A Trio of Restaurants

While we were in Adelaide we visited a few restaurants (unsurprisingly). Some of the eating out was casual and some of it wasn't.

So, today we have a quick trip around three small Adelaide restaurants. Our first meal out was at Yakumi, a small Japanese restaurant on Glenelg's Jetty Road. Things didn't start off too well, as our reservation had gone missing. Even though it's a tiny restaurant the staff managed to fit in our table of six, and soon the South Australian Riesling was flowing. We started by sharing a couple of plates of gyoza: Japanese dumplings stuffed with pork and dipped in soy sauce. Our main courses seemed to be a little bit of a hotch-potch. My grilled eel was absolutely delicious: sticky glaze, soft meat, plenty of rice. But dad's tuna was quite disappointing: a large piece of fish doused in a strong sauce. Mum found her squid uneven but Andy really enjoyed his beef and salmon. The service was a little indifferent: it seemed to suffer from a general lack of interest in things related to food, although the staff were pleasant enough. However, the bottom line tells you everything you need to know: just $AU40 (£20) a head for more than enough food and wine.

Next stop was Sunday yum cha at Ding Hao in the city centre. Reservations absolutely required! We arrived at 11 to find the footpath crammed with eager diners waiting for the doors to open. A massive group of 15, we squished around our table and let the food arrive. Too early for wine, we drank tea and ate and ate and ate until our slot was over and we were booted out - squeezing past the people anxiously waiting for the next sitting. As far as I'm concerned, I would have been quite happy to sit and eat the salt and pepper squid for an hour or so but there were plenty of other tasty dishes which appeared on the table. Somehow we managed to eat pudding midway through the savoury dishes but that didn't seem to matter. We left well fed and having parted with just $AU20 (£10) a head.


And finally, back to Glenelg for a meal at the Glenelg BBQ Inn. I pretty much grew up in this restaurant and while it's morphed into a slightly shinier version of its 1980s self, the cornerstone of the restaurant - it's great meat - remains the same. You start by munching on bread because, the chances are, you don't need to look at the menu. I can't imagine having anything other than the lamb shaslick with a kidney on the side, dad always has a pork chop with two kidneys on the side ... you get the idea. When the plates arrive, the meats are accompanied by chevapchichis (small Serbian skinless sausages) and salads: cabbage, potato and tomato. And all washed down with plenty of red wine. Vegetarians should probably not attend.

1. Yakumi, 109 Jetty Rd, Glenelg, 5045, phone: +61 (08) 8376 1366
2. Ding Hao, 26 Gouger St, Adelaide, 5000, phone: +61 (08) 8211 7036
3. Glenelg BBQ Inn, 160 Jetty Road, Glenelg, 5045, phone: +61 (08) 8294 3432

tagged with: adelaide, australia, south australia, restaurants

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