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.

MYO, Flinders St

MYO stands for Make Your Own. And you do exactly that. You make your own sandwich, roll, wrap or pizza. This might sound tedious to some people, but I quite enjoy it. Especially because the range of fillings MYO offers is vast. The below photo shows about a third of the filling selections.

Once you've assembled your sandwich (or focaccia or wrap or pizza) you move over to the heat station. Completed with toasters, pizza machines and ovens, MYO provides the equipment to make a hot and melty lunch.

In case you're wondering, I made a focaccia with goan green chilli chutney, chicken, cheese, roast capsicum, tomato, beans and mayo (see what I mean? The range of fillings is huge!).

It's worth bearing in mind that this is not a fast lunch, nor a cheap sandwich (just over $9). But it's fun and you get exactly the sandwich you want.

Oporto, City Cross Arcade

Another day, another burger! A burger I just cannot make my mind up about. To my mind, Oporto is the poor man's Nando's. Though Oporto say that they serve only cage free, hormone free and grain fed chicken, I'm pretty sure they use formed chicken. And they're not that cheap. $10 will nab you a burger meal, which is a similar price to my preferred Citi X Grille.

Despite all that, I keep coming back. They're just about the fastest fast food I know. And they're pretty tasty. Today I ordered an Oprego Burger meal. The Oprego burger is a grilled chicken breast fillet (I still stand by my comment that it's a formed breast) topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and their "legendary" prego sauce (whatever that is).

The burger to bun ratio is pretty good but the prego sauce too sweet for my taste. Though it helps keeps it juicy (the probably formed chicken fillets would be a bit bland and dry by themselves) I'd stick with their chilli sauce. The chips are very similar to the type you get at KFC - but a little crispier.

I prefer Nando's, but if you're time poor and craving some (probably formed) Portuguese influenced chicken, Oporto is a pretty good option.

City X Grille, City Cross Arcade

I don’t understand why anyone would go to HJs or Maccas when somewhere like Citi X Grille is just around the corner. Sure, you might have to pay a few extra dollars (a burger with the lot will set you back $8. A burger meal is an extra $2), but the quality and flavour is worth it.

I usually order a burger with the lot. Today was no different.

A burger with the lot gets you a burger with cheese, grilled onion, bacon, egg, lettuce and sauce. The flecks of onion in the burger give away the fact these burgers are house made. The flavour and crust on the outside says that the burgers are cooked on an old style hot plate. And though they’re cooked all the way through (something that American burger eaters would probably cringe at), they’re always juicy. And they use real bacon and real eggs. Not that faux stuff that the burger chains pass off as bacon and egg.

Crispy and salty, I can definitely vouch for the chips. Because Citi X Grille isn’t a chain they carry childhood favourite soft drinks like ginger beer, sarsaparilla and pasito.

I’ve had breakfast here a few times. The bacon and egg sandwiches (real bacon and egg!) are great, but they make their coffee way too hot and too strong for my taste. I’ve also heard that their pepperoni hotdogs rock, but I’ve never been able to go past their burger.

Zen Kitchen, Renaissance Arcade

I am a sucker for pho. In fact, I’m a sucker for Vietnamese food, full stop. I love the stuff. Zen Kitchen in the Renaissance Arcade has recently become the home of my lunchtime Vietnamese fix.

Research the origins of pho, I learned that the broth is usually made with charred onions and probably has French origins. The French dish put-au-feu also use charred onions in its broth. Feu is French for fire and is possibly epistemological origin of pho.

To start I ordered spring rolls. Part chicken, part Vietnamese pate, these spring rolls were hot and crispy.

I usually favour the rice dishes over the pho, but because I have a cold (and the best cure for a cold is chicken noodle soup) I went for chicken pho. A generous serve of pho emerged quickly from the kitchen, accompanied by a big plate of bean sprouts, basil and lime. The broth was savoury and the herbal flavours of star anise, cloves and ginger came through strongly (and probably did wonders for my cold). The chicken was slightly fatty, but juicy and tender. I like to dip my chicken in a little soy and hot sauce. Delicious.

Zen Kitchen is great place for lunchtime pho. I can also recommend to banh mi and the mayonnaise chicken.

Apologies for the lack of photos with this entry. I got so excited about filling my belly with Vietnamese food that I forgot to take any. I’ll take some next time. Promise.

Bites of Europe

The newest storefront (and a fancy schmancy store front it is!) in Southern Cross Arcade; Bites of Europe offer culinary delights from beyond the Iron Curtain. I like to be the first to try new lunch places, and I tried Bites of Europe within it's first week of opening.

I ordered goulash and meatballs with rice and a potato filo pie.


Though the meat in the goulash was fall apart tender, it was a little bland. The meatballs were juicy and firm to the bite. I’d definitely order them again. The rice was flavoursome. I’m still not sure what to make of the potato filo pie. It started off bland, but the more of it I ate the more flavour developed. I’d have to try it again to be sure how I feel about it.


I spoke to the very friendly (and quite attractive) store owner after my meal and raised the issue of the bland goulash. She said that she had received this feedback before, but she felt they had to tone their goulash down to make it more approachable for the general public. I'm told they'll be investing in some condiments and spices for the more daring eaters to add to their meals.

Bites of Europe also offer some delicious looking stuffed capsicums, rizzoto (capsicum and rice), salad and cakes. So, show the new guy some support and give them a try.

Pars Kebab, Southern Cross Arcade

A relative newcomer to the Arcade, Pars Kebab offers the hungry diner kebabs as well as Persian dishes. Pars Kebab has recently relocated within the Arcade, and is now next Fresh Choice (who offer some of the cheapest and best banh mi in Adelaide). Their previous location has been taken over by Taste of Europe (which I’ll be trying tomorrow). I’m assuming that Pars Kebab’s new location has a higher rent than their previous location as prices have increased by about $1 across the board.

Probably the cheapest kebab I have come across (around $6) Pars Kebab make a pretty decent, though fairly greasy, kebab. The chicken and lamb seem to be actual chicken and lamb, though I’d steer away from the falafels. They taste like they’re straight out of the box and I’ve seem them warmed up in the microwave. But if you really want to see where Pars Kebab excels, try some of their Persian dishes.

For around $7 you can get yourself a delicious and decent sized lunch. I ordered saffron chicken and spicy chicken with salad and rice.


Chunks of moist spicy chicken thigh swam in a rich tomato sauce. The saffron chicken was savoury and moist. Abundant with fresh parsley, the salad was crisp and clean. The garlic sauce was garlic sauce. But the rice… the rice was something else. The rice from Pars Kebab is possibly my favourite rice. Words simply do not do it justice. Flecked with pomegranate (and possibly saffron), the grains are impossibly long and firm to the bite, while still being light and fluffy and toothsome. If nothing else appeals to you about Pars Kebab, at least try the rice. I promise you won’t be disappointed.