Redsalt Summer Menu at Crowne Plaza Adelaide

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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Disclaimer: I was a guest of Crowne Plaza at the menu launch. See the full menu on the Redsalt page.

Summer has hit Adelaide with a short sharp blast to remind us what is around the corner. Last Thursday he maximum came perilously close to 39°C. A cool change came through at 2am Friday morning and it’s been gorgeous Spring weather ever since … but that doesn’t mean that summer is far from our minds.

It was also appropriate for the Redsalt summer menu launch – how would it stand up to some seriously summery weather? You might remember that earlier in the year I attended the winter menu launch and found it an impressive affair so I was pleased to be invited back for seconds.

After pre-dinner drinks in the bar we sat down to suss out head chef Fran Ghidini’s latest creations.

Our amuse-bouche was a dish which is featured on the menu as an entrée. A warm pea soup topped with a pepper (pastry) crisp, goats cheese cream, mint and peas. This was served in some very funky little cups that were modelled on squashed plastic cups which caused a lot of comment. While my attitude towards peas is best described as ambivalent (ahem) I really enjoyed the soup and the goats cheese and both the pepper in, and the texture of, the crisp worked as a lovely counterpoint to the peas’ sweetness and softness.

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Next up we were served a tasting platter of other entrées. A prosciutto wrapped piece of mozzarella served with house-made kimchi and an olive puree worked surprisingly well. The olives provided a strong umami backbone and the excellent kimchi, while not for the faint hearted, contributed both punch and acidity to the richness of the cheese and prosciutto. The other stand out entrée (and the one I would order) was the smoked Coorong mullet with broad bean and daikon puree and a pink peppercorn dressing. This was a dish where every component worked together seamlessly and the two pink peppercorns sitting atop the mullet not only looked perfect but added a sour and hot finish.

The other entrées we tried were the pork and duck rillette (which I thought a little under-seasoned), an heirloom tomato salad and a beetroot and cashew cheese raviolo which appears in the main courses as a vegan offering. This was the only taster I didn’t like – the cashew cheese (something I have never tried before) didn’t work for me – it tasted in no small part like not particularly nice goats cheese. I’d be really interested in hearing a vegan’s thoughts on this dish (or, indeed, on cashew cheese in general).

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We chose our own main courses so I opted for the ocean trout with a beetroot puree, fennel and pernod compote, fennel salad and lime gel. I love fennel so I was never going to choose anything else! The fish was cooked beautifully (with crispy skin – the most important part) and while I question the attractiveness of the smear of beetroot puree (I have no alternative idea though, I’m afraid) everything again worked well taste wise. The finely shaved fennel retained its texture and its no surprise it paired well with the fish.

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The coffee trilogy wrapped up our meal. The Crowne Plaza’s desserts are very generous and this dish would be perfect if you are planning on sharing. The absolute winner on this trilogy was the coffee and chocolate mousse, served on a crisp almond toffee sheet. The mousse had a beautiful mouth feel and did not shy away from a coffee hit at all – bitter and powerful. I loved this and was really quite disappointed that we only received a quenelle of this because I would have been happy to sink myself into a full bowl. The almond crocante did the job of delivering the last of that coffee mousse goodness along with some jaw-sticking sweetness. The tiramisu ran a distant second and the coffee and grappa ice cream really didn’t quite work for me. I have some very strong feelings about grappa and in this ice cream the grappa really dominated. However, given the reaction of the people sitting around me, I’m very very much in the minority on that one!

During the evening we were also spoilt with wines from Bleasdale (the Pinot Gris which picked up Best Other White at the recent Royal Adelaide Wine Show) and Pike & Joyce (the Pinot Noir).

Redsalt still supports Eat Local SA and the new menu again offers innovative dishes alongside staples (and dishes that will cater to a variety of dietary requirements) – at very reasonable prices. It’s also a delight to see a seasonal revamp of the menu.

Crowne Plaza Adelaide
16 Hindmarsh Square
Adelaide SA 5000
phone: 08 8206 8888

Redsalt on Urbanspoon

The Taxpayer Relaunches

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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The Godfather

Disclaimer: I was a guest at the relaunch party. Visit thetaxpayer.com.au for details of the drinks and food menus.

The Taxpayer has been nestled in Victoria Square for about a year now and its location makes it ideally positioned to take advantage of a very generous footpath dining (or drinking) area and views across the square. Just in time for summer it’s had a quick makeover and a revamp of its food and drink offerings and so, morphed itself into The Taxpayer Burger and Booze Bar.

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It was quite appropriate that the re-launch party was held on a suitably summery evening and the Adelaide A listers* were out in force. And The Taxpayer stepped up to the mark, showcasing an impressive selection from its cocktail menu. The cocktails certainly excited some discussion and the stand out (both in terms of looks and the number of people going slightly mad for it) was definitely The Godfather.

We were also able to sample the new menu – including the Al Capone burger which is reputed to be Adelaide’s best (I really DON’T want to enter that kind of debate!). The burgers were good – although I do think that the Al Capone could be improved by using standard caramelised onions rather than a caramelised onion jam because for me it was a touch sweet. However, as far as I was concerned the stand out was the chips with parmesan and truffle oil. Too often chips and cheese is more ‘chips drowning in cheese’ whereas these chips (shoestring fries really) were topped with a judicious grating of cheese and had just the right hint of truffle from the oil. I know that truffle oil bashing can be a bit of a thing, but in this case it lent just the right amount of complementary earthiness to the potatoes.

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Truffly chips and cheese 

Burger prices hover around $13 (chips not included) or you can opt for a tasting board of sliders (3 or 6) and there’s a selection of sides which fit in with the American burger theme. The cocktails are mostly $18 but there is also a selection of beers (both on top and bottled) and the short wine list is to be commended for its interesting local focus – particularly in that it includes an Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc (from Sidewood Estate) rather than one from across the ditch.

Based on the (re)launch The Taxpayer should do well, by providing something for everyone and combining it with a relaxed atmosphere. I will definitely return.

The Taxpayer
193 Victoria Square
Adelaide SA 5000
phone: (08) 8212 5661

The Taxpayer on Urbanspoon

* If you haven’t already, read through Matt Gilbertson’s guide to becoming an Adelaide A lister!

Forage Cereal

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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Disclaimer: I was sent the cereal to road test. Check out the full range at foragecereal.com.

Once upon a time I used to make my own cereal. I actually found it a very quick process (I used bran flakes from a health food store as the base) and was able to customise it to my taste exactly. It wasn’t cheap and it obviously took more time than picking up a pack of something but after a good year or so of eating my own cereal it was really noticeable how sweet commercial cereals were.

The upshot of that is that I rarely eat commercial cereals now – the exception being the extremely low sugar offering my small child eats. So when the Forage PR team got in touch I almost turned down the offer of the cereal because I thought it would not be my thing at all. However, when I saw that the cereal was also gluten free I reconsidered my position (regular readers will know that a relative of mine is a coeliac).

Forage was developed by an Australian naturopath and chiropracter and now comes in four formats – the standard cereal, a bircher, a porridge and Forage Paleo. No matter how hippy or faddist that might sound, the products are based on the idea that they should be a good balance of protein, fat (good fat, of course!), fibre and carbohydrates.

The cereal’s ingredients are: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and puffed brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth and buckwheat. All the grains are organic. There’s no added sugar (perhaps that’s stating the obvious).

I have really enjoyed eating the cereal. I just plonk some standard cows milk on it and off I go – but those with a healthier bent could add an alternative milk, yoghurt or fruit. I like that it’s not overly sweet and I think the fact that it has some texture and you actually have to chew it is a good thing – far too much cereal turns to pap two seconds after you add milk.

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The recommend serve is 40g (see above for how much this is) which I didn’t find was enough to last me through til lunch. I ended up going for a whole cupful (closer to 100g) which did the job – this is obviously something you’ll need to experiment with yourself.

One word of warning though – if you’re not vigilant about ensuring the bag’s ziplock is well closed you’ll find that the cereal does go soft quite quickly. You can solve this by decanting the cereal into an air-tight plastic container when you open it (or by making sure you close it properly). While the cereal tastes fine if you do stuff up like this, it tastes better when it’s crispy!

All the products are widely available (and, of course, you can purchase on line) and while they’re not cheap (a 1kg bag of the cereal is around $30) you’ll be spending a lot less than heading out for a muffin and coffee every morning.

And it’s much better for you.