That's Adelaide: Eat: Ying Chow

I admit I was feeling slightly dubious about what Friday night in the city had to offer on the late night food front. The last time I was in Adelaide, a fish and chip shop was closing when I arrived with friends just before 9pm (9pm!). But this time, I needn’t have worried..

Guided by Michelle, we followed the masses and headed to Gouger St. The central market and surrounding China town area was pumping with an assorted bunch jostling for tables and street side views. The restaurant was packed with not a spare table in sight. Our booking was made for 8.30pm and timed to perfection we arrived just as a group of four were leaving.

We were seated near the entrance which proved to be great fun watching the shenanigans of passers by. Fast paced service is the go and it seemed most patiently waiting patrons knew what to expect. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone defending the service, it’s not great but obviously the locals love it for what it is. Noisy, cramped, quick and tasty.

Happy to put faith in my foodie cohort’s tastebuds I quickly handed over the reigns of the menu. She obliged and we decided on a starter and three mains to share. Our biggest wait of the night proved to be between being seated and holding a waiter’s attention long enough to place our order. We killed time by drinking a few glasses of our byo wine..

Once we had ordered, our starter arrived soon after. The crispy salty shallot pancakes were accompanied by a sweet dipping sauce. Lovely buttery goodness. We were pretty hungry by this stage and they were swiftly gobbled up.

The house specialty, BBC. Broad beans, bean curd and Chinese chutney. Al dente broad beans, thinly cut, lightly fried bean curd tossed in a mild chilli sauce. Nearly every table had this brightly coloured dish on their table. Lovely freshness. These little suckers put my (very limited) chopsticks skills to the test!