I Ate Adelaide

You need to be prepared to queue as NNQ is one of the most popular Vietnamese eateries in Adelaide. It is understandable as the food here is reasonably priced for the quality and quantity. Take this pho for example. The large size serving came in a bowl that's bigger than my face and contained enough noodles to feed a village (ok, slight exaggeration here). There was no skimping on the tender slices of rare beef, beef brisket, tendon, tripe and beef balls either. Although the broth was clear, it had a pronounced beefiness which tasted even more irresistible with the fresh herbs thrown in.

We had a fun time here with this dish. After grilling the cigar rolls of minced beef wrapped in betel leaf on a hot pan with butter, we swaddled them with rice noodles, raw beansprouts, lettuce and pickles in sheets of translucent Vietnamese rice paper before stuffing them in our mouths. A word of caution: you have to like betel leaf otherwise you might find its herbal smell and taste quite a turn-off.

Judging by what the other diners were having, this spacious restaurant seems to be very popular for their schnitzels and pizzas. Here's what we thought of the ones we tried (pictured clockwise from top left):

A.B. Schnitzel (AU$24.90)
Brunelli claims to have a unique crumb for their schnitzel and whether you choose the backstrap cut of veal or the chicken breast, they do the crumbing fresh daily. It did turn out to be nice and crispy and stayed like that throughout our meal. For the A.B., the crisped meat fillet came covered in marinated pieces of lamb, shoe string fries, Spanish onions, tzakiki sauce and tomato sauce. I am not into lamb myself so I only took a small bite and found it acceptable but the others were happy with it.

Calzone (AU$22.90)
Brunelli
We opted for the vegetarian version of this folded pizza and it proved to be heartily delicious. The crust was thicker than what I generally prefer but the filling of chopped up vegetables which comprised of eggplant, capsicum and the like, plus the blanket of thick tomato and basil sauce, allowed me to forgive the presence of excess dough.

Mushroom Sauce Schnitzel (AU$22.90)
Fans of fungi will find this "wetter" schnitzel hitting that sweet spot, thanks to the brown, mushroom-populated sauce poured all over. The accompanying fat fries and small salad were really decent as well.

Brunelli (AU$22.90)
The restaurant's signature pizza was a stunner to the eyes and on the palate. Again, the crust was on the thick and doughy side but as it was pretty much buried under an avalanche of succulent artichoke, spicy salami, capsicum, Kalamata olives, Spanish onions, mushroom, fresh basil and bocconcini cheese, I didn't mind it at all. Every bite brought me such joy.

For fans of pumpkin and carbs, this specially baked rye bread which is studded with pumpkin seeds, is quite the treat. And of course because Aussies can't do without their beetroot, roasted pieces of it is arranged alongside. There's also a pea and mint smash and goats curd for smearing on the bread.

Located at 291 Unley Road, this place is no hipster joint but a good ol' classic Aussie diner. Reflecting this spirit is the "Vege Vibe Burger" with its vibrantly-coloured handmade patty crafted from assorted healthy vegetables and garnished with grilled-in-olive-oil capsicums and fresh rocket leaves. Huge in size and very tasty, I can see myself frequenting Black Wattle Cafe just for this if I lived in Adelaide.

NNQ is a must-visit in Adelaide if you want authentic Vietnamese cuisine presented very nicely in a stylish setting. Their "Com Tam Dac Biet" (the Vietnamese classic dish of Broken Rice Combination) is the most aesthetically pleasing of any that I've ever encountered. It's also very generously sized for the price. Taste-wise, the roast pork with its intense marination and crunchy crackling won hands down. If I am to nitpick, the grilled pork chop was a little too tough and chewy for my liking but no one else commented on theirs being that way.

This Berry Crush smoothie's concentrated with the stuff that matters - berries! Its slight tartness is also great at zapping all your senses awake in the summer heat.

What makes this such a fantastic find? Well, for starters, a potent amount of alcohol (both brandy and white wine) is used to flame the garlicky marinara sauce. Then there is the truckload of seafood! Besides crab, huge prawns, squid, scallops and mussels, there's shredded Blue Swimmer crabmeat too. Those with big appetites will appreciate the humongous portion this comes in.

On the left is the "Veg Buster", a concoction made with celery, watercress, carrot and beetroot. On the right is the "Summer Breeze", juiced from vividly-coloured oranges, rockmelon, pineapple and carrot. Both chilled thirst-quenchers tasted yummy and concentrated in goodness.

Please forgive the awkward cropping of my photos but I wanted to fit all the flavours we tried into the square. Anyway, we got a bunch of this brand of ice-cream as they were on promotion at a petrol station (AU$6 for 2). But you can find them quite easily around Adelaide, even at Shell petrol stations.
I chose the "Kangaroo Island Honey with Pistachio" flavour, and found it marvelous. The milk chocolate shell was rich and had little bits of pistachio embedded in it while the creamy middle tasted distinctly of honey and roasted pistachio. Admittedly, the pistachio power was not quite as intense as the soft serve at Sunday Folk but hey, for the price, I was a happy camper! Do note it's a little sweet but that's to be expected considering there's honey in it.
The remaining flavours were also rated between "not bad lah" to "damn good" by the others. I reckon this is a brand worth trying. Better yet, if it's on promotion.

Well, to be absolutely accurate, I was on the seafront, seated at "Eight" restaurant which is located along Marina Pier. But I was most definitely sinking my teeth into seafood of the delectable kind.
Equally successful at eliciting sounds of delight from all of us were the two dishes of Softshell Crab Sliders (AU$18) and Lime & Cracked Pepper Grilled Squid (AU$11).
I adored the former for its mouthwatering combination of a large, crunchy softshell crab, Japanese mayo and tangy slaw between the fluffy halves of a magnificent bun. Believe me, that bun was grilled and buttered to such perfection, I could have happily eaten it by itself.
The Lime & Cracked Pepper Squid was superbly fresh, springy and tender but what made this dish amazing was the rub used all over it. Lime zest has such an insanely aromatic note and it was used so skillfully here that it almost rendered the accompanying basil-flavoured dip redundant.

The oysters at "Eight" restaurant along Marina Pier are sourced from Coffin Bay and lean towards the small and briny. Between the "Natural" and "Tempura" styles that we ordered (AU$15 and AU$18 for half a dozen respectively), I preferred the latter.
With the light, crunchy battered coating, each oyster acquired not just a more interesting texture but body as well. The dollop of Japanese mayo and savoury bubbles of ikura also served to increase its powers of seduction.