Spats Coffee Lounge

I’d never heard of Spats when my friend suggested we stop in, but was happy to roll with it given how similar our tastes are in dining venues. Spats announces itself as ‘Adelaide’s first and finest dessert lounge’, and not having a point of comparison, I’m inclined to agree. The store is wonderfully cozy, with dim lighting (chandeliers, candles!), red walls and velvet drapes creating a sense of quiet buzz that is rare in this world of wood and tile-floored restaurants. We were seated on couches under the stairs – despite being a small place, there’s plenty of space between tables for privacy. We ordered a sticky date pudding to share and couldn’t have picked a better dish on a chilly night. The slice of cake was just the right size to share, served with a large scoop of vanilla icecream and a jug of butterscotch sauce. The cake itself was so fluffy and was served warm, as was the rich butterscotch sauce which was quickly absorbed into the cake. I was delighted that the cake was light rather than dense and the chopped dates inside were divine. Great service, atmosphere and cake? Definitely a winning combination.

Spats Coffee Lounge, 108 King William Road, Goodwood SA, no website

Hopscotch

When you work until 9:30pm on a weeknight, there are surprisingly few places you can go to get a good feed in Canberra. Wracking our brains, my friend and I rang Hopscotch, and were told that the kitchen would close at 10pm, so if we hurried we could make it. Hurried we did – after a long day with only cheese and crackers for post-5pm sustenance, you can move surprisingly quickly at the thought of a hot meal. When we arrived we were informed that only the snack options were available (but would be available all night). These were by no means dinner, but sharing a few was a makeshift dinner of sorts. We started with the falafel, served with hummus, and the calamari, served with coleslaw. The calamari was a standout, a bit dry by itself, but brought to life with the ‘slaw, which was juicy and had a good kick of spice. The falafel were crumbly and soft, but I found the hummus a bit dry. Not yet full, we went back for a basket of fries with aioli – this was definitely enough to tide us over. The portion was huge! So late night dinner at Hopscotch isn’t a thing, but tasty snacks are.

Hopscotch, 5 Lonsdale St, Braddon                    http://www.hopscotchbar.com.au/