adelaide

Farina

- Alex Leave a comment

 

 

FARINA HAS CLOSED.

date of visit:  25 Nov 2009

Adelaide has no shortage of pizza and pasta places … cafés line Rundle Street and menus merge in to one another.  It’s such a shame because Italy offers such a wide range of variations on the pizza and pasta theme that I can never understand why anyone would want to limit their eating.

This made the discovery of Farina particularly refreshing.  Earlier this year, unable to secure a booking at another venue, a group of us booked at Farina by chance.  On that occasion, we shared pizzas and wrapped up with dessert but we all came away impressed with the food and the service.  After all, what other pizza place offers a white anchovy pizza? Or potato, rosemary, truffle and taleggio pizza?

Subsequent visits have allowed for a more thorough exploration of the menu:  I’ve worked my way through quince tarts, pastas, pizzas, and sundry main courses.  The most recent visit saw a return to the potato pizza, rich with truffle followed by a pappadelle with star anise braised rabbit, chilli, rosemary and mushroom which was delicious, even if, after the pizza I was unable to eat all of it.

On the same evening others at the table enjoyed rabbit liver pâté, pizza with pork and fennel sausage, capsicum, olive, asiago and chilli, and braised rabbit with soft polenta, as well as a side dish of gorgeous rosemary roasted potatoes. Between four of us we also worked our way through two bottles of very sensibly priced local Shiraz. No surprise then that, on this occasion, there was no space left for dessert!

I’ve eaten at Farina now several times and not only is the food consistently good but the service is infallibly efficient and friendly. In short, the experience has never been short of excellent.

As you might expect, a trip to Farina is not bargain-basement material, but it cannot be considered expensive. And let’s face it – if you are after Adelaide’s cheapest pasta you are probably not after star-anise braised rabbit at the same time. But, if you do want to eat some interesting and innovative Italian food and eat it in a stylish, relaxed venue then you should get yourself to Hindmarsh Square.

Contact:  Farina Kitchen & Bar, 39 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, SA, 5000, phone: (08) 8227 1007

Farina Kitchen and Bar

Excellent and innovative city centre Italian

Rating:4.5 stars

The Stag

- Alex 2 Comments

date of visit:  Monday 2 Nov 2009

We’ve been drinking visitors at the Stag on previous occasions – sucked in by the imperial pints and spacious, generally calm atmosphere we can put up with the slightly steep prices.  On the food front the Stag sells itself as “serious about meat” with a menu covering pub staples (burgers and parmis) as well as some serious steak.  If you’re looking for a pub in Adelaide that sells Wagyu … head to the Stag.  300g of prime Wagyu Porterhouse will set you back $50.

It was a rare occasion when we were on a schedule which wasn’t helped by the fact I was starving.  We arrived at the Stag just after 5 to discover the kitchen doesn’t open until 6.  The affable barmaid said she could sort us some chips but that would be it until 6pm.  Plans thrown in to disarray, we opted to have a cheeky schooner while re-grouping.

We decided to sit it out until 6 … This gave Andy enough time to join the Stag’s club.  The club is free to join and gives you $1 discounts on beers, $5 discount on steaks and $10 discount on the Stag’s food and wine events.

All of this gave us ample time to inspect the menu and when 6pm rolled around we ordered straight away.  We ordered two chicken parmigianas and a side of bug tails and before long huge plates of food arrived in front of us.  Like most things at the Stag the parmis aren’t cheap, at $18.50 each, but the menu does claim it’s free range chicken and the serves are generous.  Given the size of the schnitzels I was surprised by how small the portion of bug tails seemed:  3 tails, pan fried in white wine and lemon juice for $10.90.

We powered through our meal:  I was famished.  Andy felt that they were a little generous on the sauce topping and I thought someone had been heavy handed with the oregano but neither of these niggles was enough to slow us down.  They also mean I’m not going to claim these are the greatest schnitzels in Adelaide!

The thing that really stood out at the Stag was the friendly, polite service from absolutely every member of staff we dealt with.  The friendly barmaid, the barman who discounted our cashew nuts because Andy was a member, the waiter who gently steered us out of  the restaurant and back in to the bar … it actually seems as though the staff enjoy their jobs and want people to enjoy the pub.

And that makes me more than happy to pay a premium for a beer.

contact:  The Stag Hotel, 299 Rundle Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000, phone: 08 8223 2934

The Stag Hotel

Super friendly pub

Rating:3.5 stars

Amarin Thai 2

- Alex 6 Comments

The parent company of Amarin Thai 2, Jusuda Pty Ltd, has gone in to liquidation.  The restaurant is no longer open.

date of visit:  Wed 28 October 2009

Sometimes you can have a night out and, in many respects, everything is good but there is one small thing that mars the evening and it is that thing that springs to mind every time you recall the occasion.

That’s our mid-week dinner at Amarin Thai 2.  It was a lovely evening, the food was good verging on excellent and the price was more than right.  And the service was sloppy.  Guess which bit I find easiest to remember?

It was a warm Wednesday evening and, over an apéritif (that would be a Coopers or two) at the Exeter we discussed dinner.  There is something about balmy weather which makes me crave spicy, yet light, food so Thai is always high on the agenda.  Amarin Thai 2, on the south side of Rundle Street, offered reasonably sheltered outdoor seating, sensibly priced meals and it wasn’t too busy.

We chose our table so we were shielded from Rundle Street’s hustle and bustle by pot plants and started by ordering drinks.  This normally isn’t too tricky, but for some reason we struggled.  Andy ordered a Singha and the response was “I don’t think we have any”.  We’re talking about 7pm on a weekday, the restaurant had about 5 other patrons – surely you know if you have what is arguably the Thai beer.  I ordered a glass of Gewürztraminer.  It transpired there was a sole Singha left but no Gewürz.  I changed to a Riesling

The food caused no such issues.  We began by sharing a spicy squid salad which was delicious:  cool but not cold, full of flavour spicy but not searing and laced with all the flavours you’d expect from Thai food (onion, lemongrass, coriander).  For main course Andy chose what I would describe as a Thai version of popcorn chicken, which really does the dish a disservice!  At the end of the day, it was battered, fried chicken served in a spicy Thai style sauce with plenty of filler vegetables like capsicum and onion.  But it tasted good!

I ordered the chicken larb in an entrée size.  Although the flavours were good this is normally a dish which is scary in its spiciness.  Amarin Thai 2’s version was just a little tame …

The bill, for 2 entrées, a main, shared rice, a beer and a glass of Riesling came to $66. After our Entertainment Book discount, we paid $50. To be honest, I’m not sure I could complain about either price were it not for the indifferent service.

Things didn’t start well with the drinks issues, and I could have dealt with being asked if I were ready for my main course, but clearing my plate while Andy was still eating was just plain rude. The usual excuse (the restaurant was busy and staff are trying to turn tables, which, by the way, doesn’t cut it) certainly didn’t apply. It was just sheer thoughtlessness.

And, if you’re wondering, yes, I had to go to the till to ask for our bill and yes, I was given the bill for a different table.

Amarin Thai 2

Casual Thai on Rundle Street

Good, sensibly priced food doesn’t compensate for sloppy service.

Rating:2.5 stars
**1/2