Fresh Bites, Citi Centre Arcade

Today I picked up my #CookbookThursday twitter prize from Dymocks Adelaide. Thanks guys!



I'm totes going to get my CWA bake on this weekend.

More importantly, I thought I'd check out how Fresh Bites in the Citi Centre Arcade was kicking along. Their karaage chicken roll was almost the roll of my dreams... almost.



The roll of my dreams has the following qualities:
- crunchy yet chewy and moist roll
- lots of crisp, fresh veggies and herbs
- kewpie mayonnaise
- Crispy, crunchy but still juicy chicken.
- I'm talking flavour and texture here people!

What let this roll down was the chicken - while juicy and plentiful the karaage chicken was neither crispy nor crunchy. The chicken had obviously been sitting under lights for too long.

This is a roll worth returning for though - every other element was well executed.

Can anyone help me find the roll of my dreams?

Coromandel Snack Bar

After a two year blogging hiatus (which included the arrival of my first born and a new job) I have returned!

Today was haircut day.

I was hesitant to cut my hair fearing that the loss of insulation would result in catching a cold. Nonetheless, it was necessary to trim my hirsute mane as I was starting to look like the wild man of Borneo.

What I love most about haircut day is that my walk to the barber takes me past the Coromandel Snack Bar. I was a regular here when I worked on Grenfell St but seldom get the opportunity eat here these days (other than haircut day, obviously).



I have a colleague who swears by their daily specials (teriyaki chicken or black bean beef with fried rice today) but I think Coromandel Snack Bar (or the Coro as I affectionately call it) does one of the best club sandwiches in Adelaide - and at a very competitive price ($5.50)



Some of the elements of this club sandwich fall into the so bad it's good category. Buttery toasted fake white bread provides a crunch that disintegrates when it hits your tongue. The chicken is some sort of savory white mystery meat from a plastic bag. But the lettuce is always crunchy, the tomatoes are always ripe and juicy and the bacon fried on a hotplate that must have accumulated years of flavour.



So, if you find yourself looking for lunch on haircut day check out the Coro. Don't be fooled by it's hole-the-wall facade or its dated decor. The food here good, there's lots of it and it's reasonably priced. You might find there's a bit of wait during peak lunching time and don't worry if when you place your order it doesn't get written down or that the lady behind the counter has just taken another 5 orders. They never forget and your food always arrives.