Sah Modern Mediterranean

Sah is a place I've heard mixed reviews about, as well as walked and driven past many times but have never actually eaten in. The perfect opportunity came up last week while I was out catching up with some of my good friends from high school.

On this particular occasion, we had put our name down at Ruby Red Flamingo for a table and told to expect a 45 minute to 1 hour wait. We'd originally gone upstairs to the bar but decided to go for a walk instead. We walked all the way down O'Connell Street past Sah to find it only about three quarters full, and the tapas and paella menus at the front caught our eye. It was then we decided to abandon RRF and take a seat in Sah!

View from the front corner. Nice and cosy with around 3 or 4 more tables outside.

The Hills Pear Cider $6.50

Montevecchio Moscato $9

We wanted to share some paella and tapas, so opted for a paella for 2 and 4 tapas dishes between the 3 of us.

Pan seared haloumi with a lemon, basil & mint salsa verde $13

You can never go wrong with haloumi! Of the 4 tapas dishes that came out, this one was a little cold, making the haloumi a little tougher and spongier in texture. That aside, I really enjoyed the salsa verde that went with it.

Mixed mushroom arancini with spiced tomato and shaved manchego $13

We weren't too sure what manchego was when we saw it on the menu but a quick google search told us that it was a type of cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from sheep's milk (thanks Wikipedia!) It was a slightly harder cheese with a very subtle flavour, from what I could tell. I could be completely wrong though, because I forgot to try some on its own (oops). 

The arancini were crunchy on the outside and piping hot on the inside - SO good! My favourite element was definitely the spiced tomato sauce, and my only criticism would be that there didn't seem to be any trace of mushrooms in the arancini themselves. I think a few bits of mushroom would have improved it.

Crispy pork belly, scallops & potatoes tossed with a lemon & saffron salt $15

It's such a shame the scallops were soggy because the pork and potatoes were delicious and crispy! I found it very bland and couldn't taste the lemon and saffron salt, so a squeeze of lemon was definitely needed to give it some flavour and freshness.

 Crab & chive croquettes with lime $13

We'd actually ordered chorizo croquettes but instead, crab croquettes came out! It was fine though because they were super tasty. The insides were very soft and creamy without a strong crab flavour which we all really enjoyed.

Paella Vegetariano for 2 $49

I was very excited to try this because it would be my first time trying paella after seeing it on TV with lots of delicious seafood and that signature crust on the bottom of the pan! We actually chose a vegetarian paella because we weren't feeling anything too meaty. The first thing we did was search for the crust on the bottom, only to be disappointed. For a place to claim to have Adelaide's best paella and serve a paella without it's crust.... I prepared myself for disappointment in the taste of the paella itself. Fortunately, it was very flavoursome and there were lots of great textures in the dish to save it from becoming a complete disappointment. There were buttery lima beans, a slight crunch from some green beans and some vibrant green leafy vegetables. It had a rich flavour without being too heavy and we all liked a squeeze of lemon to add some freshness.

Overall I'd say Sah gave a decent first impression. The staff were all very friendly and although the food didn't really amaze me, I'd stay it was still pretty good. The food did take quite while to come out for a restaurant that was only about three quarters full, but luckily we were deep in conversation so we didn't really realise how much time had passed. The tapas are a little on the pricey side for what was served, but I've found that it is probably the standard price for tapas at other establishments. It's not a place I will be rushing back to, but I may be back to try out more of the tapas menu and a meat or seafood paella!

Copenhagen Henley Beach

Intending on going to another dessert bar but arriving there only to find a minimum 45 minute wait, the girls and I decided our late night dessert stop would be at Copenhagen in Henley Beach.

Banana Berry Waffle $12.90

A warm Belgian waffle drizzled with maple syrup, topped with fresh banana, strawberries, slivered almonds, served with Natural Vanilla ice cream and finished with pure melted couverture chocolate

In the background (clockwise):

Caramel Crunch waffle $12.90

A warm Belgian waffle drizzled with maple syrup, topped with crunchy peanut brittle & a smooth caramel sauce, served with Royal Copenhagen ice cream and finished with pure melted couverture chocolate

Cookie Donut $11.90

Oreo cookies crumbled over a stack of two, hot, freshly made cinnamon donuts, drizzled with maple syrup, served with Cookies and Cream ice cream and finished with pure melted couverture chocolate

Don't those descriptions make you just want to drive to Copenhagen now and try everything for yourself? Even typing them up is making me salivate a little!

Copenhagen serves my favourite waffles in Adelaide and I definitely recommend it. They also have delicious ice cream which everyone will enjoy on a sunny day at the beach, or these desserts which are really perfect for an evening/late night treat. Everything is also quite affordable.

Guaranteed to impress everyone, especially the kids, and satisfy any dessert cravings if they can't be met elsewhere due to 45 minute waiting lists...

Eggless

The bestie and I turned up at Eggless just five minutes before opening time to find a crazy long line. We stayed anyway after contemplating whether or not to leave and go somewhere else, and were lucky enough to get the last two seats just as service started!

I'd already had a quick look at the September menu online and to be honest, nothing really appealed to me. Once we were seated, we had a look at the 4 desserts in the tasting platter and weren't too keen on those either. We ended up choosing two desserts to share.

Banoffee Sundae $10

Bananas, vanilla bean ice cream, Butterscotch , Toffee, Chocolate

When this was brought out, the waitress told us to be liberal with the butterscotch sauce because it was amazing - and it was! Easily the best part of the dessert because the rest of the dessert was mainly bananas and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Nothing special and we agreed it was not quite worth $10.

Latte Cheesecake Jar $10

Espresso Syrup, Dates, Cacao Nibs, Biscuits

Amazing flavours and textures, all in a little jar! We really enjoyed the creamy cheesecake with the chewy dates and sticky syrup. The only complaint we had was that the cheesecake was not completely smooth and there were bits of cream cheese in it due to the uneven mixing.

Unfortunately not the best meal I've had at Eggless. I really like how the menu changes up every month so that there are always plenty of different options to choose from. Most of the desserts are also really affordable, taste fantastic and always well presented. Occasionally though, I guess the quality does slip just a little, like it did on this particular occasion. One of my favourite things here is the service - everyone is always friendly and welcoming with a huge smile on their faces. The owner even gave me a fist bump when he saw us leave!

Just a quick note - It's Eggless' 5th Anniversary next week so on Friday night (3rd of October 2014) all their desserts will be $5! I'm sure there will be people lining up extra early so get there way before 8pm to ensure you get a seat before the food runs out. 

Dumpling King

The dumpling cravings were SO real last week.

A friend of mine has been insisting that we visit Dumpling King so this was the perfect opportunity!

The part of the menu we were most interested in - the dumplings!

 Steamed vegetarian dumplings $8.80

This came out first, and we were absolutely ravenous! I really enjoyed the filling, particularly the shiitake mushrooms. 

 Steamed chicken and prawn dumplings $8.80

I wasn't a huge fan of the slightly soggy dumpling skin although it had a delicious, juicy filling. Probably my least favourite of the night.

Fried pork dumplings $9.80

My favourite of the three dumplings because of the crispy pan fried dumpling skins! The filling also tasted great although I could practically taste the fat in it.

Dumpling King provides a great lunch or dinner option when you're craving something greasy, unhealthy and ridiculously cheap! Great for uni students like myself who don't want to make a huge dent in their bank accounts/wallets with most dishes coming in under the $10 mark.

However, the service is rather appalling, with the waitresses practically ignoring you for the first 3 times you try to catch their attention and some of the food being brought out only after we asked for it. We asked for some soy sauce and chilli oil since they weren't already on the tables outside where we were sitting, and the waitress brought them both out and slammed them down on the table. In saying all this though, I definitely did not expect any spectacular service coming here and I don't think you should either. Come for the food though! I saw a really nice rice and tofu dish which I will definitely consider ordering when I come back.

East Terrace Continental [2]

A firm favourite of mine for breakfast or brunch; ETC! This post features two of my past visits.

First visit

Having just come back to the city after hiking Mount Lofty on a Sunday morning, the bestie and I stopped by one of our favourite places for a quick feed. We were both craving poached eggs but didn't want anything too heavy, so we settled for this:

Fresh-fanned avocado $6.70

on wood oven toast with drizzled olive oil

+ poached egg $2

A quick, simple and satisfying meal. Perfectly poached eggs with a slightly runny yolk which was mopped up with the toast. So delicious! For some this may be a little bland, but a little salt and pepper will do the trick. Otherwise, add Hollandaise sauce for an additional $2, or just order Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine! Having wanted just a light meal, we didn't end up finishing all the toast, but I think this would make a pretty filling breakfast. 

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Second visit

It's always important to fuel up before a hard day of studying, right? For breakfast, we stopped by ETC to find it much emptier than usual and Rio being the cartoon film playing on the wall. We'd considered getting something a little lighter but hey, it's SO difficult to say no to poached eggs!

Iced coffee $6.50

Mmmm ice cream to start off breakfast... #healthy

This wasn't my order, but apparently it had a very strong coffee flavour and was not overly sweet. It came out in a huge glass, so was definitely worth the $6.50!

 Eggs Benedict $12.60

with leg ham, tomato & Hollandaise sauce on English muffins

+ Hash brown $1.80

You can never go wrong with eggs benny! And I added a hash brown because.... just because :P

Toasty muffins topped with two delicious poached egg, 2 huge slices of ham and a tonne of Hollandaise sauce. Yuuum! There were also 3 slices of fresh tomato sandwiched between the muffins and ham which made them a little warm and soggy. Nothing a bit of Hollandaise couldn't fix! Seriously such a satisfying breakfast.

 Soft poached eggs $13.60

with prosciutto, spinach & Hollandaise sauce with a drizzle of napolitana sauce on wood oven toast

I have been here more times than I can remember and have honestly never been disappointed. I'm sure everything on the menu here is good! I love the fresh juices which are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. The service is fantastic and food always comes out within 10 minutes, even when every single table is full and it is super busy. It's also pretty good value, and you can fill up on a meal for around $15! Another favourite place of mine in the East End and I definitely recommend you try it out if you haven't already. Order anything with poached eggs. Trust me, they're always perfect :)

Check out my last review of ETC here!

UR Caffe

A visit home from a good friend of mine who has moved to Melbourne for uni brought us to a cute little cafe on Melbourne Street for lunch called UR Caffe.

Spicy Corn Fritters
I've forgotten the price, sorry! I'm pretty sure it was around the $15 mark though.

I was having a late lunch so decided to go for something on the smaller side. These corn fritters were crispy on the outside with corn kernels in them providing a crunchy burst of sweetness in every bite. I'd say they were more on the peppery rather than spicy side, but I still enjoyed them. The fresh tomato and avocado were fantastic to balance out the pepperiness (if that's a word...) in the fritters.

A very enjoyable, simple dish that was very well executed. I would definitely order it again! I don't remember what else was on the menu but this was something that definitely caught my eye. I'll have to come back to try out the rest of the menu! I think this would be a great place to catch up with a small group of friends, or even to take your mum out to brunch! It's quiet and if you're lucky enough to go on a nice, sunny day, lots of natural lighting is let into the dining space through the glass windows, adding to the very pleasant atmosphere. Just be sure to avoid sitting where I sat, which is right in the front corner by the entrance, on a hot day because it sure gets toasty sitting in direct sunlight!

Sad Cafe

My favourite time of the week - Friday lunch date with the bestie! A while ago, our destination was Sad Cafe in the East End, a place I've walked past countless times but never actually tried. Angela was super keen to try out the veggie burger since it contained her favourite, haloumi! 

Back: Veggie Burger $10

Sweet potato veggie patty with grilled haloumi, avocado, sweet capsicum, lettuce and aioli on a kaiser roll 

Front: Grilled mushroom pocket pita $10

Served with rocket, tomato chutney, feta and sweet capsicum, dressed in spicy aioli

Angela had only good things to say about the veggie burger. So many positives in fact that on the next visit, it's what I'll be ordering! I've also heard only positives from other friends who have visited and ordered the veggie burger.

I found my meal rather average. I did enjoy the combination of flavours together but there wasn't anything spectacular about it. If someone talked about a healthier, fresher version of a pizza, this is probably what I would picture. My favourite element was probably the spicy aioli which tasted great with the tomato chutney and mushroom elements.

A pretty decent first impression, with the only let down being that we were forced to sit outside on a super windy day because seating inside is quite limited. The service was quite average and at the minimum standard you would expect at any good cafe - not bad but not amazing either. I'll be back for that veggie burger!