Italian Café.
Lunch Review.
My parents and I were after a mid-late Friday afternoon lunch at around 2.00pm, but wanted something healthy, affordable, and accompanied with a friendly and inviting atmosphere. A pub meal would have been the easy option, but would not have covered all the bases. We had been for lunch on the fly about a month ago and remembered a great café called Assaggio in Campbelltown. It had recently won Best Café in the 2012 S.A. Restaurant and Catering Awards, while its big sister restaurant in Hyde Park won ‘Restaurant of the Year’ and ‘Best Italian’ in the same coveted competition.
We were promptly greeted and escorted to our table (and even given a choice). Our menus arrived almost instantaneously along with an offer of some still or sparkling water. As we perused the well-defined and bountiful menu of flat breads, soups, appetisers, Roman pizzas, salads, pasta, sides, risotto, mains and desserts, our water and table bread arrived. Knowing the Schiacciata e pane al forno Bianca (oven baked flat bread with sea salt, roasted garlic, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil) was the perfect Italian accompaniment/starter, we could not resist its crisp crust and bold flavour.
For mains we ordered:
Mum: Rialto Salad (warm chicken salad with mixed green leaves, semi-dried tomato, ricotta served with verde dressing and caramelised balsamic)
Dad: Gnocchi Bolognaise
Myself: Penne con salsicce (Penne with a ragu of pork, fennel and chilli sausage with lentils slow cooked in a tomato, herb and Lambrusco sauce)
The Chicken salad was monstrous, fresh and oozing with flavor. The Gnocchi, tender, with a traditional bolognaise sauce all Nona’s would be proud of - great flavor and volume. My penne pork sausage ragu was certainly tasty. The softer elements of fennel and chili shone through the sauce, and complemented the ‘Sticks’ Pinot Noir I drank with it. A touch of last minute fresh herbs would have been a welcomed improvement and unfortunately the Penne was cooked al dente, but wasn’t home-made. From sight it didn’t appear that the gnocchi was home-made either and as it’s not stipulated in the menu I would lean towards no. Understandably this is a difficult and time consuming practice, but there is certainly no substitute for the real thing and making it fresh would give the meal an extra level of Italian authenticity.
To close and compliment the meal we decided on some coffee. A double shot flat white and a double shot affogato with home-made vanilla bean ice cream. We ordered a trio of house made chocolates and were given a banana, a raspberry and a mandarin plate. I had sampled the banana before and mum wanted the mandarin, so I tried the raspberry which had a thick jam layer, just under the thin ‘Assaggio-branded’ chocolate crust, topping a truffle base.
Once again I felt a great vibe and contented joy when I left, knowing that I would be back. With a bill totaling just over $100, it was slightly more than expected for a lunch of flat bread, pasta, salad, 3 chocolates, mineral water and 2 glasses of wine, but Assaggio Campbelltown is certainly a welcoming, delicious and modern introduction to the eastern suburbs for a lunch.
Darren Richards
(Dougal McFuzzlebutt)
Average Menu Pricing
Appetisers $9 - $16
Sides/Salads $7 - $19
Soups $9 - $15
Pasta/Risotto $16 - $24
Roman pizza $14 - $23
Main $24 - $28
Dessert $6 -$11 or $15pp for a stage plate
Where: 84 Newton Road Campbelltown SA 5074
Trading: Mon-Sun 11am to Late, open public holidays
Website: campbelltown.assaggio.com.au
Contact: 08 8336 5599
Modern Fine Dining.
Dinner Review. Festival of Food 2012
For those who are unaware of the Festival of Food concept, it is an offer where eight Adelaide restaurants participate in a 3 course fixed price menu.
For main course there is a choice of approximately 5 options, with dishes from the à la carte menu also available by paying any difference above the advertised price. The entree and dessert are presented as tasting plates to give diners a sample of their offerings.
The participating restaurants, this time, are Urban Bistro, Panacea, British Raj Restaurant, Red Ochre, The Playford Restaurant, Windy Point Restaurant, Windy Point Cafe and The River Cafe.
After my recent breakfast visit to Urban Bistro with friends Nick and Athena, I thought it would be good to gauge if they could maintain their exceptional quality of food and service at a dinner time slot. We were the 3rd table to arrive by 6:30pm, but within twenty minutes the restaurant was at about half capacity - on par for a cold Wednesday night in Adelaide. From what I could see and hear, most customers were also there for the ‘Festival of Food’ experience.
The entree tasting plate showcased a trio of marinated yellow tail kingfish with prawn and gazpacho vinaigrette, chilli caramel pork belly with blue swimmer crab salad and mozzarella with pumpkin and saffron risotto cake with tomato jam. All three were fantastic and flavoursome, but the clear winner was the pork belly with its sweet crispy refreshing salad.
For mains we all chose different dishes as follows:
Athena: Confit duck leg with mushroom tar and cherry relish preserved orange salad.
Nick: Slow roast grain fed sirloin of beef, Yorkshire pudding tart and gratinated pumpkin puree.
Myself: Crisp skinned barramundi fillet with seared cuttlefish, snow pea tendrils and leek fondue.
The sheer silence that came from Athena’s side of the table was damning evidence that she was more than happy with her choice. When her mouth finally gained verbal consciousness, she confirmed the level of satisfaction. Nick’s steak was not quite up to ‘tender’ scratch and left him wishing he’d made a different choice. My crisp skinned barramundi was cooked to perfection with pork crackling-like skin, tender flesh and a velvety leek fondue which wasn’t overpowering. The snow pea tendrils added a sweet fresh burst and were the perfect accompaniment.
Dessert consisted of a plate of petit fours offering an almond flake biscuit, chocolate macaroon and lemon meringue tart. All three were sensational and not overly sweet, but the chocolate macaroon encased a soft butter chocolate cloud and took out the coveted “I don’t like dessert, but I liked that” award.
Overall service was prompt yet timely enough to allow the previous course to settle. Unfortunately I didn’t get to order a wine until my mains arrived which appeared to be due to some understaffing on the floor. When we were being served however the staff were extremely friendly, attentive to our needs and patient with our slow decision making. For only $31.50 each plus drinks it is certainly an affordable and appetizing array of food just on the city fringe.
I have every intention of making my way to all other Festival of Food locations, so keep an eye out for those reviews. For any of you lucky enough to be in possession of a Festival of Food brochure, I strongly recommend Urban Bistro and based on previous years’ experience I have great expectations of all other participating restaurants!
Darren Richards
(Dougal McFuzzlebutt)
Lunch & Dinner Tuesday – Thursday $31.50
Lunch & Dinner Friday – Saturday $37.50
*Bookings and brochure essential. Quote ‘Festival of Food’ when booking
Where: 160 Fullarton Road, Rose Park, SA, 5067
Trading: Breakfast and Lunch Tue-Sun. Dinner Tue-Sat
Website: urbanbistro.com.au
Contact: 08 8331 2400
Mexican.
Dinner Review.
Following on from some amazing Mexican food in Thailand at Gringo's Mexican Cantina and La Hacienda, my travel buddies and I, along with Macca & Jen, decided to try something a little closer to home. Some friends of mine had told me about this great little place called "Lucky Lupitas" very close to Flinders University in Bedford Park. How could I resist trying a new restaurant?
I was told that we must arrive by 6.00pm otherwise we'll be waiting a while to get in. Luckily we did get there by 6.00pm, as 15 minutes after being seated there was a line-up of about 15 people outside the door (the restaurant have thankfully provided heating for the patient patrons). This place is popular and I was about to find out why!
We left Macca in charge of the ordering process after deciding we would do a shared table. He selected all but about 4 dishes from the menu - what better way to review a restaurant than to try nearly all their food.
The menu is a mix of some old school favourites in Taco's, Quesadilla's and Nacho's with some street food like Empanada's (similar to a dumpling filled with smoked chicken), mouth-wateringly tender Beef Ribs (BBQ and Chimichurri) and corn on the cob, or Elotes, which is smothered in Chipotle mayonnaise, cheese and lime, and was the most divine I have ever tasted.
The restaurant was very family friendly, with options for kids and the service was sensational. To wash down our meals it was only fitting that we order a few Mexican brews along with some carafes of Sangria and Margaritas. In all honesty the Margaritas were a bit sweet for me, but rumour has it they do a watermelon one every now and again that is fantastic.
If you are looking to try some quality ‘real’ Mexican fare (not your usual Tuesday Old El Paso TV Taco dinner) all for a very affordable price (only $40 per head for our effort), I can only suggest that you take a trip to Lucky Lupitas - just get there early!
My only regret is that I didn't get a chance to try the Burgers as they looked delicious. However, it does give me another reason to head back there with some great friends and do it all over again!
Darren Richards
(Dougal McFuzzlebutt)
Average Menu Pricing
Entree $6 - $10
Main $9 - $23
Where: 1/4 Rupert Avenue, Bedford Park, SA 5042
Trading: Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.00pm & 5.30pm-9.00pm, Sat 5.30pm-9.00pm
Website: luckylupitas.com
Contact: 08 8277 4004
Mediterranean Fine Dining.
Lunch Review.
Auge is one of those well-known Adelaide restaurants with a large reputation for fine dining and wine to match. Unfortunately my last visit back in September 2011 didn't live up to that reputation and left me feeling very disappointed that my favourite iconic European restaurant had dwindled into the background like a lot of others in a tight Adelaide market.
However, lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised to see the staff had changed and the overall feel was back to its striking best. We were greeted and waited on by Martin, who had a pleasant manner but adapted well to our cheeky and humorous behaviour. Martin always portrayed a professional manner and a good knowledge of the food and wine we ordered.
We decided on the three course lunch menu for $49 per head and let Martin choose our wines to match. As none of us really eat dessert, we asked if we could possibly have two entrees and a main, to which we were graciously advised we could. There were six entree options with three being pasta dishes. Our order was virtually identical and consisted of the following:
Entree 1: Fritto Misto di Pesce - Fried local fish & shellfish with fresh lemon.
Entree 2: Rabbit Parpadelle.
Main: Filetto di Manzo Black Angus con Purea di Carote, Pomodorini e Verdure Biologiche - 250g black Angus grass fed beef fillet with carrot puree, cherry tomato & organic heritage vegetables.
Each of the courses was served with a matching decanted wine starting with a Chenin Blanc and followed by Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Cabernet Sauvignon and finally a Shiraz to accompany our cheese platter.
I cannot think of a single element that was disappointing, the service was swift and friendly yet not intrusive, the food light yet flavoursome and filling and the wine was matched to perfection.
I am pleased to report that Auge is back on my favourites list - as it had been for so long. I look forward to dining again very soon and discovering what delicacies they can tantalise my tastebuds with. In the meantime, I highly recommend that you add it to your list.
Darren Richards
(Dougal McFuzzlebutt)
Express Lunch Menu Pricing (set menu, Friday only)
2 courses $39
3 courses $49
Where: 22 Grote Street, Adelaide, SA 5000
Trading: Fri 12pm-3pm, Mon-Sat 6pm-late
Website: auge.com.au
Contact: 08 8410 9332