Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Eros Kafe - Rundal Street, Adelaide

Eros Kafe on Urbanspoon

Atmosphere: ****/5
Food: ****/5
Drinks: ****/5
Service: ***/5

Eros Kafe has been a regular haunt since I first moved to Adelaide eight years ago.

Cheaper than the next door Eros Restaurant, (and not owned by the same people) Eros Kafe provides the diner with the well priced Greek food at an excellent position to watch the world go by.

To get the most out of your experience here I suggest you go for the banquet options, I have never seen anyone leave hungry when this is ordered.

If you are there for a small bite and a gossip over a coffee the Saganaki cheese and dips are a favourite of my friends and I and at lunch the burger is well priced at around $16.

The wine list here caters to my love of full bodied wines with Mothers Milk being a favourite to order.



The Kafe is a place that people come back to, I have met so many people through the years who come back time and time again, mainly for the strong coffee in winter and iced coffee in summer, as well as the reasonably priced food and wonderful atmosphere in the heart of the city!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Tasca Viva Restaurant Tapas Bar - Glenelg

Tasca Viva Restaurant Tapas Bar on Urbanspoon

Atmosphere: ****/5
Food: **/5
Drinks: ****/5
Service: */5


Tasca Viva Restaurant is a Spanish, Tapas based restaurant.   Tapas are so hard to get right.  Quite a few of my friends call them small overpriced meals, awkward to share when eating and awkward sharing when the bill comes out.  The things I do love about sharing food however, is that it stimulates table conversation even if it is just about the meal, and for the food jealousy diner it eradicates the problem!


(Sourced: dimmi.com.au, 2013)

So in order to have a good tapas meal I find that I like to have abundantly flavored food and options to taste and feel full without breaking the budget, unfortunately at Tasca Viva Restaurant I have always spent more money than I wanted to and left feeling strangely not quite satisfied (Copenhagen Ice-Creamery is normally a stopover).

I really want to like this place purely for the location and I have found myself here more than I have wanted too just because its located on the end of Jetty Road, Glenelg.


(Sourced: Foodieling, 2013)

The service has been unfortunately terrible at times, I am assuming the manager or owner has decided to hire the cheaper hospitality worker, in the form of young female backpackers, which I have done in the past when working in hospitality but it doesn't work.  However, I have been here with men (such as my brother and boyfriend) I have found the service has changed dramatically!

If you are going to dine at Tasca Viva, to make the night as enjoyable as possible the things I suggest are; tell the wait staff when and what you want to come out at the same time as I have found even though the meals are really tasty they are not matched correctly here.  Make sure you order drinks as soon as you can so the wait staff come back to the table.

The alcohol options are quite good, the mojito I had was lovely, the Moritz Spanish beer is perfect to match with the tapas and is always a favorite for the beer lovers of my friends.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Fancy Burger - Blackwood

Fancy Burger on Urbanspoon


Atmosphere: */5
Food: ****/5
Drinks: ****/5
Service: N/A


I am loving these new 'healthier fast food' places.  Fancy burger provides a quick meal with quality ingredients.

Although marketed as a fresh and healthier way to eat (the burger rolls are wholemeal ect.) you will often find yourself rolling out of the front door due to the fact you always find the need to have one more bite.


(Sourced: Adelaide Now, 2013)

Fancy burger does not try and overstate itself, the atmosphere is that of a fast food joint albeit a classy(er) one.  The music may be too loud for some and there is no area to comfortably sit for a long meal and a conversation, but for $11 dollars a burger with quality ingredients you don't need anything more.

The quick eateries and food trucks that are popping up, and are something that restaurants should be sitting up and taking notice of.

Often at a cheaper price for less atmosphere these little businesses are doing high quality meals that some restaurants are charging $26 for (see, Tranquilo - Stirling bellow).



The question that arises from this, is how much would you pay for atmosphere.  Although Fancy Burger has a young, fresh vibe about it, and it does sell some fantastic South Australian boutique beers, you wouldn't spend two hours sitting with your friends catching up on the weeks adventures or take someone who had just flown in to show off Adelaide.  However, if ordering a burger or steak sandwich at an overpriced restaurant or Fancy Burger were the choices offered, I would recommend the Fancy's.

Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante - Rundle St.

Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante on Urbanspoon

Atmosphere: ***/5
Food: *****/5
Drinks: *****/5
Service: *****/5

Scrumptious large Italian food, this is not a place I would come to when I feel like a light meal.  The food at Amalfi  is just like an Italian grandmothers hug; this food will warm you up in winter, and in summer it is a wonderful naughty treat. 



A favorite dish is the spaghetti marinara; although it is one of the heaviest seafood dishes I have eaten it is a favorite, with a wonderful mix of heavy tomato base with light seafood flavors of crab, mussels and fish.  

I have tried quite a few dishes from the menu but I always go back to the pasta, especially the seafood, as they do it so simply with wonderful flavors that you wish that you could reflect at home.   



Make sure you book in advance as it always packed, and note that it is quite loud inside.  If noise is a problem it is sometimes a struggle to hear those around you and the outside tables are quite small.  To me however, I think it is all apart of the atmosphere, as noted below the wines and beers on choice are so extensive and you will find yourself joining in with the rowdiness around you.  

The waiters are fantastic even when the whole restaurant is full which is nearly every night.  Would also leave the wine choice to them too, there are some fantastic boutique Italian wines that are a must to taste.



When you leave here you I always find that I am wanting more of the good life,  A cognac is often in order!  

This is an excellent place to start your night, I find if I want to impress people in Adelaide or if you are going to a play, opening, opera, musical or just want somewhere to get the taste buds rolling this is the place to be.

Restaurant Tranquilo - Stirling

Tranquilo on Urbanspoon


Atmosphere: ***/5
Food: **/5
Drinks: **/5
Service: **/5

Situated on the main street of  Stirling, Restaurant Tranquilo has a old fashioned set up about it with comfortable chairs and tables and for the winter diner a fireplace that keeps the restaurant warm when the hills cold wind is whipping through the town.

The service here is warm, but the floor staff are not managed well enough or trained to do sectioned table service.  For every interaction we had was with a different waiter.  But all were friendly and happy to serve you with a smile.

The most notable thing about this restaurant is that the meals and menu are quite deceptive and overpriced.

Whoever wrote the menus and specials had a way with words because we were quite disappointed when the meals were put forward to us on the plate!

Our entree which was written as sun-dried tomatoes and boutique cheese layered within Turkish bread with dipping sauce was essentially an open cheese toasty with tzatziki dip, the combination of the bread and dip did not work and there was no flavor evidence of sun-dried tomatoes.


'A taste of Italy' which is pasta stuffed with goats cheese and a creamy chive and walnut sauce was bland.  There was no differentiation between the cheese inside the pasta and the cream itself, which is a shame as goats cheese is such a unique flavor within and of itself.

We also ordered the steak sandwich, which, for a whopping $25.50 and an eloquent introduction on the menu we were expecting a sandwich for kings.  Instead, we were served with average quality ingredients and a 'smaller than sandwich' Turkish bread and around ten chips.   This was so disappointing as I always feel restaurants should compare meals like this to what you can get at your local fish and chip shop or the local pub and try and triple it (as you do the price) and to be honest with you I would have preferred a cheaper version from your local Chicken Shop.


I don't want to give up on this place as the people that are writing the wine and food menu seem to be trying so hard on paper. However, if you do go, choose wisely with the food menu and ask the waiters for help on what to order otherwise, like us, you might feel like you could have saved a lot of hard earned money and headed to the Chicken Shop.