all night. Highly recommended. We finished with a whole crispy barramundi ($35.50), which was very tasty but didn’t have a huge amount of meat, and a perfectly matched raw mango salad. Highly recommended.

Fish Head, 270 Morphett Street, Adelaide, SA, http://www.fishhead.net.au/

Godi la Vita

Attempting a Godi la Vita cheese wheel dish has been on my to do list for a while, so we headed in for a family dinner. To start, Mum and I shared half a dozen natural oysters ($15), served with a range of condiments, including a particularly good salsa verde and chilli sauce. Yum! For my main, I ordered the Tuscan pecorino cheese wheel special, with walnut, pear and balsamic glaze, and added Italian sausage on top. You’re invited to the counter to watch the chef tossing your pasta in the cheese wheel, which they set alight to soften before adding the pasta. It’s great restaurant theatre, and heightens anticipation of the meal. The dish itself was to die for – the pecorino was slathered in a rich coating across the al dente pasta, and the balsamic glaze added a great tang to the overall flavours. The walnuts were fresh and the pear was a nice touch of sweetness – just enough for balance. Adding the sausage is recommended for carnivores, as the meat is high quality and abundantly served. The only downside was a bit of confusion over Dad’s dessert order, which the staff sorted out quickly. Delicious food and a fun atmosphere.

Godi la Vita, 162B King Willliam Road, Hyde Park SA, http://godilavita.com.au/

Eggless

Eggless is another one of Adelaide’s awesome dessert cafes (Canberra, please take note), and they shake things up with a new menu every month! I can’t even imagine the creativity that the team has to keep this happening year after year. So I dived right in and picked one of the January specials – the Banana, Passionfruit and Anzac Tart ($12). The tart was beautifully presented, with fresh banana piled on top, abig scoop of soy icecream (yes, that’s right, this dessert is vegan so lactose free!), drizzles of passionfruit syrup and a healthy dusting of icing sugar over the lot. Mmm. The tart shell was made of anzac biscuit-flavoured pastry, with that lovely sweetness of golden syrup and oats, and the luscious passionfruit curd inside the shell was blissfully good. The flavours all worked so well together, and of course the textures were balanced too – dense, not-too-crumbly pastry plus creamy curd and soft banana. My friends waxed lyrical about the Mango Float, and the Rose Sago looked beautiful too. The service here was fabulous, with friendly staff and table service. I’d recommend arriving early – by 9pm people were putting their names down on the door!

Eggless, 162 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood SA, no website

Mexican Society

I finally made it to Mexican Society, and I’m so glad I did. I started with a mojito, the perfect drink to accompany spicy food. I would have liked it slightly sweeter (and fizzy) but otherwise it hit the spot. First dish was a soft shell crab taco ($11.50 each) and it was a hard one to beat. The lime jalapeno mayo was hot, but it matched the outside-crispy, inside-tender crab meat perfectly. The fresh salsa balanced the dish and we could have happily eaten these all night. Next up was the kingfish ceviche ($15.90), which had a fabulous flavour combo of macadamias, pomegranate and orange in the curing mix, but as with most dishes of this style, all the seafood flavour was lost. I’d recommend getting some extra tortillas to mop up the sauce. Finally we had the slow cooked beef enchiladas ($25.90) with a side of sweet potato chips ($7.90). Holy cow, those chips were divine. The seasoning was some kind of magic chilli lime combination and we devoured them. A must-order. The enchiladas were the least spicy dish of the day, with plenty of sour cream, cheese and coriander to add flavour. The beef was super tender and tasty to boot. I can’t wait to come back for more!

Mexican Society of Chinatown, 140 Gouger Street, Adelaide SA, http://mexicansociety.com.au/

Bread & Bone

I really think that Bread & Bone make the best burgers in Adelaide. There’s something magical about the way they take familiar flavours and boost them into the stratosphere. The burgers aren’t huge, but they’re filling and delicious and I can’t get enough. On this visit, I went back to the B&B burger ($18) – I’m not too sure I’ll ever want to order anything else from the menu, as this classic has kept up the hype and all of the magnificent flavour I adored last time. With a nicely toasted bun, oozy melted cheese and the killer combination of a high-quality beef patty and bacon (although not as much bacon as last time), the balance of flavours and textures is any burger-lover’s dream. Sure, there’s some lettuce and tomato in there to balance things out, but they play second fiddle to the rest of the ingredients. The fries remain impeccable, and were dished up in a generous serving that I couldn’t quite finish. They were perfectly seasoned and were just crisp enough for my preference. As usual, the staff were very friendly, and we were able to linger happily resting our feet after a long morning of walking. I’ll be back for round three ASAP.

Bread & Bone Wood Grill, 15 Peel Street, Adelaide SA, no website

Fudd’s

My brother and his partner tell me that Fudd’s has the best burger in Adelaide, and on my last visit they took me there to back up the claim. We arrived fairly early on a Saturday night and the place was already packed, so we sat in the outside area (which has great heating, thankfully!). We started with a bowl of chilli cheese fries ($10) to warm us up. The chilli had a nice amount of heat without being too much, and although it was drier than I like my chilli to be, that meant the chips stayed crisp, so I think the balance is right. Yum. I chose the Cheeseburger ($10) and on the waiter’s recommendation added bacon ($2) – this was a great decision. The burger is served on a milk bun with a huge patty, mustard, ketchup, Fudd’s sauce, pickles, red onion and cheddar cheese. The beef was absolutely delicious – although it was cooked through, so could have been a shade pinker – and had a great texture. The mix of sauces worked really well together, with the Fudd’s sauce rounding out the sharp mustard and ketchup. This is the sort of burger my Dad makes at home – hearty and tasty. Best burger in Adelaide? Pretty darn close.

Fudd’s, 3/40 Sandpiper Crescent, Aberfoyle Park, SA, no webiste

T Bar

I have been going to T Bar for tea since I was a uni student (and they were in the David Jones food court), and one afternoon exploring in town I stopped by their store in Rundle Place for a snack. I love that you can both have their teas in store/takeaway and buy packets of their tea to brew yourself – T Bar was here before T2 and is still my favourite. On this occassion, I ordered an iced peach green tea and a lemon melting moment to dine in. The iced tea came out in a huge glass with lots of ice and fresh lemon slices inside – yum. The tea has a really lovely peach flavour without being too sweet; it’s well balanced with the sencha green tea flavour and doesn’t have an strong bitterness that some green teas have. The melting moment was buttery perfection – yes, it was small, but the luscious filling with a lemony tang and the crumbly, well-cooked biscuit were calories I won’t regret. The back of the store has a really nice seating area to enjoy your tea, and I’d love to come back for more substantial food and to relive my uni years again soon.

T Bar, Rundle Place, Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA, https://www.tbar.com.au/

Scroll

I ate courtesy of Scroll; all opinions remain my own. I popped in to the Adelaide Scroll store to try their new sorbet range (yay, dairy-free options!) and opted for the Raspberry Dash (usually $9), which comes with fresh mint and is topped with mint-infused ice. Oooh. I watched the Scroll ninjas make my sorbet, starting with a liquid syrup that is spread on the icy-cold teppan, and smoothed flat before being scraped into perfect scrolls. The team were flat out during this visit, so I had about a 20 minute wait, but with ingredients running out and not enough staff, the two team members on shift were very apologetic. The sorbet itself had the most intense raspberry flavour I’ve ever tried in any icecream/gelato/sorbet, which was quite impressive. There was just the right balance between tartness and sweetness, and the textural contrast of the ice on top worked well (although I couldn’t taste the mint). Unfortunately, as I continued to eat, the raspberry sorbet started separating into chunks of ice and thick raspberry flavour, so perhaps the mix isn’t quite right yet, but overall the intensity of flavour made this stand out as an excellent sorbet.

Scroll, 35 York Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.scrollicecream.com.au/