Restaurant Reviews

Taste of the Himalayas

- Alex Prichard 2 Comments

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Nepalese platter

date of visit: Saturday 24 August 2013

Well, it seems that Nepalese restaurants are like buses. After our recent visit to Himalayan Kitchen, we’ve managed to find time to hit Taste of the Himalayas, the new Nepalese restaurant in Brighton.

As it’s walking distance from my parents’ house, we decided to take my dad there in celebration of his birthday. This caused some confusion because mum thought we meant on the day itself – so she had been ready for the meal for the best part of a month!

Actual details of the outing ironed out, we headed off, aiming to be there for the restaurant’s 5:30 pm opening. Best laid plans and all meant we arrived around 6pm. We weren’t quite the first people there but might as well have been. All good when you have a two year in old tow. A two year old who thinks that as soon as he sits at a table, food should appear …

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We started off with a few drinks – including, for me, a real Nepalese beer, Mustang. Given the small hungry person, we opted for main courses only. For the (apparently starving) toddler, I chose the choila, a chicken entrée, where the meat is marinated in traditional Nepalese spices. This was an absolute hit and was carefully, slowly and steadily demolished.

Andy chose a barramundi curry, mum the lamb cutlets, dad the goat curry and I had the Nepalese platter. The platter included lentils, a chicken curry (I had a choice of chicken, lamb or goat and chose chicken on the basis that mum and dad already had lamb and goat covered), mustard green spinach and a tomato pickle. We also had rice, roti and extra lentils for the table.

Everyone really enjoyed their food – the great thing about Nepalese food is that while it’s essentially curry, it’s all about spice flavour rather than spice heat.  If you don’t like chilli, you can still eat Nepalese. There were a couple of uneven patches but overall, we agreed we’d be more than happy to head back. Dad thought his goat was a bit tough and while some of the roti were perfectly crispy and delicious, some were a little thicker than others which meant they were a touch doughy. My gripe (and this is very typical of me) is that my food wasn’t as fearsomely hot (thermally) as I like it to be. I loved the lentils and gobbled up not only the ones that came on my platter but also some of the second portion too. The stand out dish (which I didn’t actually try) was mum’s lamb which was a generous portion (served on a sizzling hot platter) which dad announced would be what he would have next time.

Service was very friendly and, for the most part, pretty good. As the restaurant got busier and busier (and, here’s a tip, if you are going to go on a Saturday night you should either book or get there no later than about 6pm) it tailed off a bit and I did get a sense that perhaps they could do with one more body on the floor.

Taste of Himalayas also gets a big tick for proper tablecloths and napkins!

The restaurant is also well set up for takeaway (there are couches for those waiting) and there’s a fish tank which seems to keep two year olds pretty happy. On a Sunday night there is a buffet (if that is/isn’t your thing).

Prices are very reasonable – 4 and a half of us left having spent well under $40 a head, and that was plenty of food as well as pre dinner drinks and a bottle of wine.

Definitely somewhere to check out!

Taste of the Himalayas
489 Brighton Road
Brighton SA 5048
phone: 8358 2483

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Windy Point Cafe

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disclaimer: I was a guest of Windy Point.
date of visit: Tuesday 28 May 2013

Much much earlier this year (I really am that far behind!) I received an invitation from Windy Point to visit both the café and restaurant as the venue’s guest.

I took my mum along to the café and Andy and I had a really lovely meal at the restaurant (which, incidentally, has just picked up Best Restaurant at the Restaurant and Catering SA Awards). I don’t really think that the restaurant is the kind of place where furiously snapping photos is appropriate (if you know me, you’ll know I’m not that hot on photographing my food anyway, but I see it as rather a necessary evil), so instead you get photos and a review of the café. I will say that the meal Andy and I enjoyed at the restaurant was the best we’ve had there in the past few years.

The café is nestled downstairs from the restaurant and enjoys the same amazing views, but in a much more casual setting. Mum and I had a lovely table next to a window. It also happened that we were seated next to a table of two where the woman did nothing but complain loudly and incessantly about the lack of yoghurt dressing on her dish. Full marks to the staff for placating her (or, at least, attempting to – I doubt she’d have been happy no matter what they did).

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Unexpected entertainment aside, mum and I opted for mains only, to ensure there was space for dessert. Mum chose the slow braised beef short loin rib with spinach and three sauces and I, rather predictably, opted for angel hair pasta with prawn, crab and chilli … you know the score. The food was really lovely. Mum enjoyed her beef and I loved the pasta. Even though I might not have been imaginative in my choice, it was great that Windy Point had put its own twist on this dish by having it deliver a healthy kick of anise, thanks to some tarragon.

We decided to share the poached rhubarb and strawberry dessert, which turned out to be a wise decision because it was quite heavy on the strawberry component (and I am really not bothered by strawberries at all). It was a very pretty dish, and all those beautiful almonds provided a lovely crunch. I would have been happy had it been rhubarb alone!

With main courses all hovering around the $30 mark Windy Point Café is not the cheapest café meal you’ll ever eat, but it probably is one of the classiest. If you’re after the same calibre of food as in the restaurant (the menus are similar but not identical) but a more relaxed environment (perhaps you are a large group or have some boisterous children or adults with you), then the café is definitely for you.

The café is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and is open for breakfast/brunch/lunch on Sundays.

Windy Point Café
Windy Point Road
Belair SA 5052
phone: 8278 8255
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Eden Dining Room and Bar

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date of visit: Sunday 28 July 2013
disclaimer: it being Adelaide and all, I’m acquainted with Eden’s owner, Chad, and some current and previous staff

It’s been about a year since my last visit to Eden Dining Room and Bar. While I’ve tried to drag friends there on various occasions, they mostly live on the wrong side of the city and it has actually been my parents who have managed several repeat visits.

While lunch service is scaled back in winter, you can still find yourself a hearty Sunday roast at Eden and, on a gorgeously sunny winter’s day, sitting in the window, catching that sun, is the perfect way to spend the afternoon. And if you don’t like roast, that’s fine, because the à la carte menu is available too.

Toddler in tow, we had to make some strategic decisions about how many courses to order so we cut to the chase with just main courses. Everyone ordered the Sunday roast (roast lamb, with Yorkshire puddings and a selection of vegetables) bar me. I ordered the gnocchi with beurre noisette, sorrel and porcini. Andy won’t eat mushrooms so the only time I get to eat them is when I’m out and about. I am also a total sucker for simple pasta dishes! For the toddler we ordered the pork belly entrée (pictured), served with several types of radish and nashi pears.

We started with bubbles and beers and washed our food down with a bottle of very sensibly priced 2012 Ochota Barrels Green Room Syrah Grenache. Eden’s wine list is a very strong match to a good menu. You’ll find wines that you won’t see on other lists and there’s a great variety. This is something that Chad and his team is really proud of – and rightly so. Being picky, I’d say that one thing I’d like to see smartened up is the sparkling wine by the glass selection, which is currently limited to two.

As we were expecting, the food at Eden is not only beautiful on the plate but delicious once you start pulling apart the artistry. The house made gnocchi were excellent: very light and the butter and mushroom sauce was fantastically rich and unctuous without being greasy. I’d be quite happy to come back and eat that every day.

When our food was put down, the toddler took one look at my plate and announced “that’s mine!” but all that changed when his pork turned up. You see – even two year olds eat with their eyes. Pork demolished and bits of radish tasted and then picked around, he set his sights on his father’s lamb. The lamb roast received a universal thumbs up and it was an incredibly generous portion.

We wrapped up our meal with some Pedro Ximenez (I had to drink most of Andy’s because he was driving and he’s not a huge fan of sweet alcoholic things) and coffees. Once it was clear that the toddler was on to babychino number two, Chad whipped up an amazing vanilla and licorice foam for him. As he hoovered it up his little eyes lit up like you wouldn’t believe!

As it was my birthday lunch, my parents paid so I can’t put an exact figure on lunch. But I do know that while Eden isn’t the cheapest place to eat in Glenelg it is probably the slickest venue serving the prettiest food. Somewhere I really must head back to before the next year is up!

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