Do: Relive the Magic

Confession time. I'm going against my own written word. For the majority* of this month I'm not rediscovering Adelaide one drink at a time. No siree, I'm trying out no drink at a time instead. Really it's only one letter different.

In lieu of drinks, what's a girl and her gaggle of cohorts to do on a Friday night? Mini Golf of course. Putt putt it out.

So there we were. On our way to The Beachouse. And 1999. Previously in existence as Magic Mountain, the mountain is long gone but the magic remains. Marketed as an Entertainment and Amusement Centre, this is wholesome fun for the whole family. Arcade games, waterslides, train, bumper boats, dodgem cars, you get the idea. For around $9.50 you can wander around the golf course for two hours and relive what once was. For the uninitiated, why not make some new memories?

A slight skirt around the five person max rule and we were off and running. Well, walking slowly around a tightly laid out lush, synthetic green 18 hole course. Unfortunately, whoever curated this particular course must have forgotten to take their imagination pills. We encountered a repetitive theme of misplaced boxes, not that there's anything wrong with that. Luckily the view is lovely, and if you time it well enough, the sunset's a complimentary bonus.

When you're done, reward your hard work with dessert. Bracegirdles for the hole in one. Winner's shout.

The Beachouse
Colley Terrace, Glenelg
Ph. 08 8295 1511
info@thebeachouse.com.au
Click here for opening hours

*That is, until Feb 24. When all bets are, most certainly, off.

Eat: Duthy St Deli Cafe

Is it a Deli? Is it a Cafe?

Whichever it is, Duthy St Deli Cafe has been having a hard time of late over on Urbanspoon. Which made me feel overly cautious about choosing it as our Father-Daughter-Brother lunch option. Nevertheless, trepidation aside, we ventured in feeling positive. How can you not when the sky is blue and holidays are well and truly in sight?

For 12.30 on a weekday the place was bustling. In hindsight I should have made a booking but luckily we managed to score the last remaining outside table. We were rewarded with street views and the very popular 'as cars drive by' soundtrack. Lesson learnt. I will make a booking next time. And there will be a next time, all three of us were particularly happy with our menu choices on this occasion.

Haloumi salad with rocket, roast pumpkin, pine nuts and Duthy St balsamic and tahini dressing.

Lamburger with beetroot salsa.

Chicken, pesto and avocado pita.

The only thing lacking was a glass of wine. Or two. And I’m calling it a cafe, but only if you have to get technical.

Eat: Fish Out Of Water

During the past five years, on my numerous short trips back home to Adelaide, I would always try to fit in at least one lunch stop at Fish Out Of Water. I’ve been gradually making my way through the menu and am yet to be disappointed. I view this as both a positive and negative. Yes, everything is amazing but it makes it so damn hard to decide!

The menu is extensive covering standard fish and seafood options, battered nibbles and standard burgers. Then into more gourmet territory with pitta wraps, the infamous vicious burgers, over a dozen salads as well as perfect-for-sharing gourmet packs.

On this occasion, I couldn’t tempt any of my fellow lunchmates to split a gourmet pack, so we all chose individual items off the menu. Plus some chips to share.

Laura’s pitta wrap - Deep fried calamari legs with salad and tzatziki.

Tim’s vicious burger - Grilled chicken breast, bocconcini, eggplant, chargrilled capsicum, sundried tomatoes, olives, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce.

Uncle Johnny’s vicious burger - Grilled chicken breast, jarlsberg cheese, eggplant, chargrilled capsicum, sundried tomatoes, olives, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce.

My cevapcici vicious burger - Spicy sausage, bocconcini, eggplant, chargrilled capsicum, sundried tomatoes, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce.

Chips in a box, not a soggy specimen in sight!

Prices are above average for a suburban fish and chip local, and that’s because this place is definitely above average in my opinion. The quality is great and everything is cooked to order. Be prepared to wait while staff make up your meal with care and a little bit of love.

I’m already thinking about what to order on my next visit..

Eat: Red Ochre Grill

So Ben did eventually get back to me. His surprise? Last minute reservations at the award winning Red Ochre Grill in North Adelaide. A beautiful setting on the River Torrens provides the perfect backdrop for an intimate fine dining experience with views of the city lights and river fountains. The focus is on contemporary Australian food with an emphasis on using local produce.

Our table was situated in the upstairs dining area. On arrival we were immediately and pleasantly greeted by maître d’, Aimie, and our friendly waitress Tamara. The standard was set early and service remained welcoming and efficient throughout the night.

After perusing the menu, I loved the sound of the organic sourdough with various condiments (lemon myrtle butter, tomato and balsamic or locally produced hummus). But we quickly decided against ordering any starters or entrees and went straight to mains – with the aim of saving room for dessert!

If pork is on the menu, odds are I will order it. Ben was tossing up between the Orroroo kangaroo fillet (which sounded marvellous) and the Pepperberry veal shank. He made a quick decision when Aimie returned to take our orders, settling on the shank after she described it as “extremely rich and slowly slowly cooked”. Ben recommended I try the steak fries. And I’m glad I did!

Our meals arrived quickly. My pork tenderloin roulade was beautifully presented. Tiny cubes of crisp bacon and confit yam were scattered across the plate, with sautéed baby spinach, pureed salsa verde and a cranberry apple pickle. There was nothing on the plate I didn’t enjoy. Ben was presented a large shank on a bed of root vegetables, creamed potato and pine mushrooms. A heavily reduced bordelaise sauce came separately.

Ben throwing etiquette out the window and getting stuck into the shank.

If what’s left on the plate is anything to go by.. We were either pretty bloody hungry or the food was too good to leave any behind!

There was no twisting of our arms to view the dessert menu because we didn’t need any twisting. At all. The wattleseed pavlova was deliciously folded with layers of spicy nut paste, served with tangy passionfruit sorbet and poached apricots. Sincere complements to dessert chef Emily Jones, this dessert was close to perfection.

I chose the tasting platter which arrived with a lovely message..

Frozen lemon cream, chocolate cake with lime en glaze and white chocolate parfait with berry jelly. Simple and unpretentious, unfortunately the chocolate cake was dry which let down the overall dish. I think next time I won’t go past the chocolate fondant with rivermint sorbet (allow 20 minutes)!

Creative comfort food inspired by earthy flavours. Thoroughly stuffed, we rolled out of the restaurant very satisfied.

Then and now

My first full day back in Adelaide led to an interesting discovery! Mum and I busying ourselves with some tidying at Grandad’s house.. I was up on a ladder, awkwardly attempting to vacuum the top of some high reaching cupboards when I came across some papers and pamphlets circa who-knows-when. In amongst them, covered in dust, was this little gem.

The dangerous years? How intriguing! Produced by Applied Journalism at the South Australian Suite and edited by Dick Wordly, The Gap was printed in 1959, during a time when teenagers were apparently running riot in the streets of Adelaide and the term Widgie was used to describe local delinquents. Through a variety of first hand recollections and stories, with a little bit of gently handed advice thrown in, community leaders address current problems dealing with the youth of the era.

Allow me to paraphrase a little bit. The book was produced with the aim to ‘help protect the dignity and integrity of the South Australian home and family’. It is essentially a helpful guide and conversation starter for parents with teenage children, offering anecdotes from priests to lawyers to local sporting star Fos Williams and even a librarian weighs in suggesting ‘without a love of good books, even the richest man is poor’.

Here are some of my favourite parts.

While I’m certain there is a plethora of books out now addressing all the same issues of teenage mob culture in today’s age, I’m pretty sure none of them end with a song on their back page. Gold!

Gather your Family ‘round you
Without them the sunshine ends
Trouble can never ground you
When you and your folk are friends

Silver and gold can hound you
Oh listen to one who’s known
Gather your family ‘round you
All men are poor when alone

The world can take your riches
And the world can make you cry
The world can tear your heart out
But your folk won’t pass you by

Then when your own have found you
They’ll be there beyond your tears
Gather your family ‘round you
And ever blessed your years

What a timely discovery this little book is. I’m so thankful to be blessed with a great family and after being away for five years, I’m ready to regather ‘round them all! Now.. if only my oldest brother would answer my text and confirm our dinner date. It’s not 1959 Ben.