Balfour’s bakery recently had their 165th birthday, and treated us to a fantastic and somewhat ridiculous celebratory event. For those that didn’t know, of which we were two such people, Balfour’s is Australia’s oldest continually operating bakery. No, that doesn’t mean frog cakes have been doing the rounds since Queen Victorias times, but this is no small achievement. So how do you go about celebrating a slightly odd numbered birthday? You take people to the Grand Lodge of Freemasons on North Terrace and serve them Bird in Hand sparkling, while a classical 3 piece provide the ambience, while ..read more

There is a lot to be said for warmth and generosity of spirit. It kind of seems like a somewhat needless thing to point out, but genuine passion for making customers feel welcome and genuinely valued is not something that you see everywhere. At The Messy Tomato though, this is all just part of the service. Porcini Gnocchi was to die for!I know we have said this before, but I really do feel like we need to find a surrogate Italian family to take us in. The generosity of spirit, the genuine welcoming and the wanting – bordering on needing – to give and to share is something wondrous to be around ..read more

I think it is safe to say that the cold weather is officially here. I know this because a few nights ago we enjoyed our first frost for the year, which is of course the universal signal to break out the beanies, chill some bottles of stout, light the fire (if you havent already) and generally just begin to think like bears preparing to hibernate. One of the best things about the cooler months is the shift in menus. Those bright, summery dishes start to make way for more comforting fare, best enjoyed within sight of an open hearth and with a glass of red on standby. The Highway have now (well ..read more

If you are one of those people that thinks that a bit of chilli improves most things, then Madame Hanoi have something for you to get very excited about. Photo courtesy of Madame Hanoi (taken by Meaghan Coles) Yep, spice lovers of Adelaide rejoice, as for the next month there is a bespoke menu created by the Madame Hanoi kitchen with you in mind. Celebrating all things chilli, the showcase menu gives you a multitude of dishes to truly fire up your taste buds. Thanks to their wonderful generosity we were invited to experience this on the opening night, and I can hand on heart say it was everyt ..read more

Lot 100 has come of age and is filling into its ample shoes, providing the near perfect location to enjoy some of the best produce the hills has to offer. When I first visited Lot 100 however, it was the day after it had opened and I have to say – it left me a little puzzled and unconvinced. It seemed like it just wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. To be fair though, the menu was not fully finished, the taps weren’t installed, the exterior was a bit sparse and it just felt like a big, cold shed. I didn’t write it off, but I also wasn’t planning on rushing immediately back. However, attending ..read more

First – before I get into the recipe/cooking thing properly, one thing I want to bring up quickly is the usual internet food blogger way of having beautiful, perfectly manicured and manufactured photo’s adorning every post. You know, perfect lighting, cooking utensils arranged just so, possibly with some flowers or some carefully positioned extra ingredients offset around the main subject. Everything is neat and tidy and orderly, exactly like you would expect things to be when you are dishing up something to eat. Precisely what you are not going to be seeing here, as I for one just dont have ..read more

Everyone has those ‘yardstick’ restaurants – the place to which all others are compared. For example, if I asked you where to go for the best pizza, then you would probably have a name that immediately springs to mind. For me, when it comes to Thai cuisine, Soi 38 is easily that place. It’s been a couple of years since my first visit, and I was so mightily impressed with the food and service that I have been back many times since. I have dragged my work team there, friends for lunch, and recommended it to any and all that will listen – so you can imagine my joy when I was invited to come and h ..read more

Leaving the freshly (pre) opened Norwood restaurant, my wife and I both said essentially the same thing. Actually, I should clarify there, as I was actually saying things like “Oh my god, it hurts”, “Perhaps that extra piece of pizza wasn’t the best idea” and “I am never eating again”. You know how it goes – we have all been there. Semi regretful statements around overindulging aside, what we were both agreeing on was simple – we want a nonna. We want to be adopted into an Italian family. We want to have this kind of passion for food and flavour, and sharing so generously as an everyday part ..read more

There has been a lot going on at Howard’s Vineyard in recent times. They have a new look cellar door with renovations including the addition of the new back area and a refurbished tasting space. They also have a new vintage of wines to show off including a gruner, complimenting their already impressive catalogue of vino. There are also new things going on in the kitchen, with the departure of Heather Day leading to a search that uncovered a new head chef – whom they found already residing in their kitchen – in the form of Korean born ‘cookie’. From this they now have a new summer menu, which ..read more

Changing perceptions can be hard work. Once an idea is entrenched – be it right or wrong – it can take an awful lot to dislodge. I make this point because it seems, despite years of redevelopment and reinvention, The Highway may be suffering – entirely unfairly – from an element of this. But first…. 48 hour slow cooked beef rib. Yep, 48 hour. Time well spent if you ask meI was recently treated to a sneak peak at some of the highlights of their new summer menu, the first full menu revamp under the guidance of head chef Damian Fong Lim (Eros Ouzeri) and soux chef Ashley Coad. They had previousl ..read more