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:)