Grill'd (Highpoint Shopping Centre)

Before leaving for Melbourne, one of good friends Dimi (hello if you're reading!) told me that I simply HAD to visit Grill'd just for their amazing chips. 

And so I did! 

We stopped by for lunch just before leaving Highpoint Shopping Centre. 

 Moroccan Lamb $12.90

Grilled 100% grass fed lean lamb, roasted peppers, tzatziki, salad and relish

+ Snack chips $3.50 + Sweet chilli mayo $0.70

I always jump at the opportunity to have lamb in a burger and ended up ordering this. Looking back, I have no idea how I managed to finish that burger. It was huge! Well, I left part of the burger bun because there was simply too much of it. Lots of delicious flavours from the lamb accompanied by the tzatziki, and I didn't feel tremendously guilty eating it due to the presence of those veggies! 

Also, the chips really are to die for. The herbed salt makes it absolutely delicious.

 Mighty Melbourne $13.50

Grilled grass fed lean beef, tasty cheese, crispy trim bacon, free range egg, a couple slices of beetroot with salad, relish and herbed mayo

+ Snack chips $3.50 + Herbed mayo $0.70

'Simon Says' $12.50

Grilled chicken breast, avocado, crispy trim bacon, salad, relish and herbed mayo

+ Snack chips $3.50 + Sweet chilli mayo $0.70

This fantastic lunch left us extremely full but very happy! I highly recommend visiting Grill'd if you're from interstate and ever in Melbourne. It is a chain so I'm sure there are a decent number of them scattered throughout Victoria. I know it is definitely better than some of the burgers you can get in Adelaide and the chips are probably some of the best I've ever had!

Customer service was pretty decent here, with food coming out quickly although it was absolutely packed for lunch and the waiters and waitresses were also very friendly.  

Open up a store in Adelaide please, Grill'd?!

Pho Hung Vuong Saigon

A weekend in December saw Mum, my sister and myself making a weekend trip to Melbourne for a wedding, which was absolutely beautiful! 

The morning after the wedding, we were absolutely exhausted but still, Mum was determined to visit Footscray. We were craving pho as comfort food and to soothe our headaches and a quick search on Urbanspoon told me that a popular Pho eatery was literally just a few doors down from where we were standing! We took it as a sign and visited Pho Hung Vuong Saigon.

I feel as though Adelaide doesn't really have many, if any, places open in the morning to have pho as a breakfast option. It is the norm in Vietnam where there are a plethora of soup options alone for breakfast! However, I guess pho would be a really heavy meal in the morning...

 Special beef combination rice noodle soup (small) $8.50

SO delicious! I like how the stock wasn't overly sweet and had a really rich meaty flavour. I also really liked the rice noodles themselves (scroll down 2 images to see them). They were different to the ones you'd find in Adelaide.

Grilled chicken rice noodle soup (small) $8.50

Feeling a little adventurous that morning, I ordered this. I've never seen anything like this on a menu before so I wasn't too sure what to expect. The chicken had a great flavour and tasted like it would have been perfect in a Vietnamese rice dish. However, I didn't really enjoy it sitting in the soup! Definitely an interesting menu item, but I don't think I'll order this if I visit again.

 The rice noodles

They were much thinner and softer than those I've had in Adelaide, and tasted a lot better, too!

 Fresh coconut juice $3

Definitely not fresh. And definitely overpriced. But oh so good! My tip would be to buy these at your local asian grocers - they cost less than a dollar.

 Hot soya bean milk $3

 Cold fresh lemon drink $3.50

I think this is a great place to enjoy a good bowl of pho and I'll definitely be back if I'm ever in Melbourne again! I highly recommend the beef rice noodles. 

 

While wandering around after breakfast, I stumbled across people setting up for a fair of some sort, and had a glimpse of some Melbourne food trucks! There was no way I could have eaten anymore after breakfast so unfortunately I couldn't try any of their offerings. Cute trucks, though!

Toptai [2]

A visit to Toptai was planned for dinner in celebration of Mum's birthday! This was our second time visiting as a family (first visit here) and because we really enjoyed our meal last time, we had rather high expectations.

Choo Chee Prawns $21

Definitely one of our favourites! I just love the flavour of it and how great it tastes with steamed rice. 

Thai BBQ ribs $17.50

Well cooked ribs coated in a thick, rich sauce. A bit salty on its own, and partially neutralised with a bit of steamed rice. I don't think I'll be ordering this again any time soon, though. We were sick of it rather quickly because of how rich is was.

Pad Thai Prawns $16.90

We all really enjoyed this! I liked the slight tanginess in the flavour of the noodles and how well it was texturally well-complimented by the raw bean sprouts. 

Thai Duck Salad $25

Another one of our favourites! The crispy duck layer with a crunchy veggies and a delicious fish sauce based dressing is a refreshing hit amongst the other richer dishes. I definitely recommend eating this as soon as it arrives to avoid the duck becoming soggy.

Seasonal vegetables in black bean sauce $14.50

Nothing too special here. I ordered this specifically in an attempt to fulfil the rest of my 2 & 5 requirements for the day! However, I did like how they had a huge range of vegetables in the dish.

Fried Ice-cream $6

My sister's fried ice-cream. Unfortunately just as disappointing as last time. If you have a place which you believe does the best fried ice-cream in Adelaide, please leave it in a comment below!

Fried pineapple fritters $7

I ordered this in order to avoid the fried ice-cream! Essentially pieces of pineapple (from a can, I'm sure) battered and deep fried, served with vanilla ice cream. It looks just as it tastes; quite simple and I'm sure I'd be able to replicate it at home.

This was a lovely dining experience yet again. The staff were very friendly and attentive, even though they were fully booked that night, and the food came out very soon after ordering. I have seen people question the authenticity of this restaurant and I, too, also question it. I think there must be elements of general Asian cuisine mixed in as well. Nonetheless, a great dinner enjoyed by all of us!

Hahndorf Day Trip Part 4: Everything else!

A very belatedly posted Part 4 to conclude my mini series! I took a few snaps of other places I visited and thought were super cute!

Coco Marie

Lots of beautiful bath products here and the entire store smelt divine. 

The Fruchoc Shop

Because why not? ;)

Farmhouse Providence (?)

Check out Parts 1, 2 & 3 if you haven't already!

Nordburger [2]

Another lunch time trip to Nordburger. Super packed, as usual, but I'm always pleasantly surprised at how quickly the food comes out. Half of my group ordered takeaway as we thought we wouldn't be able to get a table, but we managed to snag one of the standing tables just as I was about to order. Score! Excuse photos of both food on plates, as well as in takeaway wrappings.

Cornflake shake $7

Nordburger $7 

Tater tots $3

Fry sauce $0.30

Mushroom Burger $8.70

Tater tots

Fry sauce

This wasn't what I ordered on this visit, but it's one of my favourites! The battered mushroom which replaces the usual meat patty is so tasty.

Hot Burger $8.90

Tater tots

Fry sauce

Chicago $8.90

Tater tots

Fry sauce

This was my order today and unfortunately I didn't think it was anything special. I was expecting the 'wow' factor that I usually get with their burgers, but it just wasn't there. The huge pepper that was almost as long as the sausage was definitely a surprise though! As usual, their tater tots were on point and absolutely delicious.

I left absolutely stuffed but not as satisfied as I have been on previous visits. I think I might just stick with the burgers next time!

Cocolat & O'Connell Street Bakery

One of my favourite places to rest my feet mid-shopping in town is Cocolat on Rundle Street! A few friends and I stopped by for a little afternoon treat.

Chilli Hot Chocolate

Definitely one to try if you love yourself a bit of chilli! So perfect on a cooler afternoon when you need to warm up a little. This is one of my favourite items on their menu! 

Iced Chai

I'm rarely disappointed by Cocolat, except that one time where they served me the most terrible macarons (seriously, the stuff of nightmares). So yes, avoid the macarons, but basically everything else is delicious!

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I had to sneak this in somewhere. I don't visit the O'Connell St Bakery often, but whenever I do, I will most likely end up walking away with one of these!

Nutella Heart

Essentially a donut-like dough filled with nutella and topped with a sweet and sticky glaze. What's not to love? I highly recommend it!