Singma Noodle Bar, Southern Cross Arcade

Feeling a little under the weather I headed straight to Singma Noodle Bar for some warm, comforting soup. Not feeling like chicken I ordered the pork wonton noodle soup.



Some of the elements of this bowl'o'broth are little underwhelming but the whole is certainly greater than the sums of its parts. The BBQ pork is almost certainly dyed pink around the edges and are more like shards of pork rather than juicy chunks. And I think Singma is being a little over generous by calling the things floating in the soup 'dumplings'. More like wonton wrappers with the merest hint of pork mince.



See - scandalous. Tiny 'dumplings' with just atoms of flavourless pork.



Those criticisms aside - the broth was good - light, spicy and slightly oily; the greens perfectly wilted; and the noodles were plentiful.

This is obviously a flawed soup but I keep returning the Singma because despite the shortcomings they make tasty food.

Totally Fresh, Gawler Place

I think I've finally found my soup joint this Winter. Unfortunately for me, it looks like most of Adelaide had already found it.

I was walking down Gawler Place and noticed that the line for Totally Fresh was just about the door. Being a human sheep and knowing that the taste buds of most South Aussies are generally good so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

After a short wait a chalk board listing 5 or 6 different soups including minestrone; chicken and corn; tom yum; and tomato and bacon greeted me once I reached the front of the line. I ordered the minestrone. The soup tasted truly of tomato and had plenty acid to get the salivary glands going. Vegetables were plentiful and tender but held their shape well and the chopped herbs added an uplifting freshness. You may have noticed that I'm finding it a little difficult to sell this soup. What can I say - it's soup. I'd be the first to admit that I have trouble getting excited about soup - but it was really excellent.




The following day I returned and ordered a Cajun chicken roll. Bizarrely, in addition to the spicy chicken, carrot, capsicum and lettuce the roll also had warm rice noodles. I didn't think rice noodles were particularly Cajun but they added a warm slippery texture that really worked. This was a fresh, tasty roll.



A day later I purchased a Caesar salad pizza for lunch.The great flaw with this pizza was the base. Neither thin and crispy nor thick and chewy the base was somewhere in the middle. In fact, it was more like shortbread than anything else and needed some more salt and some more char. And despite the over generous salad dressing the toppings were pretty good. Particularly impressive was the still runny baked egg.



Totally Fresh promise fresh, nutritious and fast lunch and on those they deliver. The soup is excellent and rolls are good but the pizza is let down by its base.

Dumpling King - Moonta Street, Central Markets

Many years ago Dumpling King was the scene of a food epiphany for me. Their dumplings became the standard against which all other dumplings are judged. I've had many a dumpling since then - some better but many much worse. Regardless, Dumpling King will always have a place in my heart and when a friend suggested we eat there for lunch I immediately agreed.

Although they were obviously busy we were quickly ushered to tabled (this is almost always possible if you are happy to share) and immediately ordered sweet and sour soup, fried chicken and prawn dumplings and steamed greens with oyster sauce.



The sweet and sour is a very textural soup - thick and almost glutenous liquid; creamy, firm tofu; crunchy black fungus and bamboo shoots; and soft egg. It also has enough heat and acid to get the saliva going and excite the taste buds for the dumplings to come.



Crispy, chewy dough filled with minced chicken and prawns that pop these dumplings are grease bombs with insane flavour - especially after you hit your dumps with some chilli onion jam, black vinegar and soy sauce. I could literally feel the fat running down my chin while eating these. When your family motto is 'adipem est saporem' this isn't a problem.



I'd recommend your order some greens with your dumplings. There's nothing particularly special about them but you need something to take the edge off the grease-bombs.

Although I've heard a lot of people complain about the service I've never had a problem with it - it's chaotic, not bad. So long as you're happy to go with the flow and demand whatever you need (usually more of the FREE tea or a couple of little bowls if you're sharing a meal) you'll be fine. Plus, the food is good and the price is right.

Yumalicious, Victoria Square

Free chicken and corn soup. That's right - FREE. The generous offer of free soup sums up the attitude of the staff at Vietnamese eatery Yumalicious. They are always welcoming, impossibly cheerful and generous.



The hot soup kept my fellow and I punters warm during the short wait for our meals. And it was pretty darn good soup too. I don't think it was from a can even though it had that slightly glutenous texture I associate with canned soup because it had a delightful Vietnamese-y tang rather than that metallic tang.

I ordered the lemongrass chicken which came with broth and a dipping sauce. 



With subtle undertones of star anise followed by onion bite the broth was warm and nourishing. If I had to guess I'd say that the slightly spicy dipping sauce was a nouc mam cham - that ubiquitous Vietnamese side of fish sauce, chilli and garlic.



Though plump, juicy and golden the chicken could have probably done with more of lemongrass hit - but that's a minor compliant. The rice was beautifully cooked and the tomato and cucumber provided a fresh crunch.

Yumalicious - come for the food. Come back for the friendly service (and occasionally free soup).