Lilotang

Dinner at Lilotang was a fine dining experience. Yes, it is pricy, and yes, the portions are small, but if you go in with that expectation, you will be in for a treat flavour-wise. My friend and I started with the avocado, okra and tuna sashimi ‘small plate’, which had just the right amount of wasabi to coax the best out of the delicate tuna cubes. Next was the umami vegetables served in an orange pot, which was my favourite dish – it took me right back to Japan. The vegetables were roasted to perfection, but what made this plate special was the miso sauce and the infused orange flavour that came from being served in a hollowed-out orange. Magic. Next we tried the chicken thigh and wagyu beef robata – both were incredibly tender and had a lovely charocal flavour. Round two of small plates was the baby octopus salad – perfectly balanced flavours – and the kara-age quail, which had a citrus and sesame sauce that was to die for. We finished with the snapper sashimi, which was fresh and just the right note to end on. A meal at Lilotang is all about the flavour – treat yourself!

Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, 1 Burbury Close, Barton ACT                                  http://lilotang.com.au/

Street ADL

Showing visitors from interstate around your hometown can be surprisingly stressful, especially when you want them to really appreciate how great the city is. Luckily, my friends were happy to try Street ADL on Rundle Street. This part of town is great for al fresco dining, and even though we could only find a seat inside, it was one facing out to the street so we could watch the world go by while listening to the live music. I started out with a glass of the full-bodied Halifax 2010 McLaren Vale Shriaz to match the dry-aged cheeseburger I’d ordered. I’d hoped for the kangaroo salami hot sandwich, but sadly they’d sold out, but really, the burger was so good I can’t actually complain! The patty was incredible – densely packed ground beef oozing with cheese and mayo – and with a generous amount of bacon slapped on, there was zero chance of leaving hungry. The onion was thoughtfully served on the side with the pickles, allowing both to be optional. The accompanying chips were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Really, both my friends and I were very impressed. Street ADL is doing Adelaide proud.

Street ADL, 285 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA                             http://streetadl.com/

Ostani

There were a couple of food options at the Night Market at the Realm complex, but my friend and I couldn’t go past the sliders on offer from Ostani. Before the queue got too long, we ordered one of each of the two flavours – BBQ pork and chipotle beef. They were obviously well prepared for churning out food quickly, and we only waited about five minutes before our orders were ready (so fast!). I tried the pork first – it was incredibly tender and really did just melt in your mouth. On my last mouthful I had a lovely hit of corriander, which would have been perfect if it had been throughout. The brioche bun wasn’t overly sweet, but the pork and I want to say char-sui sauce had an overall sweet flavour. The beef was fantastic too, with quite thick chunks and a rich tomatoey sauce. For fast street food, we were very impressed with the quality – two was also just the right amount to leave room for dessert! The market itself was lovely – not overly crowded, with plenty of variety among the stalls and fabulous live music all creating the perfect atmosphere for a summer evening.

Ostani, Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT                                   http://www.ostani.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/

Ox Eatery

When pondering what to eat for dinner, ‘a whole suckling pig’ isn’t really a common option. When your friends are moving to Indonesia, suddenly this becomes possible. We gathered a group of twelve together for the farewell and booked in for a suckling pig feast at Ox Eatery. When the pig came off the spit it was quite the spectacle – the chef carved the animal with a giant cleaver and reconstructed it on the largest serving platter I’ve ever seen, piling the meat up high and creating a shell of crackling. The platter was brought alongside our table and potatos, steamed green beans and corn has been added around the pig. We got stuck in – the crackling was served cold in thick, crispy slices that everyone happily ate with their hands. The pork itself was incredibly tender, and had been coated with a light apple sauce that added a hint of sweetness to the meat. Each of the accompaniments were delicious – the potatos were deep fried and perfectly soft inside, and both the beans and corn were beautifully buttery. Whilst we couldn’t finish the pig, it was certainly a meal to remember!

Ox Eatery at East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston ACT                   http://oxeatery.com.au/

5ifth Element

On a work trip to Brisbane, my colleagues and I found ourselves with a bit of unexpected time to eat out, so on a recommendation we went to 5ifth Element for their tapas plates (not because of the movie. Ok, maybe a little bit because of the movie). We ordered five dishes amongst the four of us, and every single one was amazing. We had a serve of crinkle-cut chips to start, which were tasty with the (somewhat small) serve of tomato chilli jam, and kept us going until the beef brisket buns came out. They were my favourite for the evening – thick slices of slightly sweet brisket, served with cucumber pickle in steaming hot bun wrappers. The brisket wasn’t quite melt-in-your-mouth, but whatever sauce it was cooked in was divine. More, please! This was followed by the lamb meatballs, which had a good kick to them, the chicken drumettes, which were beautifully flavoured with hoisin sauce, sesame and spring onion, and finally the Hervey Bay scallops, which were, as my friend described them, a textural delight, with pops from the fish roe on top. Each course was brought out by friendly staff and was well-paced – definitely somewhere to come back to.

5ifth Element, South Bank, http://www.5thelement.com.au