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!

 

Rundle Spices

As you may have noticed from my previous post, I was wandering around Rundle Street on a warm-ish summer day. Most of the restaurants appear to be packed full of people and being impatient customers, the boy and I decided to head to the nearest restaurant cafe which suited both of our palates. Hence, we ended up in Rundle Spices.

We arrived slightly after 9pm but we still in luck as the restaurant was still taking orders. Having no idea on what to order, we picked a few dishes and hoped that we had struck gold. Service is fast and efficient, they certainly do not make you wait. Prices per dish were slightly more than what we would usually pay for but considering that we are in Rundle Street, no complaints there:)

We ordered a squid entree to test the waters. It was tangy, fresh and a nice kickstart to the next few dishes. Portion wise, it was large enough for both of us.

Deep fried barramundi curry ~ It must have been sometime since I last had fish and so, it was only appropriate to order a seafood dish there and then. The barramundi fillets were beautifully fried and there is more than enough curry to go with our rice.

From memory, this was a bamboo shoot chicken curry dish. It was flavourful and the chef was generous with the portion of vegetables he used in the dish.

Overall, I was a happy diner after that. No disappointments whatsoever except for the weirdo who came through the doors (they had sliding doors and we sat near the window) who tried to convince me to try out his silly 41 megapixels nokia phone because he wanted to test out my camera? Seriously dude? I would not trade my camera for your piece of cigarette smoke infused cellphone. And good luck trying to be a video producer/ photographer lol

 

Chocolate bean

I must have been on a chocolate run lately as I have been revisiting a few chocolate cafes everytime I pop by in Adelaide. Not that it is a crime unless if I overbinged on them! Was in Rundle Street  for dinner and figured that I should reward myself with more chocolate but this time at Chocolate Bean as it is always so difficult to find time to drop by:)

They have a huge range of treats to choose from, be it a cake, muffin, tart or slice. It was a very challenging task to do.

Iced chocolate ~ something chocolate to quench our already chocolate-y filled tummies hehe

Death by chocolate cake ~ by far, my favourite chocolate cake thus far. Rich, decadent, moist and not overly sweet or excessively sickening. It is made of dark chocolate and hence, it would be not as sweet compared to a white chocolate version. This cake pierces so easily with the fork while still retaining it's integrity. I surprised myself by finishing off about 80% of it with no difficulty. Having said that, a slice is more than enough to keep me satisfied for a week (think of it as exceeding my chocolate intake quota!). So so good and worth a try if you love chocolate!

Chocolate croissant ~ not too bad although at 10pm, it was a bit late for freshly baked oven croissants. Nevertheless, it still had its buttery layers intact. Everything works well with chocolate!:)

Jenny's Gourmet Bakery

Alas, this hungry sweet-tooth blogger made a trip to Jenny's for the notoriously sinful cronuts. Unfortunately though, we arrived a bit later in the morning (close to lunch time) and there were just 3 cronuts sitting behind the display window. How on earth did they disappear was beyond my comprehension but I was super grateful that at least there was some left!

We quickly placed our order for their chocolate brownie cronut and I could not resist adding on a peach frangipani tart to our order.The weather was a tad too warm for my liking but that did not dampen my mood for sinking my teeth into the cronut!

We poked at it, stared at it and even gave it a few turns before slicing into it. The outer layer was very crisp which probably indicates that it was made in the morning before the hungry diners arrived. A light sprinkle of icing sugar and a generous swirl of chocolate with a few chopped up brownie for decoration.

The verdict? It was indeed a cross between a croissant and a donut. It had those buttery flaky croissant layers but still had the richness and fun flavours/ colours of a donut. The chocolate was simply oozing from within, making it such a sinful sight! We shared the cronut between the both of us and trust me, one is definitely more than enough for a person. It was dense and so chocolate-y rich. Unbelievable pastry invention.

Onto the flip side, the frangipani tart was a nice contrast to the rich cronut as this was certainly much lighter in comparison. Tart shell was buttery and filling was still moist. Not overly sweet at all:)

Here are the layers of the tart. I can only wonder how much effort goes into preparing such a small, dainty little piece that too often, gets consumed within minutes whilst the preparation stages may take up to an hour.


 

Andersen's of Denmark Ice cream

To end a pleasant trip to Glenelg, we decided to cap everything off with some ice cream. After all, no visit to the beach is ever complete without ice cream, be it in summer and winter, right?:)

Andersen's is reputed to have some of the yummiest waffles cones around and so, it was no surprise that we decided to give it a go. The ice cream selection is decently sized, with a few of the usual flavours and a few less common variations. The sister opted for a boysenberry flavoured one whilst I craved for my all time favourite cookies and cream.

I love how my scoop of ice cream had quite a generous porion of cookie chunks in it as it added a lot of texture contrast to the ice cream. Service was fast and efficient. We were pretty happy tourists that day:)

Good Life Modern Organic Pizza

Pizzas always remind me of good companion and good ambience. Hence, it was no surprise that the siblings and I decided to have a couple of pizzas as a post-Chinese New Year celebration and for some quality family time. We were fortunate enough to be seated anywhere based on our preference (we choose outdoor as the weather was lovely) but be warned as it may get crowded on weekends!

We may be a little under-dressed in our thongs and shorts as the restaurant had a very posh vibe to it. Nevertheless, the friendly waiting staff made us feel at home as we nested ourselves among the other diners. The menu is fairly decent and we were able to narrow down our choices quickly.

Be mindful that the pizzas here would cost more than your average take away pizza shop as the pizzas are gourmet type of pizzas. Probably not something to have after getting smashed in the pub (not unless you are loaded!). Good pizzas require good companion to help cultivate that relaxed atmosphere, which is probably what you want after a tiring day or to celebrate!

Barossa ham with apple chutney ~ The chef was generous with the portions of ham and I wished we had ordered a bigger size! The semi sweet and sour apple chutney went really well with the meaty taste of the ham.

Free range roasted duck with shittake mushroom and spring onion ginger jam ~ The duck was well marinated prior to being incorporated on the pizza but for me, I find that the onion ginger jam was a tad too overpowering. Perhaps I have taken in a large portion of it with my slice of pizza?

Overall, we were pretty satisfied with the quality of the food as well as the friendly service provided. I would certainly drop by again in the future to try out their other pizzas as all of them sounds pretty tempting to me:)

Bracegirdles House of Fine Chocolate

Adelaide's been cruel to us these past few days with its burning hot summer days and boy, were we glad to have a much needed cold summer day. Weather was at a maximum of 28C and a minimum of 14C which prompted us to head to the beach whilst we still can wiggle out of the house!

I have not visited Glenelg in such a long time, no idea why the lack of trips though. Perhaps due to work and the fact that I can get my chocolate and waffle fix at nearby cafes? Why am I so lazy?

Bracegirdles used to be THE place to go to ever since I stepped in back in 2010. And I recalled wanting to go back in a week's time because I was simply addicted to their waffles. I did not have much exposure to authentic chocolate pieces aside from the commercialized Cadbury, Kit Kat and Lindt chocolates so having a really good chocolate dessert back then was a huge wake up call for me.

At the moment, Bracegirdles houses a very pretty selection of chocolates on display as well as some bags of chocolates that you can easily convert into fondues and for baking masterpieces. Oh and did I mention that they are currently having some Valentine chocolates on offer?

Hot chocolate ~ delicious and warm chocolate drink for a cooler day.

Caramel chocolate tart ~ a new addition to Bracegirdles list of desserts and one which I happily tried out. Looks too good to resist and it was surprisingly not too rich for my liking. Velvet-y smooth chocolate goes well with a slightly savoury caramel filling. Thumbs up!

Belgian waffles ~ the piece de resistance. My all time favourite, must have dish here anytime of the year. I love their freshly prepared, warm waffle which has small lumps of sugar dispersed in it. Dip it in the pot of melted milk chocolate, add a small swish of vanilla ice cream and a small piece of strawberry and you have Aphrodite on your fork. So so good and so much chocolate to finish off! Yummz!

So what are you waiting for? Ps, they do have iced drinks to help quench your thirst during the hotter days:)