Kenji Modern Japanese

A rare thing happened a few weeks ago: Dad was craving some fancy. He's usually into huge servings of good hearty food. Think steak, huge plates of spaghetti marinara or a big bowl of pho. He'd visited Kenji previously for his friend's birthday and wanted to take our family here for dinner. Having a quick look online, I saw that this was right up my alley - Japanese food! One of my favourite cuisines of the moment. I'm always down for sushi, but when we arrived and I saw the specials board along with other dishes on the menu, I was in a real pickle! We ended up choosing sushi to share as starters and then each had a main dish.

Adelaide roll $18

Prawn, apple, cucumber, avocado, tobiko (flying fish roe)

Aburi kingfish roll $18

Flame seared kingfish, asparagus, shiso leaf, oroshi ponzu

Salmon delight roll $18

Hutt roll $19

Scallop, avocado, cucumber, fried shallot, salmon roe

The sushi rolls were all beautifully presented and everything tasted very fresh. We enjoyed them all, I can't even pick a personal favourite!

Wagyu sirloin steak $40

With roasted mushroom mash, cherry tomato & edamame horseradish salad

Poached duck leg in orange and hoji tea $38

Smoked duck breast with red rice and pickled quandong

Shicimi roasted wild venison fillet $38

With creamy parnsip, pickled nashi pear, pan fried red mizuna, black radish, porcini teriyaki sauce

Katsu curry $36

Wagyu beef curry with panko crumbed wagyu beef, rice and house made Fukujin pickles 

This was so ridiculously satisfying. The panko crumbed beef was so crispy and the curry itself was full of flavour. Also a very generous serving size, I couldn't finish it! The remainder of the dishes were also delicious, with the only criticism being that some were overly salty. I liked how they've tried to create a fusion between western food and Japanese ingredients and flavours. By the time we'd finished our mains, we were all full and couldn't even manage dessert! 

A lovely little place which I imagine would be perfect to treat yourself out on a quiet date night. On the week night evening we visited, it was rather quiet but I imagine it could get quite busy towards the end of the week. I like how they haven't tried to squeeze in as many tables as possible so there was still room to manouvre between them. As always, it's good to be able to eat and have a conversation without hearing everything that's happening over at the next table. I wouldn't mind coming back here for dinner at all!

 

St Louis House of Fine Ice Cream & Dessert [2]

St Louis is one of those places I end up when I'm out with friends and we have last minute a craving for something sweet. If we're not at San Churros, then we're here. One of my favourite things to order is their fondue which is super easy to share and always satisfying. 

St Louis fondue for two $24

Warm Belgian waffle pieces, mini profiteroles, hot cinnamon churros and fresh strawberries served with a generous portion of warm melted chocolate for dipping

The churros are not overly crunchy which is what I prefer, the waffle pieces are drizzled with a bit of honey (I think?) and of course there is no better combination than fresh strawberries and melted chocolate. My only complaint would be the profiteroles (not filled with anything) which I found tasted too bland on its own and didn't have a very nice texture. They've been the same every time we've ordered the fondue. But really, covering them in chocolate really does help. Other than that, it's a generous serving size and really perfect for sharing.

A great place to satisfy any sweet cravings but definitely be prepared to line up for a table on Friday and Saturday evenings! They also have fab ice cream - refer to one of my older posts here for more pictures.

PS. The Churros martini is a nightmare. Hot caramel, melted ice cream, soggy banana pieces and churros left wallowing in the mess. Not worth even half of the price on the menu. It's probably the only one to avoid!

Taverna Greek Psistaria

This place is hands down one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Adelaide. It's quietly tucked away on Hawker St but the restaurant itself is always vibrant and busy. Because it's so close to home, my family loves ordering takeaway for dinner but of course it's always nice to occasionally dine in. On this occasion, I took my super fussy other half in the hopes that I could find a restaurant which serves Greek food that's on par with what he's had overseas.

Greek salad $11.90

Couldn't fault it. Also that slab of feta was so satisfying to break as we ate the rest of the salad. 

Taverna Mix Grill $41.90

I wish I could have captured the look of absolute glee on his face when this mountain of food arrived in front of us. This photo really doesn't capture how huge it was! Fried calamari, grilled lamb cutlets, chicken souvlaki, grilled prawns and pita bread were piled onto a bed of hand cut potato wedges. All perfectly cooked and flavoured, especially that chicken souvlaki, we did our best to make our way through it but had to admit defeat and doggy bag about a quarter of it. 

Guys I can't recommend this place enough. It's good for almost all occasions; my dad has had a few boys' nights here, I've seen birthdays being held in the dining section upstairs, I've seen plenty of huge family gatherings, we'll be introducing some of our other friends to this place soon on a double date and I'm seriously considering having my birthday dinner here too. However, I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're after a quiet date night because it is always bustling. The value is also great, we spent around $50-60, were stuffed the brim and had leftovers for the next day. I'd also recommend booking ahead if you want to dine in.

Get on it!

 

Estia

The Greek food obsession is SO real when it comes to my date nights. My boyfriend and I love our Greek food, and although we don't like to stray from our favourite (Taverna Greek Psistaria) we don't mind trying out new places either. I'd heard about Estia from one of the girls at work so we decided to give it a go. We usually like ordering a salad and a mix of grilled meats at Greek restaurants which we always end up comparing to our favourite. At Estia, they recommend sharing smaller dishes called mezedakia, so we ordered a few which were served on lemon pilaf with a salad.

Elliniki $9.50 

A solid Greek salad, though neither one of us were very keen on the spring onions.

Keftedes $11

Meat balls spiced with garden mint, spring onion and garlic, served with tzatziki

Tis skaras arnaki $12.90

Lamb fillet marinated in olive oil, lemon and selected spices, chargrilled

Calamari tiganito $13.50

Local calamari lightly floured and fried

My favourite of the three was the grilled lamb which I thought was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The rest of the food was okay but nothing special. I must say, our favourite Greek still remains at Taverna. If anyone has any recommendations for good Greek food, please let me know! I've also tried out Kefi which is also fantastic but I prefer Taverna because it's not even 10 minutes away from home.

Sah Modern Mediterranean [2]

My boyfriend and I were after a light dinner one night and decided to try out Sah for some tapas and paella. We often drive past on our way home and I have visited previously (see here) but hadn't thought to return. Now for the fussiest eater I know to want to try out a restaurant I hadn't suggested, I thought, why not? 

Chicken and parmesan croquettes $3.50 ea

Very cheesy, but probably a little small for its size. 

Greek style chicken marinated in garlic, lemon and oregano $13

We love Greek food, and this hit the spot!
Ps. for top notch Greek food, our favourite restaurant is Taverna Greek Psistaria. I haven't written up a blog post on it yet because I order take away from there allll the time, but do expect one in the future when we go back to dine in!

Chargrilled Moroccan spiced lamb cutlets with cumin yoghurt $14

Good flavours but again, nothing too special. 

Paella mixta for 1 $29

Locally sourced chorizo, chicken, prawns & calamari

My boyfriend was excited to try this because he'd never had paella before. We were expecting something incredible for a paella which placed 4th best in the world. The rice was cooked beautifully, as well as the chorizo, chicken, prawns and calamari. It was quite salty though and definitely needed a drizzle of lemon juice over the top to freshen it up. The only thing it was missing was the characteristic layer of crispy rice. 

Not bad for a light dinner, but probably a bit pricey for what we had. There was nothing too memorable here although we still enjoyed our paella. I wouldn't mind returning but again, it's not something that will ever top my list of places to re-visit.

Papparich

My family has been a little obsessed with Papparich lately. I think it must be the extensive and affordable menu as well as the efficient service, which is what my parents tend to look for in a restaurant for a larger group. It's been a restaurant we fall back on whenever none of us can decide on what to eat. Despite the long lines, we've never had to wait too long for a table. Here's a taste of what we've ordered on two of our past visits, which has caused us to leave absolutely stuffed to the brim! 

Teh Tarik

White coffee with coffee jelly

Teh Tarik with coffee jelly

Pappa special biryani rice with sambal eggplant, fried chicken & sambal prawns

Roti telur with curry chicken

My absolute favourite!

Oriental chicken chop

Egg noodles

We've also tried the laksa and satay skewers, which were both great, as well as the fried chicken skin which I personally did not like at all. I'd recommend it for people who aren't afraid to try new things and are looking for affordable lunch and dinner options. I am not at all an expert on Malaysian cuisine although I did get a taste of it on a trip to Kuala Lumpur a few years ago. Regardless of that, I'd say it's a pretty good feed especially if you go in a large group and can try a bit of everything!

Caffe Papparazzi

A shockingly hot day brought the gang to Caffe Papparazzi before a trip down to the beach. We had been eyeing this place since it started popping up on social media with the launch of a new clean eating menu. The menus are all very extensive and we had a hard time deciding on what to order!

Wake me up before you gogo green smoothie $8.50

Cucumber, kale, kiwi fruit, pineapple, coconut water

This tasted really... healthy. I really couldn't taste any of the fruit and was rather overwhelmed by all the greens. It's a good thing I do enjoy a green juice once in a while, but the girls thought this tasted like grass, so avoid this one if you think you'd share their sentiments!

Healthy banana smoothie $8.50

Banana, almond milk, raw honey, chia seeds, maca powder, cinnamon

I heard nothing but praise for this one.  Also, the little glass milk bottles are a cute (but only very slight) deviation away from the typical mason jar presentation.

Big not so pretty eggy brekky $16

Eggs, vegetables (kale, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, char grilled capsicum, sweet potato), garlic, chilli, chicken

Two of us ordered this for breakfast and both agreed it was on the bland side. I definitely couldn't  taste any chilli and the chicken was also quite dry. The bread it was served with was very dense but overall this was a very filling meal! Maybe a bit of pesto to liven it up?

Eggs florentine $15

with spinach, tomato & hollandaise sauce served on English muffins

This wasn't the best Hollandaise but the eggs and spinach were well cooked. The tomato was a nice addition to break up the rest of the flavours on the dish. This was probably the most flavoursome dish of all the ones we ordered.

Paparazzi clean eating salad $15

Grilled chicken, bacon, oven-dried tomatoes, sweet potato, continental cucumber, lettuce

Warm chicken salad $15

Grilled chicken, avocado, roasted capsicum, activated cashews, lettuce

Both girls ordered the mustard, olive oil and lemon juice dressing along with their salads and still found it very bland overall. This would be something to order if you're feeling peckish and want a light lunch, but don't expect it to be flavoursome. 

Those caaaakes!

Peppermint slice $3.50

Buckwheat flour, raw cacao, pecans, coconut oil, cashews, maple syrup, coconut, peppermint essential oil

YUM! Super crumbly but a nice take on the classic peppermint slice. This one was enjoyed by everyone.

Lime and kiwi cashew cheesecake $7.50

Almonds, macadamias, coconut, sulphate free dried fruit, coconut oil, cashews, kiwi, spinach, lime, coconut cream, arrowroot

I'm always excited by "cleaner" versions of desserts, particularly raw cakes. This was a little underwhelming, I thought it needed a bit more 'zing' from the lime, perhaps extra lime juice and zest somewhere in the mix. There was also too much coconut and that was all I could taste in the first few bites. 

Caffe Papparazzi is a lovely little spot for breakfast or lunch with great service but unfortunately nothing about the menu really excited us. I can't see any of us rushing back any time soon, although some of the lunch and dinner options on the clean eating menu do sound great, particularly the 'I can't believe it's not butter chicken'!