Mapo Korean Restaurant: Yook Hwe (Steak Tartare)

Mapo Korean Restaurant, Gouger street, Adelaide

As mentioned before, the atmosphere and the service was wonderful. MY own mistake was not realising what I was ordering. As I ordered this steak tartare, I didn't realise it was going to be raw [DOY!]. The menu read: sliced scotch fillet with fuji apple, cranberry sauce and egg yolk served flaming Bacardi 151.

It sounded exciting and very different to my norm so I thought I'd be daring. unfortunately to no success as I do not eat raw meat! It tasted funny and ugh the slimy cold texture grossed me out! For anyone who does eat raw meat this would probably rate very high, However, I did not enjoy the meal and rate this from my enjoyment of the dish alone, because as I said the restaurant, service and atmosphere was great and ingredients used were all of good quality and super fresh and as you can see the presentation was again, fantastic. I still recommend this place to visit for dinner.

I rate this dish 1 star

Mapo Korean Restaurant: Kinky Chicken

Mapo Korean Restaurant, Gouger street, Adelaide
My boyfriend and I went to Mapo on a whim last year for dinner. We got a very nice table which was meant to be reserved but I guess someone cancelled so we got lucky! We got a nice quiet candle lit corner with gorgeous table decorations. For our table we needed to remove our shoes before entering the corner. Other regular tables did not need to do this but we felt like we were in a true traditional Korean restaurant from this. As you walk into the restaurant they bang a gong and all yell out a welcome. My parents tell me this is customary in Japan so I assume the same for Korea.

My boyfriend ordered the Kinky Chicken, It was delicious. The presentation was gorgeous and it didn't look like much on the plate but he was left very full. It was not over cooked or dry, the drizzle of multicoloured sauces (cranberry, balsamic and mayonnaise) went surprisingly well together and with the chicken. The whole experience including this dish rates quite highly.

We rate this dish 4.5 stars

The Chocolate Bean: Chocolate Waffles

The Chocolate Bean, Adelaide (off Rundle Street)
This was the first time I had ever tried Waffles. Not bad at all. I liked the combination of strawberries and chocolate with ice cream and waffles...It kind of reminds me of dessert crepes, which have pretty much all the same things and are also yummy and pretty. The chocolate in particular was my favourite element of the dish. It was good quality decadence and they went great with large sweet strawberries. I found it hard to rate as far as waffles in general go since I've only ever eaten them here, but I didn't like the whipped cream and I would have preferred to have the choice of other flavours of ice cream. However, the ingredients used were top quality and the restaurant was cosy in a homey and trendy kind of way. But because of the small quarters, it's gets full quite quickly and if you have more than two people with you, you need to make a booking. They have a great assortment of chocolate drinks with a variety of flavourings available and delicious chocolate plates and cakes. Check out the Menu.

I rate this dish 3.5 stars

The Watershed: Moroccan Lamb

The Watershed, Mawson Lakes

My boyfriend ordered the Moroccan Lamb from the menu. It was served with hummus and mint yoghurt on a bed of a "traditional fattoush salad". Chic peas aren't my thing so I didn't like the salad or hummus very much, In my opinion this dish would have been alot better if it was served with different sides...perhaps with some foccacia or roast potatoes. However, the char-grilled lamb tasted amazing and was cooked to perfection. I enjoy my red meats medium-rare and as you can see from the photo this was it. My boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed the mint yoghurt which went well with the lamb.

We rate this dish 3 stars

The Watershed: Smoked Pork Cutlet

 The Watershed, Mawson Lakes.
I ordered the smoked pork cutlet with high hopes. When it arrived at my table, the presentation was soo pretty that my hopes got even higher. Unfortunately it didn't taste as special as it looked or sounded. It tasted simply like a steak of embellished bacon. The sweet potatoe mash brought the rest of the dish down aswell. Though it was served with a red currant vino cotta sauce which made the pork taste less breakfast-y. The overall dish wasn't bad...it's just that I was expecting more.

The photo I took was soo vibrant that it's what inspired me to start a food blog as I enjoy going out to restaurants and trying different foods. I especially love food that is well presented and photo worthy. This is my first entry and hopefully this blog will help serve as a useful guide for finding some good food spots in Adelaide.

I rate this dish 2.5 stars