Hahndorf Inn Hotel

A few weeks ago, the siblings and I decided to swing by Hahndorf after not visiting for some time. Despite it being a public holiday, I was surprised that most of the shops are still operating and the number of people strolling around were just extraordinary.

We were extremely lucky to be quickly seated in this busy place. The menu had not changed at all which makes it all the more easier to choose a platter for sharing. A big platter may seem pretty expensive but it's not really if you are happy to share with your fellow companions (unless if you are game for tackling that serving size!).

I do not usually order a jug of beer when I am out but how could I resist when it's with some authentic German fare? Just does not seem right!:)

So we had one of their big platters which has a pork hock, pork meat, a few different types of German sausages, saurkraust, potatoes and pretzels. The siblings and I just barely finished it, but do note that my brother can eat 2 servings himself!

Do not forget to help yourself to their bowls of mustards in the corner of the pub. Couldn't really decide a favourite and all goes well with the selection of meat that we had. Day well spent!

 

MyBar

Over the past few months, I found myself creeping into pub's for their simple but satisfying meals. A good meal would cost at most $20. I daresay vegetarians might have to really ponder prior to entering as some of the pubs' best meals involves some kind of poultry or seafood. Aside from having a very hearty meal, pubs are excellent for celebrating the weekend with friends (drink responsibly, people!).

Rumour has it that MyBar at Hilton hotel dishes up an award winning beef burger which immediately prompted the siblings and I to drop by for a quick visit after exiting the airport. We already knew what to have, after scanning the online menu... I call it research:)

I have never been here before and found the menu rather tempting but unfortunately, it was wayyy to early to stuff myself for dinner (I usually eat like a pauper at lunch and a king for dinner..not exactly right but it's a habit!).

300g wagyu beef burger ~ beef patties sandwiched by smoked bacon, free range egg, onion jam, cheese, lettuce and tomato, served with chilli chips and mustard, tomato relish and ranch dressing. The tomboy in me wanted to try biting into the burger but chickened out as it surely cannot fit into my mouth (and I have a big mouth too!). We dissected the burger into smaller sections which allowed us to enjoy each individual component of it. Beef patty was still juicy and how can we go wrong with a slap of bacon, egg and cheese in it. A clear winner indeed. The buns were still fluffy despite getting toasted and the chips were one of the chunkiest pieces I have ever seen. The accompanying sauces were served in shot glasses, very classy indeed. My favourite would be the ranch dressing. What's yours?:)

Chicken schnitzel with mushroom gravy served with chips and fresh salad ~ to enter a pub without ordering a schnitzel is a crime on it's own. Thankfully the sister agreed to share it with me. Was a little dry for my liking but after a few dunks into the pools of sauce, it had no problems finding it's way into my tummy. Salad was dressed pretty well and it was fresh, no short cuts there:)

Overall, I have enjoyed my meal here and would love to have a second visit to sample their other dishes. Pretty decent place to head if you want to watch any games as they have a massive telly on their open area.

Belgian Beer Cafe Oostende

Those who grew up with me would know that I am not a mussel advocate nor am I a beer-aholic. As a growing teenager, I used to pick out these little morsels from my plate of pasta and plop it into my parents or siblings' plates and cringe in horror when I take a sip of beer at wedding dinners. I have never acknowledged myself as a fussy eater but looking back at my weird eating habits, perhaps I was a difficult child? Not that it's a bad thing haha.

Having still disliked the idea of consuming mussels back when I first arrived in Australia, I would steer away from this place, mainly because most people who dine here come for the delectable pot of mussels. After what seemed like 4 years, I have finally decided to head back here for a relaxing Sunday afternoon to end a hectic working week! Strangely enough, my taste buds have evolved and are able to take in more exquisite/ exotic/ adult type of food/ beverages. Makes me wonder if I should attempt eating my dad's infamous bitter gourd dish..hmm...

Bookings here may be necessary, especially for weekends and perhaps Fridays but fortunately for us, this was not an issue (reckon most Adelaide peeps liked to cozy up at home on Sundays before the dreaded week begins!).

So we ordered a bottle of apple flavoured beer, which had a lovely apple sweetness to it and in terms of alcohol content, moderate. Only downside was the price for a bottle. A little hefty but worthwhile for rare events.

Paddestoel Les Moules, $29.90 ~ without further delay, here is a picture of the pot of mussels which were gently steamed in white wine and cream, and garnished with mushrooms, confit garlic as well spring onions. The verdict? Tasted much better than the first time I had it (yes, I was coming back for seconds and even wished I had ordered another pot of mussels!). Mussels were plump and juicy, vegetable garnishes kept the dish fresh and the broth at the bottom of the pot was to die for (if only I could take it home and utilize it as a sauce base). Yummy!

All the pots of mussels comes with a serving of chips and mayonnaise, just to keep the atmosphere casual and laidback, without being too pretentious and posh. We are in a pub restaurant after all!:)

Gnocchi $16.90 ~ served with mushroom, speck, spring onion slices and truffle oil, this is one of the best gnocchi dishes I have tasted in Adelaide. It is indeed a very rich dish but the warmth from each bite made it worthwhile. Gnocchi was soft and pillow-y in texture, not starchy. Another favourite of mine.

Gaufrette Belge, $12.90 ~ Belgian waffles served with caramelized banan, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Would have liked to have another piece of waffle to scoop up all the caramel sauce with! Was an expensive plate of decent tasting waffle..

Overall, I did enjoy my main dishes were well and service was good. As one of us had an Entertainment card, we managed to save 25% off our total bill. Pretty worthwhile and might be dropping by again sometime:)

Pub meal

When people say that they are heading to the pub, I assume that they were referring to having a fun night out with friends and booze. This is partially correct as for the foodies out there, it may most likely mean heading to the pub's restaurant. I try not to go to any pub restaurant too late at night, just in case I get myself into a bit of trouble with a drunk patron, and on the rare occasions that I do, I have to lure a couple of people for assistance. Not in the form of protection, more so for tummy space!

A standard sized meal at most pubs would be more than enough for someone of my built and hence, meal sharing is a last-resort-option, especially if I had a heavy meal during the day. A pub staple of mine would be the Aussie schnitzel served with a generous portion of fries. A very filling meal on it's own.

I shall now proceed to explain about a particular pub in Murray Bridge, where yet another delicious piece of schnitzel can be found at less than $20 (can't remember the exact price, unfortunately).

This pub restaurant is a bit more classy than the usual ones I have frequented over the years and they have a salad bar. Say whattt??? Yes, you heard me right. And to top it off, you can help yourself to anything and everything in the salad bar countless of times. You can choose from having a simple garden salad, to something heavier like an egg salad or cold pasta salad, to something warm like baked cauliflower in a cheesy sauce and baked carrots. I had 3 servings of salad before my main arrived!

Lamb shank ~ meat that melts easily and loaded with flavour after sitting in a slow-cooker for hours. I have a weakness for mashed potatoes, especially when it's utilized as a flavour carrier as seen in the picture. Good gravy, soft meat and a bed of warm mashed potatoes can be found in my tummy that night.

Chicken schnitzel ~ a good schnitzel has to have 2 important components to it: crunchy exterior texture and juicy meat fillet. This one ticked the right boxes and when it's been served with a few ladles of delicious brown sauce, it has to be the pub chef's picasso. Thumbs up for not being served soggy chips that night too!

I don't drink beer (or booze) but I can imagine any Aussie lad having a good time with his mates over a delicious pub meal whilst watching a footy game on the tv. A good way to end the week!

Earl of Leicester

A friend of mine recommended me to drop by this place as he reckons it is quite good value for money and customer service here is not only efficient but friendly. And that's what I did. Went here for my brother's birthday, for a change in atmosphere as compared to your usual pub food dining areas.

I have always been a fan of eating food whilst watching TV shows (although it didn't help me lose weight at all!) but nevertheless, was fortunate to get a table with a nice view of the plasma TV. Had a brief update on the current news while waiting for our mains to arrive:)

The bistro menu is not too extensive and it was easy to locate our favourites.

I have to admit that I did not do much research about this place prior to arriving and little did I know that they have a salad bar available for diners. You can refill your plate at no cost and the vegetarian and cold pasta salads were yummy appetizers. Slices of bread and butter were also included but we did not want to be too filled up prior to our mains:)

Leicester pork ribs served with crispy, spicy potato skin and coleslaw~ the pork ribs were well marinated with a thick barbeque-ish sauce and it had a caramelized taste to it. The potato skin was not as spicy as I had expected it to be but it does give the entire dish a crunch element to it:)

SC Special~ Sweet chilli, bacon, cheese and sour cream combination on chicken schnitzel, served with a small bowl of chips. Recently, I seem to be lured to cream based dishes and this was no exception. The sour cream was a good contrast to the sweet chilli sauce and savoury-ness of the bacon and cheese mixture. Chicken schnitzel was not dry at all. A good schnitzel:)

Seafood plate~ herb crusted garfish, salt and pepper squid, prawn twisters, chips and a trio of sauces. This dish costs $26.50 and I think it is a bit tiny, especially if you have a big appetite like yours truly. The garfish, prawn twisters and squid were crunchy and well seasoned but I think I would need more to stuff myself with.  However, I would recommend this to small eaters:)

Parmagiana schnitzel with napoli sauce and mozzarella cheese~ the schnitzel was quite drenched with the copious amount of sauce used and although the outside layer of the schnitzel was not as crisp as what I would like it to be, it was still a yummy one.

Mixed grill~ Lamb cutlets, lamb sausage, pattie, scotch steak and bacon, fried egg served with worcestershire, tomato relish and dijon sauce.

We shared a glass of rose wine and beer to celebrate the event.

Overall, service was extremely friendly and food was served after 15 minutes since we placed our orders. Not a bad place to go if you are looking for somewhere casual to relax after a long, stressful week.

Earl of Aberdeen, Pulteney Street

One of the most notorious places for a good schnitzel in Adelaide (in my books, that is)! I have been here a few times and I am please to say that in terms of food quality and quantity, it is fairly consistent and satisfying.

The pub's restaurant different daily specials for diners and it would be worthwhile to check it out before dropping by:) We were charged $15 for any schnitzel of our choice.

Duck pizza~ This was recommended by the waiter and despite it costing a bit more than the other pizzas, we found this one a bit lacking in terms of taste and portions. A few scatters of meat, beetroot, mushroom slices and feta cheese:( Nevertheless, I would return here to try their other pizzas as I have heard good reviews of them.

Seafood schnitzel~ can't recall if this was named Surf and Turf schnitzel or not but it is the same thing, hey? Chicken schnitzel topped with squid slices and prawns. Squid had a surprisingly melt-in-your-mouth texture and wasn't rubbery. Delicious overall:)

Maui schnitzel~ I am guessing this is a Hawaiian inspired schnitzel, topped with loads of pickled green chillies, salami and a generous dressing of cheesy sauce. Super tasty and  goes really well with the crunchy, succulent textures of the schnitzel.