Argo on the Square

Argo on the Square was chosen as the destination for a post valedictory celebratory lunch with a few of my besties, Dimi, Eileen, Natalie and Sophie!

THE CLASS OF 2013 HAS GRADUATED.

Congratulations to all the year 12s, particularly to my beautiful Wildy girls! 

 Large sweet potato chips $7.90

The absolute best sweet potato chips in Adelaide (that I've tried so far). Only $7.90 for a HUGE serving, that the 5 of us were unable to finish along with our own meals!

 Zing $6.50

Orange, ginger, pineapple

 Carolina's Colada $7.50

Coconut water, spinach, pear, pineapple

 Coco Loco $6.50

Grape, kiwi, watermelon

 Citrus Splash $6.50

Orange, grape, lemon, lime

All of the juices were absolutely delicious! I would definitely recommend them all, and can't wait to try more from the juice menu.

 Prosciutto Piadina $10.50

with bocconcini cheese, basil, tomato & rocket

 Tandoori Focaccia $10.50

Grilled tandoori chicken with cucumber, baby spinach, roasted capsicum & Argo minted yoghurt

Natalie commented that this was really dry and she found it difficult to eat. On my last visit to Argo on the Parade, I found that the chicken was also extremely dry.

 Argo Deli Piadina $10.50

Salami, prosciutto, baby spinach leaves, kalamata olives & provolone cheese

Sophie and I both agreed that this was on the salty side, with the salami and olives together making it a bit difficult to eat!

 Portobello Mushroom Piadina $10.50 

Pan fried portobello mushroom, dijon mustard, baby spinach leaves, shaved leg ham & swiss cheese

I loved this! The bread was lightly toasted with the fillings all warm and the mustard and sauce oozing out - a perfect choice for lunch. Eileen and I both ordered this and agreed that this should be avoided by those who don't like mustard, because there was quite a bit of it!

Elvis post-it note art appreciation photo ^

Argo is a fabulous spot for lunch, and always packed whenever I visit, whether it's on the Parade or Victoria Square! I service is always great as everyone is so friendly, and the food comes out within about 10 minutes of ordering, even when it's super busy. I would recommend the wraps and piadinas, as I've found that the burgers are very dry. Also, the juices are SO good!

Overall, 8.5/10

Burgastronomy

My friend Natalie and I decided to try somewhere new for a quick lunch so we visited Burgastronomy for some takeaway!

 Signature $11

Beef, lettuce, cheese, pickles, mayonnaise & ketchup
Sweet potato chips $3 with burger, $5 alone

We both ordered the Signature, and it was a great burger! I was worried that bun would be too thick and dense as I saw them preparing it but it was nice and fluffy, though definitely not as soft as Burger Theory's. My friend's only complaint was that the pickles were thicker than usual, about 5-7mm thick. She didn't like but I actually found myself liking it as it had a nice crisp and tang to cut through the rest of the burger.

The sweet potato chips had a great texture - slightly crunchy on the outside but really smooth and creamy on the inside (it's strange to describe sweet potatoes as creamy, but just go with it!). Unfortunately, they were WAY too salty which made them rather unpleasant. Also, some of them were extremely burnt. I'll be sticking to Argo on the Parade for my fix of sweet potato fries! 

The staff were super friendly and we were lucky to get our takeaway within about 10 minutes, although it wasn't very crowded that day. The burgers were delicious and I'll definitely be back to try rest of menu!

Overall 9/10

Star of Saigon

Our family was out at lunch again, trying out a new Vietnamese restaurant which has very recently opened a few suburbs away from us.

I love how it has a really nice outdoor seating option!

The decor was interesting as it was a mix of modern as well as antique, with dark wooden tables and chairs as well as some really nice leather booths, which was where we sat. Above the booths, the chandeliers and floral wallpaper gave it a slight vintage feel.

 Jackfruit smoothie $5

Custard Apple smoothie $5

Che Ba Mau (in the background)

We were pretty surprised to see these drinks for $5 on the menu since most restaurants have them priced between $3.50-$4.50. This was explained when we discovered that they were served in HUGE milkshake glasses!

Pho Bo $11

The pho only comes in one size which I think was a decent sized serving. Mum really enjoyed it and rated it a 9/10, which means it must be quite good! She said that it was nowhere near as sweet as Pho Ba Ria 2, where we usually go, but had a nicer richness due to the meat stock.

 Bun Bo Hue 

Dad enjoyed this, though he isn't a very fussy eater! I noticed that all the soup dishes had only one size, but the servings are a pretty decent.

 Bun Nem Nuong

This was my sister's lunch and she also really enjoyed it. The pork meatballs tasted really great because there wasn't that artificiality to it, unlike those that you might eat from food stands at events. Also, a very generous serving that my sister struggled to finish!

 Grilled Pork Skewer wraps $16

I felt like trying something different to what I would usually order so I went with DIY wraps. This was also a huge serving! We all agreed that the pork skewer meat was delicious. It had a delicious, slightly charred flavour and texture, perfect for the wraps. There was a huge selection of fresh herbs and crunchy lettuce as well as some pickled vegetables. SO good!

We had a great lunch, and we wouldn't hesitate to come back here! The restaurant has a great modern feel yet serves delicious, authentic Vietnamese food. A bit pricier than other restaurants within the area, but I think it's definitely worth it. My only complaint would be that the food took far too long to arrive at our table. The restaurant wasn't too busy that day yet we still had to wait for quite a while. However, when it arrived, it was well-presented and tasted great!

Overall, 8.5/10.

Burger Theory [2]

The Burger Theory now have a permanent location in the CBD! Just a stone's throw away from Rundle Mall on Union St, just off Rundle Street. My sister and I decided to pop in to fuel up before a bit of a shopping spree.

Indoor and outdoor seating options 

Okay, the following two photos are equally dodgy and I couldn't decide which to include, so both are there!

 New menu options for breakfast as well as new burgers, thickshakes, waffles, beer, wine and cider

 The counter

We weren't feeling too hungry so we ordered a few things to share.

 #3 Burger of the Month: 

NY Style Hot Dog, McClure's Brooklyn pickles, Dijon Mustard, Heinz ketchup and American Cheese $11
Fries $3.50

I thought this was actually meant to be a hot dog and was pretty surprised when my sister opened it up to reveal a sausage within the burger! The patty was delicious and juicy, but a bit too salty this time round for my liking. I was really hoping the pickles would have enough 'zing' to cut through the richness of all that meat, but unfortunately this wasn't the case. I think this burger was missing the usual wow-factor that I would get from eating a number 1. Thank goodness we ate half each - I don't think I would have been able to finish it because it was so filling!

Butter waffle $4

+ one scoop of chocolate ice cream $2.50

First of all, we actually ordered vanilla ice cream rather than chocolate but oh well! The ice cream was delicious and creamy, and swirled with what seemed to be something similar to hot fudge (but cold). The butter waffle was super dense on its own but tasted great with the ice cream, which it needed to contrast the rich buttery-ness. 

The new location and how everything is set up is great, but to be quite honest, I was a little disappointed with what I ordered that day. Nothing really stood out, though I wouldn't exactly say that it was a bad meal. The wait for the food wasn't too bad - it was really packed but we only had to wait about 15 minutes.

Oh I wish I had a lot more positive things to say about my visit because I wanted to like it so badly!

However, I do love the Burger Theory team and their philosophy of food, so there will be plenty more opportunities in the future for them to redeem themselves in my eyes! We were tossing up between the #3 - Burger of the Month and #5 - a chicken burger with Caesar sauce, which I will try the next time I'm there! Also, I'd like to try the new thickshakes and possibly even a few items off the breakfast menu if I'm ever there early enough.

Based solely on this visit, 8/10

The Burger Theory store is located at 8-10 Union St, Adelaide 5000

Chopstix on Rundle

One of my best friends, Zoe, and I caught up over lunch at one of her favourite stops for Asian food, Chopstix on Rundle Street.

Vegetables and Tofu with Flaming Satay Sauce $10.90

No, that orange flare in the centre of the image is not just a trick of the light - it's a flame! It was rather exciting seeing the waiter bring this over to our table :)
A great lunch of a whole bunch of my favourite veggies tossed in a peanut satay sauce that wasn't overly greasy and thick. I think it would have also tasted great with rice, which we decided to not order that day.

Vegetables and Tofu with Oyster Garlic Sauce $10.90

Zoe ordered something very similar to mine - all the same veggies but in a different sauce. She enjoyed it but said that her favourite is still the Lemongrass Vegetables and Tofu!

Chopstix was a great place for lunch in a relaxed, casual setting. The lunch deal meant that we enjoyed cheap but tasty meals! I'd recommend it for a quick fix of Asian food if you're ever in the CBD for lunch. 

 

Star House

My family and I decided to try out somewhere we had never been for yum cha and settled with Star House. A lot of people were shocked knowing I had never been here and said that they definitely recommended it, so I had rather high expectations. 

I found that the prawn dumplings had very chewy fillings which is the exact opposite of what I would expect from prawns. Also, I spotted a hair in the dumpling skin. Gross!

These were put together very clumsily. The layer of rice flour was very thin on top but very thick on the bottom, which you can see in the roll closest to the left of the fish. Also, they were very inconsistent in length. The one on top would be very long in comparison to the two extremely short rolls on the bottom.

I loved these! Prawn filled deep fried bean curd with a tangy sauce. Yum!

My parents and grandma loved these. They were deep fried balls of sticky rice with a minced pork filling. 

We also ordered salt and pepper squid which wasn't as great as some of the other places I've tried. 

Also, we tried the green beans which were essentially green beans blanched and then soaked in garlic infused oil. They looked really soggy and I couldn't bring myself to eat them!

We encountered a few problems with the staff there. A minor thing which is a usual complaint for most people is that some orders or requests are never put through. It took us far too long to have chilli oil on our table. When we asked for soy sauce, a waitress proceeded to tell us that you're not supposed to eat yum cha with soy sauce. Okay then...? We ended up with soy sauce at the table but it was the wrong soy sauce - too dark and rich for yum cha. So disappointing!

I don't think we'll be back any time soon and will just play it safe with our favourites, Citi Zen (blog posts here and here) or Ding Hao.

Mandoo Korean Dumplings

I was FINALLY able to try out Mandoo for lunch today with my friend Jenny after hearing people rave on and on about it!

 The counter and area where the chef was hand-making all the dumplings. He was working like a machine!

 It was tiny, but absolutely packed. Luckily, we were able to snag a table right by the entrance, but only just after I'd made an order to take away! 

Half steamed and half fried pork mandoo $14

 Half steamed and half fried pork mandoo (take-away) $14

I can really see the hype surrounding these dumplings. They make a perfect meal for lunch and one serve is actually really filling! I found that the dumpling filling could have been more juicy as it was a bit dry for my liking. I really loved the dipping sauce that accompanied it, which wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be upon first glance, and I also like how it's served with a salad and mashed potato. A well rounded meal!

I wouldn't say that these are the best dumplings I've ever had, but I think they're definitely up there! The menu is quite limited, but I think that's absolutely fine if everything on it is delicious and well made. I can't wait for my next visit because I really want to try the soup dumplings! I've also heard that their hotpot is perfect for dinner in winter, but I think I might have to wait until it's nice and cold again in Adelaide to try it! I'd definitely recommend visiting for a quick and cheap lunch option if you're ever in the CBD.

9/10!