The Brompton
5 First Street, Brompton SA 5007
Phone: (08) 8340 0072
Review by Mr.D
If friends hadn't physically driven me there in a car I would never have found the place. Tucked away at the end of a sidestreet off another dimly lit and lonely sidestreet is this tribute to the restoration architects craft. Old stone walls encased in glass, huge wooden beams capped and topped with steel, startling sliding glass doors that you didn't even know were doors until they moved... all very impressive. Oh, and one of my companions told me the ladies toilet was the "nicest toilet I've ever seen".
We had dinner in the Brasserie. The atmosphere was pleasant, light and bright and not too crowded. The service was very good with the staff friendly without being annoying. There's a very nice bit for smokers to sit which is only semi-outside and has good heaters.
As usual the menus are too big. I don't know why everyone seems to think we want a huge, floppy, laminated sheet that won't fit on the table for reading but that's what is all too common these days. As for the contents, it's OK. There's not a huge range but what's there sounds good.
Bron had the Market Fish ($28), which looked very cheffy in the "stack" style and was declared to be delicious. June went all vegetarian on us and ordered Roasted Capsicums ($23.90) which were filled with some sort of nutloaf and spinach. I thought it looked quite unappetising but June said it was lovely - although she kept grinding more pepper on it, almost by the mouthful, leading me to suspect that it was a bit bland.
I had my usual tester meal of Beef Schnitzel ($22+1), partly because it's easier to compare places if you have the same thing and also because I love a good pub schnitzel. Inevitably they did the same annoying thing everyone does now of placing the meat on top of the chips. I hate that, so I had to do my usual rearranging of everything on the plate before I could eat it. Doing so revealed that there weren't a lot of chips anyway and there was sod all gravy. The schnitzel was very nice, perfectly cooked, tender, large and well seasoned, just a bit dry without enough gravy. Also, and I didn't find this out until the bill came, that gravy cost me an extra $1 which wasn't mentioned on the menu.
We had a bottle of Brothers in Arms No.6 Shiraz Cabernet, which at $38 was one of the cheapest. Bron didn't like it (June and I thought it was fine) and so she had a couple of glasses of Rose instead ($7ea).
Afterwards we had desserts. The girls had Afflogatos ($14.90), icecream with a shot each of espresso coffee and baileys, and I demolished the Skyhigh Apple Pie ($14.90) which was the most tv-designery-chef thing I've ever had with 3 little things arranged on a long plate with drizzles of balsamic reduction. We all declared everything to be excellent in dessert land!
So, 3 people, no entrees, 1 bottle and 2 glasses of wine, 3 main courses, 3 desserts and 5 glasses of dessert wine came to $196.00. Fortunately $65 is exactly what I had in my wallet but I certainly hadn't expected to be spending so much when I was invited to a "pub" for dinner. Next time I'll know, and there will definately be a next time.
Mondo Food Wine Coffee Restaurant
211a The Parade, Norwood SA
(08) 8333 1442
Review by Mr.D
Why do restaurants that are less than a third full still try to stick you at a tiny table way out the back next to the kitchen door? Like anybody, my friend (B) and I don't like to be near the kitchen door and we don't like the little 2 person tables a lot of places stick along the walls, so we asked for a larger table that was a bit less claustrophobically positioned. Fine.
We looked first at the wine list and my friend chose a glass of the second cheapest red so I said "two of those". While looking at the menu our drinks arrived and were sipped, then put hurriedly back down while we tried to reassemble our faces back from the screwed up puckered things they had become. The wine was awful. Obviously it had been a while since the last glasses were poured from it and it was off.
Our waiter turned up to take our orders and I explained that the first priority was to have the wines removed and replaced with something that could actually be consumed. When he returned with a different wine he confirmed that he'd tried some of the first one and yes, it was indeed off, but didn't offer any compensation or discount on the replacements. Still fine but could do better.
We decided to share a Bruschetta al Pomodoro to start, which was very good, with B ordering Mussels for main and I'd have the steak. These arrived in good time and both looked very appetising indeed.
B loved her big bowl of Mussels and gave it a definite thumbs up. Just what she'd felt like it was both tasty and generous. My steak was slightly overcooked from the medium rare that I'd ordered but I wasn't too bothered by that as it was an excellent piece of meat, juicy and tender. It sat on a bed of sweet potato mash that was devoid of any flavour whatsoever except that gained from the split sauce that surrounded it, moat like. Oddly, that sauce tasted more like it belonged on a dessert, being very sweet and completely mismatched to the meal in my opinion.
For this we paid about $75 for the two of us, which is OK. Unfortunately I also paid for it through most of the following day with a bad case of diarrhea. Obviously that's the last time I will go there.
• Food 5/10
• Value 7/10
• Service 6/10
• Entertainment Value 2/10
Fasta Pasta - Brighton
430 Brighton Road, Brighton
Ph: (08) 8377 1566
Review by Craig
Yes it's a franchise, Yes they do good pasta
The Fasta Pasta at Brighton has undergone a recent 'refreshing' renovation and offers the environment more space and light. It has been at the same location for as long as I can remember.
Even though Fasta Pasta has been recently advertising 'take away now available', it has always been the case, and you need not resort to 'Pasta Hut'.
I have enjoyed many a fettucini carbonara dinner, picking up my takeaway order before continuing my drive home down Brighton road.
If you dine in, you will be satisfied with courteous waitresses, and you may even have the manager sit down with you and discuss your opinions, thoughts on how to improve. This to me is a very local restaurant even though it is part of a National Franchise.
Perhaps your local Fasta Pasta is worth a try too, maybe you haven't been there for a while. Give them a go and let us know what you think of their quality/service and the overall experience.
Affordable, healthy and very substantial serving sizes, and not a bad place to take your mother.
Rating 8/10
Rain on Norwood Parade
125a The Parade, Norwood
Phone: (08) 8332 7777
Review by Mr.D
It describes itself as "Modern Asian Cuisine" which actually translates to a mix of traditonal Chinese favourites and some more Thai or Vietnamese influenced dishes. There is an abundance of seafood dishes as well as some less traditional choices such as crocodile or kangaroo.
The food is always good, but ordering the same thing from week to week seems to result in completely different dishes being served each time. It's quite disconcerting, although this has now become something of a game, "what will the Spicy Vinegar Pork be this week?".
Sometimes you get the same thing when you order something else! Last week I ordered Crispy Beef and what I got appeared to be exactly the same thing I had the week before when I ordered the Spicy Vinegar Pork Fillet.
Whatever turns up is sure to be delicious of taste and generous of portion. Just don't expect them to replicate it another time.
A good selection of wines by the glass or bottle is available. Drink and food prices are at the low end of average for Norwood eateries.
• Food 8/10
• Value 7/10
• Service 7/10
• Entertainment Value 9/10
Vietnam Restaurant
73 Addison Road, Pennington SA 5013
Ph (08) 8447 3395
Review by Mr.D
This is one seriously busy restaurant. Almost every night of the week you'll need a booking to get a table, the location is dreadful, parking sucks, you will probably have to wait a while before anyone takes your order, leaving you plenty of time to take in the dubious decor... but it's all worth it.
The menu is extensive, containing pages of Vietnamese dishes and then a couple of pages of Chinese food as well. I've never ordered from the Chinese section, my usual crowd of fellow diners having forbidden such lapses, but I've never felt even slightly restricted in choice by this arbitrary rule. The choice is huge, varied and interesting.
Some of the dishes seem quite expensive when viewed on the menu. The Pork Cold Rolls entree is an obvious example, but when it arrives you see that's it's a huge DIY affair with piles of Pork balls, salad, sauces, rice noodle sheets and a bowl of water to soak them in. It's like a IKEA meal without an allen key, and it's delicious. Order this and a main and you'll be struggling, especially if you get a Hot Pot.
I've not had one meal that warranted complaint in years of going to the Vietnam, and that's high praise. Prices are reasonable, with entrees starting in the $3 range and mains from around $14, the food is excellent and the staff are very friendly and helpful. A great family restaurant.
• Food 10/10
• Value 7/10
• Service 6/10
• Entertainment Value 8/10