Burger Theory, Adelaide

You know when the Burger Theory van is parked practically out the front of your building the wise Gods of Lunch have smiled upon your midday meal.



Today's burger feast was a number 2 (burger with pancetta, blue cheese and caramelised onions), fries with truck sauce and a coke zero.



First to the burger. Made with 100% Coorong Angus beef they grind themselves, seared to perfection with a nice crust but blushingly pink and juicy inside, and served on a Bread Top (which is pretty much a bun made of sugar spun by magic pixies) burgers here are unfailingly good.

Burger Theory has become an icon of the Activating Adelaide program. You can vote to extend the Splash Adelaide trial period here: https://www.facebook.com/SplashAdelaide.



When you add pancetta, blue cheese and caramelised onions (you can see the caramelised onions almost spilling out of the picture above) you end up with sweet, beefy, tangy, salty mouthful of heaven.



Crispy on outside and cloud-fluffy on the inside - Burger Theory's fries are among the finest in Adelaide. I feel like a blasphemer saying this but unfortunately today's batch of fries were a little underwhelming. I suspect they'd been hanging around for a little too long because they weren't as crispy as usual. Still, they're better than just about anywhere else.

The fries were helped along by the healthy dollop of Truck Sauce - which if I had to take a stab at guessing the ingredients I'd guess a combination of mayo, velveeta cheese and a little mustard. I love the stuff but wouldn't mind seeing the Truck Sauce in a little pot on the side because I imagine the hint of bitterness could be a bit of turn off for some people.

If you haven't had Burger Theory yet now is the time - you don't want to anger the Gods of Lunch! Check out their calendar here to see when the van is next near you: http://www.burgertheory.com/

Happy Bean, Southern Cross Arcade

I don't know how I missed the memo but today was apparently Tori Mayo Don Day.

I know this because when I ordered my Tori Mayo Don from Happy Bean so did the person in front of me... and the three people behind me.

Happy Bean is one of my regular Japanese lunching haunts (makimaki and ajisen ramen also regulars). The selection of donburi here is excellent and they're quick-ish getting their meals out (5 to 10min). If you go with one of their $5 specials (which I usually do) the price is most certainly right.



But today's cooler weather necessitated the purchase of a more warming and filling dish - Tori Mayo Don definitely fits the bill (plus it was Tori Mayo Don Day - or did I mention that already?)



Tori Mayo Don is my favourite meal on the menu - and I presume it's widely popular judging from the  people ordering it. A big bowl of japanese rice topped with grilled (probably teriyaki) chicken that's been smothered in kewpie mayonnaise and garlic chives and then either blow torched or grilled again (I can't see into the kitchen). The dish is stick-to-your-ribs warming, rich and flabby (but flabby is a sexy Ruebenseque way rather than flabby in a Shane Warne before he met Liz way). You also get some wilted spinach and some lightly boiled carrot and beansprouts. I wouldn't mind something pickled to cut through all the fat but with a cup of miso soup it's a darn good lunch.

The one thing that irks me about Happy Bean is their crockery and cutlery. Sometimes you get proper bowls and chopsticks - sometimes the throw away stuff - it's pretty hit and miss. But you'll see me here almost weekly for donburi. .

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.