Hohduki (Kobe, Japan)

When I went to Japan, I caught up with a friend of mine that dates back about 30 years. He's a bit of a gourmet, and I requested for some traditional Japanese food (as I was in Japan). We met up in my hotel then headed out to the night of San-nomiya, Kobe. We went past under the JR railway line to the north and hit the restaurants and pubs sort of area. My friend picked this Hohduki restaurant, and we were not disappointed.

Katsuo (Bonito) tataki

Sashimi of 3 different kinds

Tempura

Fish (Nodoguro) cooked in broth and konbu sea kelp

Snapper chazuke (Japanese style risotto) with some pickles on the side

Yuzu sorbet as dessert

The course was really good. It was well worth 5000 yen price tag. Not sure if you can find this much food of this quality at this sort of price back home. We really did enjoy ourselves that night.

TGI Friday's (Marion, Adelaide)

It was the Christmas time of the year, and it meant it might be a little difficult to find places open for lunch. We found ourselves with an empty fridge on a hot day with most of places closed. We heard that TGI Friday in Marion might be operating, and thus headed down that way.

I used to frequent TGI Friday's when I lived in the US; it used to be a lifesaver for us Postdocs on a shoestring budget working late in the lab then go on in search of sustenance later. But times have changed, I never expected to see one here in Adelaide of all places...

A bacon cheeseburger.

This costed me about ~16 bucks. With a bottomless fountain soda. Not too bad I guess. I remember the idea of the bottomless fountain soda so foreign all those years back (11 to be exact). It certainly had some nostalgic value for me too. But I think my taste buds got REALLY spoilt after spending years away from the US.

Swinging Bowl Satay (Stephens Place, Adelaide)

It's that Thursday lunch time again. I was fully intending to go back to Penang Hawker Corner in Renaissance Arcade, but... As I was walking towards the Penang joint, I went past this place. I knew of this Swinging Bowl Satay joint. My friends frequent it, but I had never eaten here. I'm a sucker for curry, and the smell coming out of this place just attracted me, and I tend to follow my nose. I walked in and got myself a plate of:

Curry chicken, a sambal egg, rice and stir fried vegies.

All this for about 13 bucks including the drink (so this plate of food was actually less than 10 bucks). The curry tasted wonderful; aromatic and as it should. Spicy enough to make me sweat around my nose but not exceedingly hot to burn. Very generous serving of rice; they pack a largish bowl first then open that up on a plate before pouring curry over. The sambal egg had that punchy smell/taste to it. The only concern I had was that I hoped they were making enough money to keep the place running because it's wonderful in both quality and quantity.

Zucca Greek Mezze (Promenade, Glenelg, Adelaide)

On a very sunny Sunday, we went to the Rocks Restaurant but we were told that it was not open for lunch. So we looked for an alternative, and found the Zucca Greek Mezze Restaurant on the Promenade. It didn't start too well. As we were sat down, I asked for a table inside; facing the ocean, as I could see that there were some empty tables. Instead we were told there was no table available that side. Sure. We sat at a table facing the marina. No problem, as we thought that side was hired out or something. Then we noticed that other parties are shown to the other side. What the...? We wondered if they had booking; we didn't. But it was obvious that people without booking were also led there. Hmmm? Is it because we are a party of 3, instead of 2 or 4 or 5? No, we saw a party of 3 being shown inside who obviously did not have a booking. We really wondered if it's because we were not Caucasians and they were. I really hope that's not the case. But the collective thought already soured the atmosphere for us. When it came to ordering, things got worse; we requested if they could make a seafood platter for 2 into a platter for 3, as there were 3 of us, and as well as the fact that my parents have been here before and managed to get a platter of seafood and meat for 2 made from different platters. Alas, there was no such luck this time. We could see that the waitress serving us was arguing for this but no. So we ended up ordering the following dishes: 

A mezze serving of moussaska.

A mezze serving of grilled octopus.

A seafood platter for two.

The food was passable; at least there was enough for us. But I've had better seafood platters elsewhere before. And everything else really spoiled the fun. Frankly, all I was thinking during the meal was "let's get this done and over with, and get the F outta here." It's not like we were being stingy; we spent nearly 170 bucks for a lunch for three. In appreciation of all this, I gave them the exact money down to the cents. I don't think we'll come back here anytime soon. 

Penang Hawker Corner (Renaissance Arcade, Adelaide)

It was at the beginning of the year when shops were not open, yet I had to work; couldn't make lunch to bring to work. What can I do but... Go out for a lunch? I have known that this Penang Hawker Corner existed as far back as I can remember; like all those years ago when I was an undergrad at Adelaide Uni. Yet I had never eaten here. Until now. I am a sucker for these two items:

Curry laksa and coconut juice.

Close look at that bowl of laksa.

It was very good. The noodle was not exactly my favourite; the thick Hokkien kind. But that's just my personal preference, and the rest really made it up. I especially liked the soup/broth. I was also happy with the amount served as well (ie. plenty). Coconut juice didn't hurt either; sweet and refreshing. So this was another case of "why didn't I come here before?"

Malacca Corner (Central Market, Adelaide)

Since I did not have lunch material at home to make one, I had to go out and find one on my own. I hit the road in search of one, and the bus took me to the Central Market area. I wandered over to the joint I have known existed for as long as I can remember yet never tried it until this day. It's Malacca Corner on the eastern end of the Central Market. I looked at the menu with pictures on the wall and settled for this item, as I've never had one.

Head Hunter's (Sarawak) Laksa

The first thing I noticed was this subtle hint of cinnamon which was not a bad thing; just a little surprised. I knew it was a bit different from your regular laksa but. The noodle is of rice vermicelli; no thick hokkien noodles like the one from Nanyang Cafe. I actually prefer this noodle to the other one. Not too bad at all, and I wished I had come here sooner.

Sussex Hotel (Walkerville, Adelaide)

It's the last working day of the year, and some of us decided to go out for a lunch. We headed to Sussex Hotel in Walkerville; about 10 minutes drive away. It's your typical suburban pub. I decided to have a burger.

Sussex burger.

The burger was very good; beetroot spread added a good accent while bacon tasted smokey. Patty was not dry but not too fatty either. Chips were on the salty side though; full of chicken salt. Beer selection was of your typical suburban pub; major brands only. I really wished they had Vale Ale but no. So had to settle for a glass of coke instead.

Ajisen Ramen (Regent Arcade, Rundle Mall, Adelaide)

It's the usual Thursday going out for lunch day. Because of an unexpected meeting with the boss, I was short for time. I needed something quick, and usually that calls for noodles. I saw that Ajisen Ramen opened a second location in Regent Arcade before and decided to give it a go. Being a chain, I didn't expect much from this place. Learned from a past mistake, I avoided anything too spicy. And I ended up getting...

A "Paiku" ramen upsized for an extra dollar.

 I avoided the Aso Volcano ramen as I had it before; my stomach is no longer lined with asbestos and I thought better not test it out at this time point. "Paiku" is pork belly cooked in soy based sauce (somewhat similar to teriyaki sauce) long enough to make it melting soft. There were four large pieces of this in a bowl. These were surprisingly good, and filling. The noodle is of straight type; every time I eat ramen at an Ajisen joint, I always think that curly noodles would be better suited as the soup would stick to noodles better (like the one from Tokyo Ramen in Central Market).

Gyoza.

 I like gyoza, and these were alright. Not the best ones I have ever encountered but wasn't too bad either. I thought these were better than the dumplings from Dumpling King on King William St.

 As I was after a quick lunch, I was happy enough to finish the whole thing (starting from entering the premise to leaving the premise after paying) in about 30 minutes. I guess I was a bit shocked to see an AUD19 bill for a lunch consisting of a bowl of noodles and a serving of dumplings though. One another thing that bothered me was mismatched heights of the chairs and tables. Chairs were way too low for me to sit comfortably and eat. Maybe they are designed for taller people...

Lobethal Bierhaus (Lobethal, SA)

Our lab went out for a field trip to Lobethal Bierhaus; it's been planned for some time. We hit Barristers Block winery first then went to the Bierhaus. The back of the Bierhaus was more cellar door; for 3 boutique wineries (Scott Winemaking, Tillbrook Estate and Robert Johnson Vineyard). I ended up spending quite a bit on wines on this day; 14 bottles altogether. After making our purchases, we hit the front end of the microbrewery.

Tasting platter of the brew is available

14 bucks for trying out all the brew available at the Bierhaus. A rather good idea (at least for me as I don't process alcohol too well).

(from L to R) Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, Red Truck Porter, Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Hefeweizen and Bohemian Philsner

I am not much of a beer drinker, but even then I liked the Stout, IPA and Hefeweizen (probably IPA the best). And meanwhile, we were getting rather hungry, and an empty stomach and alcohol don't agree too well (at least to me). And so we went on to have our lunch.

Chips. Plain and cajun spice varieties are available. AUD10.90 ea.

Pork belly. AUD27.90.

These went very well with beer. I think the pork belly did help in slowing down the effects of alcohol for me. Note that there two pieces of pork belly on the plate. It was very filling.

After the meal, one of the co-owner of the brewery showed us the brewing rigs around. Very interesting stuff indeed. The Bierhaus also offers bottled beer to take home however I ended up not buying any as I did have 14 bottles of wine to take home. They are also available from select local bottle shops and so I thought I could buy them there instead of lugging more bottles home. Though I must say I was rather tempted to buy that 2 litre carboy of IPA if only for the novelty of the bottle. I very much enjoyed the day. Kudos to the organizer.