Good Food Guide: Cheap Eats
In the new edition of The Advertiser Food Guide, our team reviews more than 150 restaurants, with many appearing for the first time. Here are some of our favourites, with categories to suit all tastes and budgets.
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In the new edition of The Advertiser Food Guide, our team reviews more than 150 restaurants, with many appearing for the first time. Here are some of our favourites, with categories to suit all tastes and budgets.
Adelaide Pho
This popular city restaurant’s quick service and hearty meals have been satisfying the tastebuds of city workers, rushing families and students since opening in 2012. Its 11 different pho soups attract a bustling daily lunch crowd, but it’s worth considering for a quick, cheap and delicious dinner option too. Don’t be tempted to limit your choice to the signboards, the menu includes many great dishes worthy of attention. Favourite entrée options include crab claws, grilled quail, fried wonton or the generously heaped shredded pawpaw salad with dried beef and just enough chilli to give it a kick. The chicken caramel sauce with ginger is ordered on the recommendation of the waitress. It’s a treat of tender chicken and Asian greens stir-fried to perfection. Dessert is limited to three options, or consider one of the traditional south-east Asian smoothies – perfectly blended concoctions of fruit and condensed milk.
199 WAYMOUTH ST, CITY
8212 0997
- OPEN L 11am-3.30pm Daily D 5pm-9pm Daily
- BILL E $5.50-$13.50 M $9.50-$14.50 D $5
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chefs: Luyen Van Nguyen, Cuong Tan Tiung
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 10 @ $5.50-$7 Bottles $26-$36
Ba Guo Bu Yi
The packed tables say it all… this Szechuan style Chinese restaurant is the real, traditional deal and attracts an Asian crowd in search of the taste sensations of home. Two menus arrive at the table. One is a Chinese script and photograph-packed collection of authentic tastebud testers. The smaller, more concise red menu boasts dishes to suit the less adventurous. Throw caution to the wind and make a selection based on the high-quality snaps. To start, Szechuan style dim-sims filled with sticky rice and preserved ham are a delight. Homemade savoury pancake is crisp and flatbread-like (great for mopping up excess sauce later). A variety of Wagyu beef options keep carnivores busy while, for vegetarians, the choice is overwhelming. Tofu diced with spicy sauce and a sprinkling of peanuts leaves you panting “more”. Service is a swift, no-fuss affair – as is our promise to return.
98-100 GOUGER ST, CITY
8212 0000
- OPEN D Sun-Thu 5pm-10pm Fri-Sat 5pm-10.30pm
- BILL E $4.80-$18.80 M $12.80-$60 D $5.50-$7
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Yong Li | Owner: David Bian
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 18 @ $7.50-$10 Bottles $28-$338
Bread and Bone
This burger and dog specialist shows many of the hallmarks of its owners from Press Food & Wine. You’ll recognise the wood grill, a decent wine list and smart service. Here it’s just smaller, louder, faster. The menu is split three ways, with eight burgers, eight dogs and then another column of meat and seafood. All of it, in one way or another, has done the char-char on the wood grill. That lingering smokiness sets the burgers above most of the other contenders for Adelaide’s best and all components are in perfect proportions. The Dog breeds range from the traditional vienna with sauerkraut and mustard, to a “Big Black Dog” with morcilla, gribiche, onion rings and wombok. Grrr. Don’t want bread? A trio of lamb cutlets are what barbie dreams are made of: seared surface, tender flesh, a lovely seam of naughty rendered fat. Share an excellent chopped salad and you’ll leave contented.
15 PEEL ST, CITY
8231 8535
- OPEN L /D 11.30am-late Bill E (burgers/dogs)
- BILL $9-$20 M $18.50-$28 D $6
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Jonathon Walsh
- WINE No BYO By the glass 13 @ $7-$13.50 Bottles $31-$110
Est Pizzeria
Est is all about excellent pizza, a few extra rustic Italian dishes and boutique drinks where the wood-fired oven takes centre stage. It’s a funky, intimate space with dim lighting and space for only 10 downstairs around the oven, 20 upstairs and a few footpath tables. While owners Abdullah Daher and Haydn Fyfe look after Pranzo across the city, chef Billy Horn is chiefly left to keep the wood fires burning. Pizzas take the “less is more” approach with just a few, good ingredients and a light crisp-edged crust. Favourites include the prawn pizza topped with provolone cheese, aromatic black truffle sauce and peppery rocket. The gnocchi is sublime and baked in a terracotta dish with creamy gorgonzola blue cheese and spinach. The service is relaxed but knowledgeable to suit the laidback vibe. A fridge full of boutique beers and a small, ever-changing selection of local wines and imports will keep everyone happy.
30 EAST TCE, CITY
8359 2272
- OPEN D 7pm-late Mon-Sun
- BILL M $16.90-$19.90
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chefs: Billy Horn, Hadyn Fyfe | Owners: Abdulla Daher, Haydn Fyfe
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 10 @ $8.50-$12 Bottles $42-$55
Faraja
Here’s a community-minded restaurant that has the feel-good factor at every turn, with genuine hospitality, food that aims to please more than impress and a little altruism along the way. The happy vibe is obvious the moment you walk into an attractive dining room, leant extra character by the eclectic art hanging on the wall. The menu calls for a prolonged graze rather than stop-start courses, with dishes listed as either smaller “pots and plates” or “to share”. Influences dance across the globe so a meal can feel like flicking the pages of a food magazine. Pan-fried haloumi arrives alongside duck rillettes and moreish spiced whitebait. From the bigger serves, prawn, squid and fish are combined in an African seafood stew, while a lamb shoulder comes with couscous and harissa. Weekday lunch specials, perhaps a lamb burger or beer battered garfish, are exceptional value.
36 KING WILLIAM RD, GOODWOOD
8357 2884
- OPEN B/L 10am-3pm Tue-Fri 9am-3pm Sat-Sun D 6pm-late Tue-Sun
- BILL E $5-$9 M $12-$22 D $9.50-$14.50
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Peter Krog | Owners: Peter Krog, Mark Deardon
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 19 @ $7-$12 Bottles $28-$90
Hotaru Japanese Restaurant
This is one of Adelaide’s Japanese gems, where you can stop in for a quick feed or go traditional with booth seating and banquet menu. Its extensive menu suits both the traditional and those looking for something a little different. If the choice overwhelms you, opt for the banquet as it showcases some of Hotaru’s best dishes from entrée to dessert. The sushi offerings are more fancy cones than rolls, the gyoza dumplings are plump, fresh and juicy and the miso and fresh seaweed salad add a punch of fresh flavour. A perfectly cooked steak main complete with dipping sauces, as well as a flavoursome pork option, delighted. Be sure to leave room for dessert, even if it’s just a modest serve of homemade black sesame ice cream which hits the perfect balance between sweet and savoury with its nutty, smooth flavour.
162/164 GOUGER ST CITY
8410 2838
- OPEN L 11.30am-3pm Mon-Sat 5.30pm-10.30pm Sun-Thu, 5.30pm-11pm Fri-Sat
- BILL E $3.90-$11.90 M $14.90-$29.90 (excluding sushi) D $5.90-$9.90
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Sing Cheung | Owners: Sing & Priscilla Cheung
- WINE Corkage $12.50/bottle By the glass 9 @ $7-$9 Bottles $28-$95
Maiz & Mezcal
A donkey statue greets visitors to this bustling Mexican eatery, keeping them company if forced to wait for a seat (better to book ahead). Inside, vibrant yellow and orange walls add to a boisterous mood with big groups of communal diners, many with hibiscus margarita in hand. Guacamole with tasty corn chips is a light starter while street-style corn on the cob with fresh queso, chipotle mayo and lime comes with more corn chips topped with balls of ricotta and chipotle rolled in sesame seeds. For the indecisive, a tapas platter feeds two with a mix of sizzle steak volcanes, tacos and quesadilla. Baja fish fillet is a main dish highlight, as is rich, dark Mole served with chicken and potato-topped huaraches topped with moreish green salsa. Finish the night with Mexican drunken ice blocks with Mezcal – the velvet coconut concoction is a dream and there are non-alcoholic versions for the kids, too.
405 MAGILL RD, ST MORRIS
8361 3983
- OPEN L 12pm-3pm Thu-Sun D 5.30pm-late Tue-Sun
- BILL E $4.50-$21 M $4.50-$44 (tapas platter for two) D $3.50-$9
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Rafael Loggiodice | Owners: Sonia and Ivan Pichardo
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 6 @ $8.50-$9. Bottles $37-$40
Snake Charmer
It’s been weaving its culinary spell for decades, but a makeover a few years back has given this Indian institution an airy contemporary feel with soaring timber ceilings, exposed beams and tiled floors. Modern yes, but the Indian art, music and rugs leave no doubt about the food you’ll be ordering from a menu full of traditional sub-continental favourites. The lamb curry crepe with cheese and cream, and goat durbari cooked with curry leaves, star anise, fennel, coconut and green chilli are specialities. Try an entrée plate of samosas, pakoras, onion rings, chicken satay and curry crepe to whet your appetite. For mains there is nothing more reliable than a thick, hearty lamb rogan josh; or the chicken tikka masala, a single sliced breast roasted in the tandoor and set on a long dish in a pool of gravy. The dessert tray is small, but the ice-cream with cardamom and other spices is a rich and creamy treat.
60 UNLEY RD, UNLEY
8272 2624
- OPEN L noon-2pm Wed-Fri D 5.30pm-late Mon-Sat Buffet 5.30-8.30pm (book) Sun
- BILL E $14.90-$16.90 M $14.90-$25.90 D $9.80 Buffet $25
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Hirdesh Kumal | Owners: Andrew & Munjula Watts
- WINE Corkage $11/bottle By the glass 8 @ $8.90-$9.50 Bottles $26-$42
Sarah’s Sisters Sustainable Cafe
The delicious, vibrant meals at Sarah’s Sisters will ensure any preconceived ideas about vegetarian food fade quickly. The emphasis is on reducing waste and eating seasonally – so the menu choices can be limited but change monthly, and the degustation option includes a taste of what is best. Light meals – up to $14 and available all day – include a bruschetta of Woodside goats curd, piccalilli and macadamias that makes a perfect starter to share. Mains are generous in size and packed with flavour. The vegetable curry has all the sides – chutney, rice, raita and pappadams - already on the plate. Sicilian pie is a favourite here, with its layers of veg and cheese topped with a crisp and light pastry. The view from the gazebo dining room out the back – looking over the neighbouring garden centre – is a lovely setting with a glass in hand from the local-focussed wine list.
117 SEMAPHORE RD, SEMAPHORE
84495817
- OPEN B 9.30am-11.45am daily L 11.30am-3.30pm daily D 6pm-11.30pm Fri-Sat
- BILL E $9.90-$14 M $19.50 D $5-$12
- OWNERS/CHEFS Owners/chefs: Marion Prosser, Stuart Gifford.
- WINE Corkage $15/bottle By the glass 8 @ $7 Bottles $30-$45
Star of Siam
A pioneer of Thai food in Adelaide, Star of Siam continues to thrive, its frantic interior and enclosed outdoor area perennially packed with diners devouring their favourites. The menu lists all the usual suspects – satay chicken, fish cakes, tom yum, pandan chicken, curries, pad-thai – but is also peppered with stand-out house specialties. The Sea Star is a delicate open dumpling filled with minced prawn, squid and chicken, drizzled with a creamy red curry sauce, while the Neptune’s Delight is lightly fried prawn stuffed squid pieces with a plum sauce topping. From the meat dishes, a beef red curry special is hard to top, while there is also a separate vegetarian menu (try the stir-fried vegetables and bean curd with peanut sauce). The staff is attentive and friendly, happily serving meals on shared plates and never making you feel rushed despite the speed at which this popular eatery turns tables night after night.
67 GOUGER ST, CITY
8231 3527
- OPENL 12pm-2.30pm Mon-Fri D 5.30pm-9.30pm Mon-Thu 5.30pm-10pm Fri-Sat
- BILL E$8.80-$14.80 M $14.80-$30.80 D $7.50-$12.50
- OWNERS/CHEFS Chef: Valeerat Ninkumvongs | Owners: Kak and Valeerat Ninkumvongs
- WINECorkage $15/bottle By the glass 31 @ $7-$13 Bottles $28-$125
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