Restaurant Reviews

Clay and Coal Indian Restaurant, Goodwood

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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date of visit: Saturday 20 December 2014

We’ve had our eyes on Clay and Coal for quite a while. We used to both catch the bus down Goodwood Road so we’d see it every day. That means it has taken us about four years to actually get to eat there …

On a weekend, the restaurant is open all day which is perfect for those of us with small children who need an early start for dinner. Given that the small child slept his way around the supermarket, it was touch and go for a while as to whether or not we would actually get there … but a babycino and the promise of pappadums perked him up and we arrived at 5pm.

Unsurprisingly, at this time of day, the restaurant was empty so we were seated and Kingfishers were under way in a prompt fashion. We started with a big pile of pappadums (of course) and ordered the Clay and Coal mixed entrée platter (prawn tikka, seekh kebab, chicken tikka and grilled fish tikka, served with a generous salad) for the small person, lamb rogan josh for Andy and saag gosht for me. We also ordered a plain naan, rice and a raita.

The food came out quickly and there was (thankfully) no confusion around bringing the entrée platter with our main courses. I didn’t try any of Andy’s rogan josh but his verdict was that I won. The meat in my curry was reasonably tender but perhaps not quite as well trimmed as you’d find in a home made curry. The curry had really good flavour and heat – something which is all too often lacking in curries in Adelaide. I really noticed this when we had curries while back in the UK. And by this I don’t mean that every curry needs to be searingly hot – but if you’re making a curry, you do need a good range of spice flavours.

I only got to try a couple of nibbles from the entrée platter but these also had good flavour (and in some cases good heat). I did think the fish (which I didn’t try) looked a little mushy which made me suspect it had been frozen. From a logistics point of view I understand why restaurants might be tempted to use frozen fish but from the point of view what actually ends up on the plate, I just don’t get it at all.

We were in and out of Clay and Coal in about an hour (the joys of eating out with a small child!). Service was efficient, quick and friendly – but obviously that should be an easy thing to provide in an empty restaurant. We spent just under $70 between the three (2.5) of us. The curries certainly aren’t the cheapest in town but they have plenty more flavour than those at some more expensive venues.

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Overall Clay and Coal gets a thumbs up … although some melted ghee on the naan wouldn’t go astray!

Clay and Coal
482 Goodwood Road
Cumberland Park SA 5041
phone: (08) 8271 5822

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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

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Zucca Greek Mezze, Glenelg

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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date of visit: Wednesday 17 September 2014

A few weeks ago now it transpired that a couple of my friends all had time off work – mid week, so we were able to pretend that we’re ladies who lunch. We decided to meet at the marina at Glenelg and, being a Wednesday lunch time, just try our luck.

There wasn’t too much umming and aahing until we settled on Zucca, Adam Swanson’s (he of San Remo pasta fame) Greek mezze restaurant. It turned out that I was the only one of us who had much experience of Greek food before so I was in charge of any menu interpretation that needed doing. Fortunately the menu is largely self explanatory and the staff at Zucca are reasonably attentive and more than capable of helping out.

After a bit of negotiation to suit tastes we decided on tzatziki and bread to start, followed by a large Greek salad, the SA calamari, the pork gyro (that’s a yiros) and the braised Clare Valley lamb. While we definitely had plenty of food, in hindsight I don’t think we did the best job of ordering dishes that really catered to everyone’s preferences. Which is a shame, because the menu at Zucca is quite extensive. There is really something for everyone, but I think the problem is that with mezze style dining you need to end up finding several things that suit everyone and that can be tricky.

The dip and bread was absolutely fine (there’s only so much you can say about tzatziki!) and was followed quickly by the main dishes. The calamari is simply floured and fried – so don’t be expecting anything like salt and pepper squid. The ‘condiments’ with which it is served are a cornichon, some tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon. The tartare sauce was actually pretty good and the squid was tender and not greasy (which, incidentally, is at polar odds with my mum’s experience of it here a year or so ago).

Greek salad is pretty hard to get excited about and I’m not sure about Zucca’s presentation where a slab of feta is placed on top of the salad. Great if you don’t like feta and want to eat around it but both a bit impractical and unattractive. The salad did get a tick from me for not being too heavily dressed.

The Clare Valley lamb with orzo and kefalotiri cheese was served on the bone so this also made sharing challenging. For me this was the most disappointing dish, as, even though the lamb was soft, I found it too heavy handed with the cinnamon.

Pork Gyro (Yiros)

The pork gyro was the stand out dish. Impressively plated up, it arrived at the table as a “build your own”, with salad, tzatziki, breads and even some crackling. Of the three main dishes we ordered this is the one I would order again. However, I did think it was a shame that when we ordered it wasn’t pointed out to us that the pork came with tzatziki as I felt we doubled up there and we might have ordered a different dip.

With only soft drinks ordered we spent in the region of $30 a head. I definitely had enough to eat and thought it was reasonable value, especially as mezze style eating can rack up in price quite quickly. The wine list offers a good selection of wines by the glass and a cross section of wines by the bottle, including some lesser known wines from Greece. Prices seem quite reasonable.

One thing I have noticed from online reviews (which, incidentally, are very uneven), which is not made clear on Zucca’s website, is that it does not seem to be particularly child friendly. If you do intend dining with a small person I recommend that you call ahead and check that it won’t cause problems.

While I left feeling reasonably happy, on reflection I’d best describe myself as ambivalent. I would go back again but it is not on the top of my list either. Zucca seems to trade a lot on position (stunning views of the sea or marina, anyone?) but my gut feeling is that it could try just a little harder.

Zucca
Shop 5, Marina Pier
Holdfast Shores
Glenelg SA 5045
phone: 08 8376 8222

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