PAST REVIEWS: Cork and Cleaver -- Dhaba at the Spice Kitchen -- Namaste -- Noodle and Dumpling House -- North -- Apothecary 1878 -- Salopian Inn -- Urban Bistro

June 18

VIETNAM PALACE: 108-110 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood

It's usually a case of go west, young man, when you're craving Vietnamese food in Adelaide.

The western suburbs are the epicentre of Vietnamese cooking, with terrific restaurants such as The Vietnam at Pennington, Sunflower at Croydon Park and My Tho at Athol Park.

But now the good people of Goodwood can enjoy Vietnamese cuisine a bit closer to home at the new Vietnam Palace, right near the tram tracks on Goody Rd.

The Vietnam Palace was originally in Gouger St at a site which is now home to Concubine. This new restaurant appears quite formal from the street but, once inside, it's a large, bustling space with a casual vibe and food aromas which put the olfactory senses into overdrive.

It is still pretty swish for a Vietnamese eatery, with opulent, jellyfish-shaped crystal chandeliers and a grand aquarium with very fat, happy goldfish. There are shiny, heavy bamboo floors, a small lounge area with feature wallpaper and the obligatory plasma TV screens showing Kenny G in concert (I'll forgive them for that minor indiscretion!).

We were seated fairly swiftly and went straight to the wine list, which is a fairly straightforward, standard selection. Nine whites and nine reds include labels such as Yalumba, Jim Barry, Peter Lehmann and Wirra Wirra. The best part is the pricing - wines range from $23 to $32 for the most expensive bottle, so it's an affordable, reliable selection. We were in a cool climate kind of mood and chose a bottle of Pirie South Pinot Noir. The wine glasses are not the designer variety but just fine, regardless.

We read the menu - all 97 dishes - divided into entrees, rice paper, curry, steak, poultry, pork, seafood, steamboats, hotpots and noodle dishes plus a large vegetarian component.

The prices are very reasonable. Our main waitress, Shirley, was delightful and able to answer any food questions - some of her colleagues weren't quite as on-the-ball.

The entrees don't feature anything too crazy, just the usual mix of cold and spring rolls, crab claws and soups.

We selected barbecued quail, a couple of juicy, boned birds with loads of fresh garlic, chilli and lemongrass flavours garnished with tomato slices and iceberg.

For a second entrée, we departed from the starters list and shared a Vietnamese classic  sugar-cane prawns (or chao tom). The marinated, grilled, plump prawn meat is wrapped around sticks of sugar cane and served on a large white plate piled high with vermicilli noodles, mint, salad greens, pickled vegetables and a clear, zesty sweet-spicy dipping sauce. A bowl of hot water and rice paper accompanies. Wrap it all up and off you go  a fresh, healthy, fun way of eating. My Queensland companion - chewed vigourously on the sugar cane - apparently that's what they do up that way!

While we were enjoying the two entrées, a waiter delivered our main courses - not just once but twice - which shows bad timing from the kitchen. It was politely rectified but was also an example of the somewhat erratic service on this night.

Main courses include some well-known Vietnamese classics mixed in with some more recognisable Chinese influences.

I am a hot pot devotee so was keen to see how Vietnam Palace's stacked up against others I've tried out west.

I enjoyed the hearty combination hot pot served in a clay dish full of tender roast pork pieces, broccoli, carrot, snowpeas, onion slices, capsicum, peas, a few prawns, and bite-sized pieces of beef and chicken, all cooked in a warming chilli bean sauce. It was flavoursome, bursting with good quality ingredients and good value, too.

We'd ordered rice, not realising it was also a hot pot, but it didn't matter and the dish was a winner. Com Tay Cam (available in three sizes) is a meal in itself, based on rice topped with a cooked egg and packed with chicken and pork pieces, Chinese sausage, dried shrimps and black fungus cooked in a soya-style sauce, which caramelises on top.

My friend selected a dish I felt was ``too Chinese'' - beef fillet in a black bean sauce. The tender, thick beef fillet strips were served in a jet black bean sauce with celery, onion and baby corn. It was rich, salty, tasty and a step up from the usual BBBS.

There's no mention of pho, the famous Vietnamese rice noodle soup, on this menu (although it is available at lunchtime), but there are sour soup steamboats cooked with chicken stock, celery, tomatoes, sprouts and chicken seafood or meat. They're available in three sizes and make an ideal big meal to share with those clean, fresh flavours.

Once again, the food delivery was a bit out of kilter with the main courses but the staff were apologetic and smiling. Next time, I'd like to try the traditional roast pork (heo quay banh hoi) which looked fantastic at the next table.

There are seven desserts with some more authentic than the rest. We shared a banana sticky rice which was inventively served in a parcel made from banana leaf. The steamed, coconutty, glutinous rice had subtle, sweet flavours and was a refreshing finish.

Overall, I enjoyed the Vietnam Palace, which reveals a good standard of cooking, even if it's not the most authentic Vietnamese food I've experienced. It's certainly good-value dining. The staff need to be a more cohesive team but their bright, happy demeanour helps.

The bill:

Quail $6.50

Sugarcane prawn $15.50

Black bean beef $14

Combo hot pot $14

Hot pot rice $12

Sticky rice $4


All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

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June 18

URBAN BISTRO: 106 Fullarton Rd, Rose Park

Here's the realistic approach of Urban Bistro chef Bethany Finn: ``We're not at all romantic about running our own business. We get excited about making changes but it's a lot of hard work.''

Bethany knows only too well that running a restaurant isn't all beer and skittles (or pinot and petanque). The fact is, it's hard yakka.

The latest ABS report on the hospitality industry reveals restaurateurs are struggling in the face of rising food and operation costs, low profits and trying to woo diners when everyone's obsessed with petrol and interest rates.

Still, it's not all bad news. The good restaurants will always survive and flourish because they consistently get it right  Urban is one of those places.

The Rose Park bistro, which opened in 2002, is the brainchild of Finn and her husband and chef, Spencer Cole. They're a blue-ribbon team and bring loads of hospitality experience to their own venture.

Urban is at the ground floor of the Queen Victoria apartments with windows overlooking the racecourse. We visited on a Friday night and the laidback vibe was the perfect antidote after a manic week. Soothing neutral tones, an intimate space and good acoustics all make you feel worlds away from busy Fullarton Rd outside.

Staff dressed in smart uniforms have the knack of being present but not intrusive. We were greeted and seated at a table for two with comfortable upholstered dining chairs by our terrific young waiter, Manoly (or Manoli). I mentioned he shares the same name as late author Patrick White's late partner Manoly Lascaris, which he's no doubt heard a few times, but he good-humouredly went along with it anyway. He also knew the menu back to front - that's always encouraging.

Wines are priced upwards of $30 a bottle. There are special occasion/super-premium bottles at one end of the scale and Urban's own cleanskins at the other. Most wines sit around the $40 to $60 mark. I enjoyed the savvy mix of tried-and-true performers with edgier boutique wines, which suit the menu's adventurous flavour.

We selected First Drop's The Big Blind, a superb blend of Piedmontese varieties Nebbiolo Barbera, made by Matt Gant. Wine service from Christian was spot on - he was knowledgeable but not show-offy. This is kind of like the place itself - it's sophisticated but you don't feel alienated by pretension.

The menu was hard work only because everything sounded great. Entrées ($17 to $23) are a bright and exciting selectio, and I selected sugar-cured wagyu, which was really brilliant. Carpaccio-thin rounds of tender, bright red wagyu beef were served in a circular pattern on the dish and resembled flower petals. In the centre, there was a delicious, timbale-shaped mound of capers, mustard seeds, cornichons, onion and croutons. And resting on top, a perfectly slow-cooked egg which you break and then watch the yolk cascade over the meat. A cabernet dressing added a sweet acidity.

My friend went with duck ballotine, a piece of meat completely boned, stuffed and rolled up before being sliced. Urban's version was superb, a thick slice of flavoursome duck meat stuffed with its own forcemeat. The rich, earthy duck was perfectly matched with zesty, tart, pickled cherries. I also loved the sound of roast caramel chilli pork with blue swimmer crab and pineapple sorbet.

UK columnist Christopher Hitchens recently wrote an article in Slate online mag about wine etiquette and ``the vile practice of butting in and pouring wine without being asked. It is a breathtaking act of rudeness in itself but it also conveys a none-too-subtle and mercenary message: Hurry up and order another bottle.'' Urban does the whole thing well - the bottle is left on your table, not spirited away to a sideboard. Staff do pour for you but you can also refill your own glasses as required, which is a better idea. Little touches also impress, such as subtle lighting from lampshades over each table, good (Sant Andre) cutlery, linen napkins and wine glasses embossed with the Urban name.

Main courses ($26.50 to $39.50) had big shoes to fill after the entrées.

Caramelised sea scallops with Urban's own cured pork sausage, minted peas and frisee (endive) sounded great, as did braised capretto (goat) shank with capretto lasagne. I went with a risotto.

The list of ``risotto I have loved'' is quite short but this one shoots to the top. This was a pearly white, moist, creamy risotto with lemongrass flavours, threads of chilli and, the best part, a generous amount of small lobster pieces. A fillet of salt-crusted barramundi with juicy flesh and salt-crusted skin lay across the top.

We also tried the housemade cappelletti - little, round, hat-shaped ravioli pasta filled with a creamy goat's cheese and sublime tea-smoked muscatels. Fleshy king prawns and a nutty brown butter sauce sprinkled with pinenuts added to the coherent flavours.

The same inventive streak was all over the dessert list. We mulled over strawberry and lemon verbena soufflé cake with strawberry icecream but ended up sharing an espresso pannacotta. It arrived in a large martini glass with three layers - creamy orange panna cotta, a dark brown layer of gutsy coffee jelly and light espresso mousse. These were stunning, genuine flavours but we wondered if the consistency wasn't just a tad gelatinous. However, we did enjoy the dish.

Urban Bistro is now in its seventh year and there's no sign of an itch from its fans' point of view. The food is among the best you will find anywhere and combines technical finesse with oodles of creativity.

The bill

Duck ballotine $19

Cured wagyu $18.50

Barramundi risotto $33.50

Capalletti prawns $29.50

Espresso pannacotta $15.80

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

June 4

SALOPIAN INN: Corner McMurtrie and Main roads, McLaren Vale

The Australian wine industry's marketing gurus came up with a name for local wines which blaze a trail for their region by having a distinct sense of place - ``Regional Heroes''.

If the restaurant game ever followed suit, the Salopian Inn would undoubtedly be named a regional hero of McLaren Vale.

For more than two decades, The Salopian has been one of those few restaurants which can be relied on for an excellent dining experience. Happily, nothing has changed under its newest chef, Billy Dohnt.

Barbara Santich's 1998 book McLaren Vale: Sea and Vines tells the whole story from the Salopian's beginnings as a public inn back in 1851 before it became a private residence. Kerry and Zannie Flanagan bought the place in 1984, restored it and appointed the first chef, Russell Jeavons (of Russell's at Willunga fame).

In 1988 local legend Pip Forrester came on board and spent 16 years there with kitchen alumni over the years including Peter Hogg and David Swain. The current owner is Pip's brother, Michael Ewers, who intelligently made it a seamless transition when Pip left, and Bill Dohnt is at the stoves. I remembered Dohnt from his time at Chain Of Ponds restaurant and the Hotel Richmond so was keen to see what he was up to at this legendary spot.

We visited for lunch on a perfect, crisp autumn day. The grapes had all been picked early this year, the vines were bare, but everything was looking fresh, healthy and green after the rains.

When you turn the restaurant door handle - fashioned from a cork - you are welcomed in by delicious cooking aromas wafting from the kitchen. Whitewashed walls, slate floors with Turkish rugs, solid wooden tables and little vases of freshly-cut flowers give the space a cosy, homely feel. 

We were seated at a table by the cottage window with its
picture-perfect view overlooking vines. McLaren Vale isn't quite as rural as it used to be, with housing developments gradually creeping their way over the hill behind the restaurant, but its country, regional charm remains.

It had been so long since my last visit that I'd forgotten the wine tradition here. Rather than a conventional list, guests are encouraged to descend the stairs to the cellar to select a bottle. So off I toddled.

I felt the selection of refrigerated whites was a bit limited but had no problem with the large McLaren Vale component. The reds were better catered for, although the display was a bit higgledy-piggledy. I enjoyed the novelty of choosing my own wine although you can feel a bit disconnected down in the cellar with no communication or service. I ended up selecting a Hugh Hamilton Tempranillo from just up the road for $43.

Back at the table, a chunky, freshly-baked baguette had arrived with small dish of olive oil and another with spiced local olives, served warm. Neither bread or olives are complimentary ($8 for olives, $2 for bread) but were great, the real deal, so worth the price.

Billy D's menu is essentially the modern Australian breed with plenty of classic French and Italian influences built on a foundation of local produce. An Asian-inspired dish uses wombok leaves (Chinese cabbage) and there's a hint of the mother country with beef fillet and Yorkshire pudding.

We all agreed the set price for entrées, mains and desserts was a grand idea - $18 entrées and $32 mains - makes bill-paying time so much easier.

We shared two entrées from a list of six. A magnificent-looking tart made with perfect, flaky puff pastry was filled with baked, halved local green figs with moist, hot, pink centres, all sitting on a bed of fresh rocket, nashi pear and walnut salad. The king of cheeses, Roquefort, added a deliciously sharp edge. Lovely.

The second entrée was also sublime - soft, plump housemade tortellini pasta dumplings filled with blue swimmer crab meat and an indulgent truffle cream sauce. Cockles braised in a light tomato sauce finished the dish off perfectly.

I could just as easily have gone for the soup special - spiced eggplant and chick pea soup with chargrilled chorizo. And I also liked the sound of the flavours in the confit game meats roasted in crispy duck skin with buttered brussels sprouts, crumbled chestnuts and pancetta.

The service on this day was best described as professional, efficient and competent. It wasn't gushy or fawning, which is a good thing, but  we agreed that a tad more of that country-style warmth might have been even better. Still, we were well looked after and a quibble over wine was fixed promptly and graciously.

I went with an entrée as my main, and it was memorable. Fleshy, fresh, whole, de-boned garfish was rolled up inside hot, textbook light and fluffy soufflé cooked with prawn meat and leeks. It sat in a pond of herb-flecked yellow butter sauce which was rich, sweet and gorgeous and garnished with Yarra Valley salmon roe. A really good dish.

My friend selected bouillabaisse, that traditional Provencal fish stew from Marseilles. Billy calls this one a ``Salopian-inspired Gulf of St Vincent'' version and it's a wonderful offering, heaped with masses of snapper, prawns, mussels, cockles, crab claws and whitebait. Pieces of bread accompany to soak up the juice along with a full-on flavoured rouille (a garlic and olive oil sauce traditionally served with bouillabaisse). One of us really loved the broth, the other thought it wasn't deep-flavoured enough.

Desserts here are also a homage to Euro classics - quince tarte tatin and nougat and almond semifreddo - which showcase local ingredients. We stayed French and selected a Valrhona (premium choccy) marquise which is a more buttery, rich mousse. It's surrounded by a ``palisade'' (or fence) of bright white meringue pillars and accompanied by a delectable orange ginger sauce and rich chocolate ganache. What can I say? It was pretty special.

It's great to get out of the metro area occasionally to see what's happening beyond the CBD. The Salopian Inn remains a landmark restaurant for SA - a true regional hero.

The bill

Fig tart - $18

Tortellini - $18

Bouillabaisse - $32

Garfish soufflé - $18

Marquise - $16
All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

May 28

APOTHECARY 1878: 118 Hindley St, Adelaide

YOU don't often see husband and wife chefs cooking together in restaurants - usually one is in the kitchen and the other at front of house.

It makes a lot of sense as the knives are just too close (and sharp) if a lover's tiff arises at the stoves. So it must be a case of domestic bliss at Apothecary 1878 where husband and wife duo Natalie and Brendan Homan are turning out top-notch cuisine with a Spanish-French-Italian bent.

For the uninitiated, Apothecary has been an oasis of sophistication in Hindley St for seven years, a Euro-style wine bar nestled between tattoo parlours and girlie bars. Its name, which can be hard to pronounce after a few glasses of French, was inspired by the gorgeous old mahogany pharmacy cabinets in the bar which define the place.

I last visited Apothecary about 18 months ago when the restaurant was located upstairs in a plush dining room. Despite its Parisian charm, that room didn't work so well as a restaurant and is now used as a lounge and function zone, while the restaurant has been moved to the best possible location - underground in the cellar.

This has got to be one of the most atmospheric dining spaces in Adelaide with its rustic brick walls and floors, classic Thonet bentwood chairs and linen clothed tables with ruby coloured lamps giving off a warm glow. French cabaret music and waiters wearing smart white shirts with full-length black aprons make it all very civilised.

I wanted to revisit Apothecary with the same crew as last time but half the group were winging their way to the London Wine Trade Fair. So it was just the two of us and we were greeted graciously and ushered downstairs to a cosy, corner table. 

The hefty wine folder is pure porn for wine lovers and encompasses varieties from all the world's great wine-growing regions. It's an impressive selection and it won Best Wine List in the Restaurant and Catering SA Awards last year. It's also worth noting each bracket of wines has an affordable entry point so it's not all about $200 Super Tuscans. We were parochial and selected a luscious, velvety Sons of Eden Zephyrus Shiraz Viognier from the Barossa for under $45.

After reading the wine tome, it was great to see a straightforward, one-page menu with six entrées defined as  ``to savour'' between $17 and $21. I toyed with the idea of starting with seared beef fillet with roasted beetroot, caramelised shallots, horseradish cream and goat's curd but instead selected garfish paupiettes.

I've only ever understood paupiettes to be stuffed, rolled meat but it worked well with fish. Rolls of moist, beautifully-fresh garfish shared the dish with a sublime cauliflower purée and tiny squares of pancetta, pieces of black pickled walnut and pretty little green baby herb leafs. The presentation was beautiful but it wasn't a wussy, nouvelle-style dish, and the flavours were distinctive and harmonious.

My dining companion mulled over house-made duck prosciutto with lentil salad but settled on bugs. This was  a very generous entrée with perfectly steamed, pearly white bug flesh served in half shells in a deep, orange-coloured crab and prawn bisque sauce which was rich and glossy.
People are obviously loving the cellar as it was a busy night with a diverse bunch of diners. We sat near a couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary,  two girls grabbing a quick bite and a group of upwardly-mobile types with girls in Sass and Bide and guys in Diesel jeans.
The staff were attentive and friendly including our main waiter, Dana.

Main courses or ``principal flavours'' range from $22 for buckwheat polenta with baked chevre, butternut pumpkin with caper and sage brown butter through to $30 for twice-cooked duck with celeriac puree, baked fennel and a muscatel and grape sauce.

Now's the time of the year for slow cooking so I chose black sherry slow-cooked beef cheek. The cheek is from the cow's face (as opposed to the derriere) and can be tough so this cooking method is ideal. The tender pieces of meat had a slightly sweet, caramel flavour and were served with lovely old-fashioned whole baby carrots. Witlof (a type of endive with a slight bitter flavour) had been braised and was fantastic with the meat. A classic, delicious dish.

My friend, always on the hunt for a decent paella around town, roadtested the Homan version which was a winner and served in an authentic paella pan. Paella is best made with Spanish calasperra short-grain rice (which I know is available at Bottega Rotolo) or arborio risotto rice is fine, too. On this night, it seemed like the real-deal, short-grained variety which absorbs moisture and keeps its  shape. It was moist, full-flavoured rice heaped with seafood including perfectly-steamed mussels, fat and juicy king prawns, vongole, or pipis, again cooked nicely plus rounds of chorizo, chicken chunks and green peas. A hearty, hot, tasty dish and good-value, too.

The cheese list featured some global goodies - Spanish Manchego, Le Petit Prince from the Barossa, Cashel Blue from Ireland and Pont L'Eveque from France - but we decided to share a rather funky dessert. It was a sunny-coloured, a vanilla saffron consommé with a light, sweet flavour studded with bite-sized pieces of custard, small chunks of poached pear and decorated with pieces of spun sugarwhich is essentially cotton candy. I liked the dessert - it was something different - and refreshing.

Apothecary's restaurant works really well in this cosy, underground setting. Natalie and Brendan Homan are creating rustic, satisfying food with flair which is a perfect fit for this urbane venue.

The bill

Garfish - $17.50

Bugs - $21

Paella - $28.50

Beef cheek - $27

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

May 21

NORTH: Skycity, North Tce, Adelaide

NORTH, the flagship restaurant at Skycity casino, hasn't been on the foodie radar for a little while, but hopefully that's all set to change.

A new management crew is on a mission to bring sexy back at the casino, and part of this includes the arrival of strapping new executive chef Cobus Klopper, who comes to Adelaide via his home country, South Africa, and his last cooking destination, New Zealand.

Cobus has been been charged with the job of wooing diners into North by jazzing up the menu. It's early days but he seems to be on track.

We headed North on a busy Thursday night and the place was humming with a variety of people, although it was definitely a slightly older crowd. It might be called "boomer territory" (not that there's nothing wrong with that, some of my best mates are boomers!).

Interestingly, the food style here would appeal to the young and/or funky dining public, but Cobus has been clever not to alienate regulars. There is, as the adage goes, something for everyone.

The grand dining room has gorgeous decorative arched ceilings, magnificent gold light fittings and the mother of all wine displays, which takes up the entire far wall. It's a spacious room with an elegance about it, but all I'd say is it needs a bit of warming up. Something simple like plants? Linen or even white butcher's paper cloths on the timber tables?

To be fair, there are candles on each table and, on this night, a chanteuse and pianist added a rather glam mood.

We asked to sit at a table for two near the floor-to-ceiling windows and read the hard-back menu while a waiter named Jordan delivered warm bread rolls, a little dish of butter and filled our glasses with water. Pink cardboard was wrapped around the cutlery/serviette promoting Mother's Day meals which, I guess, is clever marketing but felt a little tacky.

The wine list, although extensive, also is on the conservative side with labels such as Wynns, Penfolds, Rosemount et al. They're all great, reliable wines but it would be good to see some edgy, boutique labels to bounce off the bright new menu. In the end, we went with the Starvedog Lane Ibrido, a blend of, well, pretty much everything - Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese and Shiraz.

Back to the menu, which seems to have been ``Ramsayed'' with a more streamlined approach. It's concise, contemporary, global in influence but also full of local produce.

Six entrées include verjus-roasted Willabrand figs with Udder Delight goat's curd, rocket, white truffle oil and pomegranate dressing.

Chargrilled quail is served on eggplant and currant relish with chicken liver parfait and harissa yoghurt to the strongly-regional. I selected the fish entrée, which was just superb.

A mound of juicy whiting fillets was encased with beautifully light tempura batter, perfect, which shared the rectangular plate with a moist, sweet crab meat on a bed of pickled cucumber salad. In between this, a generous swoosh of salty nori puree working so well alongside a creamy, sweeter-sharp yuzu (Japanese citrus) aioli. I loved this dish and its contrasting textures and flavours.

My friend decided on Kangaroo Island haloumi cheese, which had just the right squeak. It was part of a salad of baby spinach leaves dressed with a zesty lime dressing, orange flesh and rind with chunks of water chestnut and pecans adding a nice crunch. Decent, juicy sundried tomatoes add piquancy. The flavour combinations are inventive and work well.

Cobus has been working with NZ-born but UK-based chef Peter Gordon, who the Kiwis have dubbed ``the father of fusion''. We reserve that honour for Cheong Liew but, regardless of who is the father and who isn't, Gordon is a brilliant chef who has clearly been a key influence on Cobus' global style.

The service was pretty sharp on this night and we particularly enjoyed Lauren, who was upbeat, helpful and obviously knew  the menu back to front, which is always good to see.

For mains, I liked the sound of the spiced Red Hog, a lesser-known but top quality pork from gourmet meat merchant Richard Gunner, served with roasted sweet potato, chilli, parmesan, kale, yoghurt and dates.

Instead, I enjoyed a richly-flavoured risotto topped with four sizeable grilled garlic prawns. The heads had been removed and replaced for effect. Sounds silly, looks good! The moist risotto was studded with small pineapple chunks, fresh chilli, coriander and a big flavour came from  bisque essence. It may be a bit laboured but the white truffle froth looked like sea foam at the beach.

I had ordered an entrée size, a more-than-sufficient portion, but my only little gripe was the fact it was served in a small, oval-shaped bowl which was a bit cramped. Lovely flavours, though.

My friend nearly selected pan-roasted snapper on cauliflower puree with sesame rice fritters but was won over by the duck.

The fleshy strips of pink-hued duck meat had been roasted with vanilla and thyme for a really subtle, spiced edge and were served on a bed of black lentils - Mt Byron Black Range lentils to be specific - which were tender and tasty. Pickled figs added a spicy sweetness to the duck. The whole dish was inventive and looked great on the plate.

We didn't need side dishes at all but add $6 if you're keen for roasted kipfler potatoes or steamed market greens or rocket with parmesan and pomegranate dressing.

The dessert  list is short and very sweet with a flourless dark chocolate cake with orange jelly and the pretty-sounding lavender and vanilla icecream crumbed in honeycomb served with blueberries and white chocolate and rosewater sauce.

We selected the classic vanilla crème brulée, which was delicious with spiced red and summer berry compote at the bottom of the dish and delicate, homemade lady finger bickies on the side.

It's great to see North really hitting its straps under new chef Cobus and his strong kitchen team. It's flavoursome, imaginative, globally-inspired food with plenty of local produce which shines.

The bill:

Haloumi - $16
Tempura whiting - $18
Prawn risotto - $23
Duck - $28
Crème brulée - $12.50

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

May 14

NOODLE AND DUMPLING HOUSE: 55 Gouger St, Adelaide

IT GOES without saying that, if you're after a decent Asian feed, then the Gouger St and Chinatown precinct is a natural destination with its legion of authentic restaurants.

We'd visited one of the more legendary Chinese restaurants a few times lately only to be disappointed by the food, so decided to try a relative newcomer.

Noodle and Dumpling House may have an uninspiring name but it's a top spot for CCCC (cheap and cheerful Chinese cuisine). Typically, the décor isn't anything to write home about but that's not why you go, it's the food which gets you back. The no-frills café is brightly lit, as you'd expect, with teak walls, laminated menus and white plastic chairs.

The most expensive item is probably the flatscreen TV, which I've never actually seen on. Each table has a thermos or two of tea, which is a bonus. Someone told me it's pu-erh tea, which is a rhubarb-coloured, earthy-tasting tea and it's a great match with this food.

I'd met up with two friends at Noodle House so it was Lim, Flanagan and Fleming, which sounds like an accounting firm, but is really just a trio of noodle-fanciers. It was 6.30pm on a weeknight and a constant stream of mostly-Chinese people were coming for big bowls of noodle soup and leaving to make way for the next intake.

The yellow laminated menu is divided into cold entrées, ``typical local'' dishes, then ``typical local famous dishes'', an array of noodles and soups.

Specials are written on paper on the wall in Chinese and English, as is the practice. It's a mix of honest Beijing, Shanghai, Cantonese and Szechuan cooking with genuine dishes which, happily, don't contain MSG. The prices are cheap with entrées averaging at $4.80 and main courses from $7.80 to $12.

The menu is marked with little red chillies to indicate the heat levels of each dish, which is handy.

On this night, Noodle House had run out of chicken feet (or was it the feet that ran out?) so we went with Hua Diao wine chicken with the same base flavours. A pale pink bowl full of large chicken pieces cooked in a Chinese wine included a light, stocky sauce with clean flavours. It's otherwise known as drunken chook. This was a generous portion of food for under $5.

We also requested the ``hot and spicy couple'' - no, it's nothing untoward, just a combination of ox tripe and tongue.

The tender strips of tongue meat are mixed up with fresh coriander, sesame seeds, spring onions, sunflower seeds and fresh chilli. The tripe added terrific texture to this big-flavoured dish.

We also shared a plate of 15 plump, steamed dumplings filled with pork meat. A steal at $6.80, and delicious dipped in the supplied chilli sauce.

Mental note: Next time try the beancurd and hundred year egg, a classic ingredient with egg preserved by being covered with a coating of lime, ashes and salt.

We'd actually eaten more than enough after the entrées and, if we'd left then, the bill would have cost us a whopping $6 each! Wanting to explore the menu further, we polished off another thermos of tea and ordered more.

My favourite dish was the plainly-described but delightful spicy Szechuan fish. The deep bowl was brimming with big pieces of white, fleshy fish and a few whole red chillies swimming in a delicious bitey soup with bean sprouts, coriander, Szechuan peppercorns, onions on a bed of clear rice noodles. It's a colourful, sustaining dish and at $12.80 makes a great meal for two.

When at Noodle House you must have noodles. A plate heaped with thick, nicely-cooked Hokkien noodles included fried crab stick, soft squid, black fungus, straw mushrooms, fish balls and bok choy - hearty and delicious.

The third dish was egg flower beef - tender flame-cooked beef, combined with more black fungus, lots of fresh garlic and the egg flower sauce, which is essentially beaten eggs poured in slowly to create a creamy sauce.

There are a few dishes we've bookmarked for next time. Lim is keen for the Szechuan-style Ma Po tofu and bean curd. Flanagan favours the fried string beans with minced pork in chilli while the best rice noodle soup from Yunnan China sounds good to me!

Thankfully, there wasn't a bowl of fried icecream or a banana fritter in sight, so for sweets we shared a genuine Chinese dessert  a divine homemade lotus fried pancake with beautifully crispy pastry filled with a sweet paste (similar to red bean) and cut into squares.

Noodle House is a great addition to Gouger St, directly opposite the Central Market. The staff are patient, friendly and helpful while the mood is bright and breezy. We ate incredibly well at under $50 for three hungry people and the food is traditional, quick, fresh and tasty. The free tea is a nice touch, too.

The bill:

Wine chicken - $4.80
Dumplings - $6.80
Spicy fish - $12.80
Hot and spicy couple - $4.80
Seafood noodle - $9.90
Egg flower beef - $7.70
Lotus pancake - $4.80

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

May 7

NAMASTE: 41 George St, Parkside

It was Earth Day and a full moon hung in the sky. It also was the eve of the Olympic flame arriving in Australia and everyone was on edge about China-Tibet relations.

We felt like a peacenik, earth-loving dining experience and Nepalese seemed the perfect choice.

After the previous week's Indian feast at Dhaba, we hadn't travelled too far by crossing the culinary borders into Nepal. I'd booked a table at Namaste at Parkside in an historic villa, which was home to Solitaire's coffee lounge for many years.

Namaste has been owned and run by husband-and-wife team Angela and Brian Stebbing for the past five years and the kitchen is headed by Nepalese chef Tham Bahadur Roka. It's pleasing to see the owners present with Angela leading a team of polite, friendly front-of-house staff all wearing traditional kaftan tops.

The walls are painted a colour which we dubbed pale Krishna orange, while mood lighting, candles and subtle incense aromas added good karmic vibe. We enjoyed sitting at a window table in one of two intimate dining rooms. There also is a large courtyard area and private rooms.

Namaste's wine list is more sophisticated than you may expect at a Nepalese restaurant, but also impressive in general with wines from Kalleske, Hewitson and Hugh Hamilton, to name a few. We selected a bottle of Langmeil Three Gardens Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre from the Barossa, a supple, perfumed red with lovely ripe fruit flavours.

The menu is easy to interpret for anyone who's familiar with the cuisine but, for those less experienced, Angela is a great help and can guide you through the traditional dishes. While Indian spices are bold and upfront, Nepalese cuisine tends to use spice as background flavours.

Spicing can be subtle but this doesn't mean the food lacks any flavour. I particularly enjoyed the use of chilli which enhanced the dish rather than dominating it.

Nine entrées ($8.50 to $13.50)  include an array of well-known Nepalese dishes so we shared mismaas, mixed entrée, in order to try a few. It was simply but effectively presented on a square white dish and included a momo - a traditional steam dumpling filled with a meaty chicken mixture with herbal flavours of ginger, garlic and coriander.

I loved the tareko maccha, herb-marinated fish with a light coating of besan (flour) and ground mustard. It was fried, but ever so lightly, and was white, fleshy and delicious.

A solid little samosa with light pastry encased chunky vegetables, while phulaura - patties with a crisp exterior -revealed black lentils, potato, spinach and cauilflower inside.

The morsels were accompanied by two sauces, a rich spicy tomato achar and a cooling mint and yoghurt sauce.

Main courses also focus on the traditional and are designed to share. My dining partner-in-crime selected the signature dish of goat curry known as khasiko masu (also available as lamb for non-goaty types). I always worry goat will be too chewy or gamey but this was beautifully slow cooked so the meat chunks were fall-apart tender. The dark brown curry sauce was spiced with complex flavours of fenugreek, cinnamon, mustard oil, bay leaves and coriander.

I was originally keen to try a dish Angela had recommended - lamb ribs marinated in yoghurt, Szechuan pepper, ginger and lemon and cooked in the charcoal clay oven. But we decided against the double masu (meat) combo and I selected jhingey ko tarkari or prawn curry.

The king prawns had the perfect fresh crunch and a delicious curry sauce based on tomato and onion with garam masala, garlic and coconut milk. There was a spicy kick but chilli was the co-star of the dish, allowing the other flavours to share the stage. This was a warming, full-flavoured dish.

The main courses were both served at a good temperature, garnished with slivers of fresh ginger and served in authentic little ramekins from Nepal.

We also shared rice which, it's worth noting, was cooked perfectly and was fluffy with separate grains. Two side dishes were delightful accompaniments - pharsi ko tarkari, a smoothly sweet pumpkin puree dotted with mustard seeds, and rayoko saag with spinach leaves stir fried with chilli and cumin.

The dessert or guliyo list has Bailey's ice cream, strawberry Cointreau ice cream and even an affogato, but we were chasing authenticity so settled on the laal mohaan.

This is very similar to Indian gulab jamun and was a trio of spongy, round dumplings made from milk powder in a pool of sweet, but not cloying, rosewater and cardamom syrup.

This wasn't my first experience of Nepalese cuisine but it was up there with the best. The food was fresh, aromatic, flavoursome  and affordable, which made it a perfect match for the restaurant's serene, happy environment.   

The bill:

Mismaas (mixed entree) - $13.50
Khasiko masu (goat curry) - $19.50
Jhingey ko Tarkari (prawn curry) - $23.50
Laal mohaan (sweet dumplings) - $8.50

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

April 23

DHABA AT THE SPICE KITCHEN: 252 Kensington Rd, Leabrook.

IT'S the ubiquitous butter chicken which has always frustrated her.

Chef, restaurateur and cooking teacher Ragini Dey knows everyone loves butter chicken, but she's always just wanted people to know there's far, far more to Indian cuisine.

Ragini runs Dhaba at the Spice Kitchen and has a great reputation for her authentic regional Indian cuisine with inspired modern twists. Her concession to butter chicken is a chicken makhani maharani, made with a rich tomato and fenugreek leaf sauce, which is a beauty.

Dhaba has been a favourite of mine ever since it first opened a  few doors down the road in 1994. Back then, it was an addition to an already-thriving takeaway and spice shop (The Spice Kitchen).

Ragini is a good sort and we go back a long way. Once, we even teamed up for a Tasting Australia cooking competition, looking pretty ridiculous in Messenger baseball caps with pappadams piled high on top (we came second!).

Ragini didn't know I was coming to dine last week - she is usually the face of Dhaba but had gone home early after a big event. Her husband, Sujoy, on a sabbatical from his job at the Convention Centre, was in charge at front of house.

It was a Tuesday evening, the beginning of the cooler autumn nights, and we craved Indian flavours - not just any Indian food - but something different, so it was obvious where to go.

A dhaba in India is described as ``an unpretentious, informal restaurant which takes its food seriously''. This Dhaba follows that philosophy. It's set in the old Marryatville school house and is a spacious, comfortable dining room. which may be considered minimalist when compared with highly-decorated Indian restaurants.

It reminds me of a former colleague who once reviewed an Indian restaurant and wrote of its  ``traditional Indian riff-raff'', instead of "bric a brac", much to the consternation of the owner who felt he had a rather upmarket clientele!

Dhaba has just a few Indian treasures and artworks in a warm, stylish atmosphere. Interestingly, there's an open kitchen which services the restaurant and the takeaway section.

Carpeted floors assure good acoustics and music is played at the right volume.

The wine list, like the food, is blissfully different. It's a well-thought-out selection of wines and they're not outrageous prices. All wines are available by the glass, which is handy.

The menu also suggests wines to suit the dishes for those who want to experience a bit of matching magic. We felt like a pinot so went with Sujoy's suggestion of a Capel Vale Debut Pinot Noir from WA.

Foodwise, Ragini has always done things a bit differently, so don't ``do Dhaba'' expecting same-old Indian dishes. Her aims are stated on the menu, promising ``the myriad tastes of India, some simple, some complex, some challenging but none ever boring''.

While reading the menu, we requested a serve of my favourite Kashmiri naan - piping hot bread cooked in the tandoor, studded with sultanas, cashew nuts, almonds and made with khoya (a sweetened thickened milk).

The seven starters ($10 to $16) include our selection of vanilla chilli duck inventively served in an edible tandoor-cooked orange skin. The roasted duck had been rubbed with vanilla, which doesn't result in an overly-sweet flavour but shows a different side to the spice. The large mound of meaty, moist duck chunks was teamed with a tandoori orange and citrus dressing. A little shot glass was filled with salad greens and a  horseradishy-flavoured dressing.

I first tasted dosa here many moons ago, a large pancake made with fermented rice flour. This version was a large, golden rolled pancake and omelette all in one filled with crab meat, lobster and prawn. It was served with coconut chutney, which added texture and a lovely fresh flavour.

It's worth noting the dishes are marked with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free symbols.

Next time, I'd be keen to try tandoori mushrooms piled high with grilled pork belly and mango and drizzled with tamarind  or the tasty-looking mixed entree platter, which the couple next to us were tackling.

The main courses are divided into mild, medium and hot, tandoori and vego dishes. If we hadn't just shared duck, I'd have gone for duck and cherry temperado, a Portuguese-influenced dish, with marinated roasted duck simmered in a cherry vinegar gravy with an apple, white radish and almond salad.

Instead, I selected lamb pistachio korma, a mild curry, served in a white dish brimming with tender chunks of lamb in a thick, rich, creamy pistachio sauce. Nutmeg-like mace and cardamom spices added depth of flavour and aroma to this excellent dish.

My friend ordered the tandoori seafood. had just been to Nine Mary's Indian restaurant in Perth and enjoyed their tandoori seafood so wanted to compare it to Dhaba's version. Dhaba's won easily.

It was beautifully presented on a raised, rectangular platter with a  combination of spicy, soft shell crab; perfectly cooked, translucent tuna, white, fleshy kingfish coated in spices and big, juicy tandoori prawns. It was great quality seafood with clay oven flavours and a good-value platter.

Dhaba has a table groaning under the weight of  homemade chutneys and pickles (nectarine, mango, plum, orange), raita, pappadams and salads. It's well worth adding $7 to be able to choose from this buffet of accompaniments.

I love gulab jamun, so dessert became essential.  The hot, steamed dumplings are made with reduced milk, soaked in a sweet rose syrup with saffron centres and served in a large martini glass. The plump treats are accompanied by two thin, pastry cigars filled with chocolate. Delicious.

I can also vouch for Ragini's luscious kulfi - icecream made from milk, cream and almonds in seasonal flavour such as mango, berry and rose, chocolate and spice or apricot and pistachio.

I finished with an aromatic, full-flavoured chai tea, served with chunks of delicious barfi, which Sujoy explained is made from solidified condensed milk, sugar and chocolate.

Ragini and Sujoy are generous, warm people who continue to keep loyal fans happy while winning new ones with their distinctive style of Indian cuisine.

They've also started a casual dining concept called the $15 Quickie Dinner Club with a set chef's menu, a communal table and no reservations.


All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.

April 16

CORK AND CLEAVER: 2 Bevington Rd,Glenunga

The late food writer Tony Baker said it best when he once described the Cork and Cleaver as ''age-proof''.

Age-proof, timeless, retro, whatever you want to call it, the Glenunga steakhouse is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which is a milestone for any restaurant.

Owner Stratos Pouras hit on a successful formula when he opened back in 1978 and he's never diverted from it, which has clearly been his secret to longevity.

I'm all for restaurants holding onto good old-fashioned service and honest, simple food. I also respect places which don't feel the need to go funky, but Cork and Cleaver definitely falls into the dining dinosaur category.

Still, there's no escaping the fact it was busy for a Wednesday night.

I'd invited friends along who knew the restaurant in its heyday, including a grand dame of the local theatre scene who usually salivates at the mere mention of Cork and Cleaver with its promise of nice, safe, comfort food. The other two upwardly mobile boomers have had a T-bone or two in their time.

We met at 7pm for a G&T and all agreed it's very civilised being able to enjoy a PDD in the separate bar before dinner. It also gave us a chance to eye off the impressive display of red wines stored in a cabinet. We'd gone with BYO on this night with a couple of special bottles ($20 corkage).

Once in the dining room, it all started to feel surreal, as if we'd been swept into a dining time warp. Nothing's changed for a long time, right down to the giant copper palm trees. Mustard-colour walls are covered in Turkish rugs, which make it feel more like an Indian restaurant than New York steakhouse. I don't mean to be rude but aspects of the décor are diabolically bad.

The tables are wood-look laminex with cork placemats and the cutlery has seen its day. However, the glassware is modern.
The black vinyl padded chairs were daggy but comfortable and the lighting is adequate but, like most things here, it badly needs updating. The bizarre upholstered pelmets above the windows, covered with bamboo blinds, have to go. Not all restaurants need to be slick but this is just old-fangled.

We laughed, not unkindly, at the sight of the same menus they've had for decades - laminated lists stuck on fake meat cleavers. It's good for a giggle if you haven't been there before. It was a memorable moment when a waitress arrived at the table dwarfed by the mother of all cleavers bearing the '70s-style specials.

The front of house staff were friendly but one fellow had the most atrocious wine pouring style. He tipped the bottle up and sloshed the red in like water. Call me a snob but it's not a good style. Christine, however, was gracious and friendly.

As for the food, I was amused to see that there has been no concession made to modern dining. Trends toward quality over quantity, freshness, healthy eating concepts - it's as if none of it has happened. Some people will love this antediluvian approach. For me, it was an interesting exercise, if only to see how far we've come in our eating habits.

We started off positively by sharing a bowl of the famous C and C meatballs, which are tasty morsels, served with a lovely hot loaf of bread.

Entrées ($9.50 to $17.90) are a disparate mix of retro-style dishes such as baked avocado with prawns and cheese, red beef curr and chilli con carne. We shared salt and pepper squid  stringy, chewy, flavourless squid rings on diced tomato. Enough said. The crabcakes were full of crab meat but covered in a heavy, thick batter served with a pool of commercial sweet chilli sauce.

The steakhouse menu is naturally devoted to beef with all the classics - steak tartare, Diane and surf and turf. Dishes start at $29.90 through to $80 for two for Chateaubriand.

Steaks are served with a baked potato but you need to add $5.50 for a sauce and extra again for side serves. I thought $12 for a serve of mushrooms was crazy. Once you take all the add-ons into account, a main course steak dish can set you back just under $50.

Two of us selected the aged scotch fillet, which you cut yourself at the table or go for the 200g serving, which we did. Credit where it is due, the meat was top quality and beautifully cooked with a lovely chargrilled flavour. I had asked for mushroom sauce, which was served in an old-style stainless steel sauce jug but was watery and flavourless.

The thespian, who is a big C and C fan, was disappointed with her ship and shore, a hefty fillet steak topped with prawns and swimming in a runny garlic sauce which didn't allow the meat to shine. Our token male selected kangaroo, a huge portion of meat, but it was tough and chewy and served with a large puddle of barbecue sauce.

The salad was the straw that broke this camel's back. It was straight out of a Women's Weekly cook book circa 1975 and consisted of a plate of iceberg lettuce. Not that there's anything wrong with iceberg, but this was tired and limp, along with enormous chunks of tomato and poor quality croutons, all thickly coated in an artery-clogging blue cheese dressing.

We did share two desserts - homemade vanilla icecream and sticky date pudding with icecream - which went some way to redeeming the previous dishes.

On this night, Cork and Cleaver felt a bit long in the tooth in terms of food, service and décor. But then, I was still learning how to spell when Stratos opened his restaurant and he clearly isn't having any problems drawing customers.

The bill:

Crabcakes - $14.90
Calamari - $15.90
Aged fillet - $29.90
Ship and Shore - $36

All food review visits are unannounced and meals paid for.