Muratti Cakes & Gateaux - Adelaide, South Australia

Muratti Cakes has been an Adelaide favourite since it first opened back in 1990. If you're near Prospect Road at Prospect, it's definitely worth stopping in for European style cakes, coffees & biscuits.



The display case is full of biscuits, macarons, gateaux, cakes, tarts, crumbles and more. It's torture trying to decide between so many sweet temptations. If you want to share with friends and family, go for one of the full sized cakes on the bottom shelf. You're sure to find the perfect choice among the range of sizes, prices and flavours on offer. There's definitely something for everyone.



Or if you're like me and can't pick just one, go for a sampling of smaller individual cakes instead. The Blueberry Cheesecake ($4.90, top right in photo below) is my favourite for its dense, smooth, and creamy richness. Darren's favourite is the Mille Feuilles, which means "thousand sheets" ($5.20 - bottom left in photo below). It's an awesome French version of a vanilla slice made up of three layers of pastry with creme patissiere between. Also pictured is the Chocolate Blackberry ($6.80 - top left) and the Vanilla Bean ($6.80 - bottom right).



Another of our samplings of individual cakes consisted of (clockwise from center): Citron Flan ($4.80), French Cherry ($6.80), Blueberry Cheesecake ($4.90), Muratelli ($6.80), and Berry Apple ($6.80). Each cake is perfectly executed and definitely worth the calories.



We usually order our cakes to go, but I hear the coffee is worth staying for. If you don't have room for cake, you can always go with one of the various biscuits instead. Apparently the quality and selection of Muratti biscuits are admired almost as much as their cakes.

Red Door Bakery - Adelaide, South Australia

We tend to try to stay away from Red Door Bakery at Elizabeth Street, Croydon. It's not because we don't enjoy their delicious gourmet baked goods, it's just that we enjoy them a little too much. We recently reaquainted ourselves with the Red Door...probably put on a few kilos in the process, but it was worth it.



The pies and sausage rolls aren't your typical corner bakery offerings. These are quite possibly the best specimens you will ever consume and thus are a bit dearer than you're probably used to - $5.90 for pies and $5 for sausage rolls. Trust me, it's money well spent!



I've heard a great deal about the brilliance of the Pork & Sage Sausage Roll, but not much about the pies. I decided to take home a Traditional Chicken Pie, as sausage rolls aren't really my cuppa tea.



This was most definitely the best traditional chicken pie I've ever had. The chicken was moist, the pastry buttery and flaky, and the veggies provided further flavour to the equation. This is a pie I would definitely go out of my way for again. Big thumbs up!



On to the danishes and croissants. More tough choices here...



I went for the Rhubarb Danish for $4.50. This was excellent - tarty with a little vanilla custard underneath. The rhubarb was so nice and sweet that I was wishing for a few more pieces that went all the way to the edge of the danish.



On to the tarts, sandwiches & pizzas - oh my! One Creme Brule Tart ($4.50) and one Salted Caramel Belgian Chocolate Brick ($4.50) came home with us as well.



The Creme Brule Tart had that glassy top that cracks when you cut or bite into it. If you're a fan of creme brule in general, this is a must try.


We cut the Salted Caramel Belgian Chocolate Brick in half with a butter knife. For a brick it was actually not very hard at all. The caramel oozed out of the center and was very inviting. When they say salted, they mean salted - it's just on the border of becoming savoury. Very enjoyable.


Red Door is definitely one of Adelaide's best bakeries. The quality is top notch and word has definitely spread. They now have a second location on King William Road, Goodwood. So....skinny Adelaideans, get on over there!

Lucky Lupitas - Adelaide, South Australia

In a small group of shops across from Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, there's a Mexican & Latin American restaurant called Lucky Lupitas. The place has been buzzing since it first opened in February 2012 and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. With plenty of hungry clientele within walking distance and no bookings taken, you're lucky if you don't have to wait for a table at Lupitas.



We stopped in for lunch on a Friday. We arrived before noon and the place looked empty from the outside. As we went inside, we found some funky Latin American decor and more people than we expected. Still a few empty tables though so no wait for us!



For those perplexed by some of the words appearing in the menu, the board on the wall has some helpful explanations.



We decided to start with Jarritos ($5.50 each, imported from Mexico) and Guacamole ($8.90). The drinks were very refreshing with the seasoned corn chips (totopos) and guacamole dip. A very nice start to the meal.



Next course: tacos! Left is the chicken, Taco de pollo ($5) and right is the beef, Taco de carne ($5.50). Both come in a soft corn tortilla. The chicken is accompanied by cilantro (corriander), jicama (sweet root vegetable), salsa & cascabel aioli (chilli garlic sauce). The salsa is fairly light on in terms of chilli. If you like a bit of spicy kick in your taco, you should make use of the variety of hot sauces on the table. The beef taco was definitely my favourite. Along with the awesome & flavorful beef was radish, guacamole, salsa & cabbage. The Taco de carne gets a huge tick of approval from me.



Darren loved his Lucky Ribs ($23.90), wood smoked & slow cooked beef short ribs (minimum 400 grams). The ribs come with a choice of two house made sauces: Chipotle BBQ or Chimichurri. The Chimichurri is a vinegar-based sauce. Being a BBQ fan he went with the Chipotle, which was an excellent choice.



The beef itself was a relatively dry style, similar to beef I've experienced in Mexico. The sauce ensured it wasn't too dry. There was plenty of Mexican flavour and the meat came easily off the bone. I managed to steal a couple of bites off the plate before it was demolished.



Overall, we had an excellent lunch at Lucky Lupitas. I hear the owner is from Washington DC, which I don't usually associate with great Mexican food. However, he has clearly done a lot of traveling in Latin America and has managed to bring some authentic Latin flavours and ingredients all the way to Adelaide. I'm looking forward to going back to try the elotes (corn on the cob), quesadillas, and hamburguesas. I've also heard good things about the Prickly Pear Margaritas. For those who live in the area, take away is also available.


Update 25 August 2012: Made a return visit tonight and managed to get a table when the doors opened at 5:30. Tonight we had an amazing dinner and got to try a few new things. First, Elotes ($4.50 each) - grilled corn on the cob with chipotle mayonesa, cheese & lime. The chipotle mayo had a nice kick to it and the cheese added an interesting texture and of course more flavour. Really enjoyable and a great starter. My photo doesn't really show it very well but I was especially impressed that they're served in an awesome corn shaped serving dish as well.



Next was the Quesadilla de Pollo y Championes ($15.90) - grilled chicken & mushrooms with cheese, chipotle, onions & spinach with salsa & guacamole. This is the spiciest dish I've had at Lupitas so far. I loved the mushrooms and spinach - two ingredients I've not tried in a quesadilla before. It was also chock-a-block full of chicken so made for a very filling and satisfying dish.



There's also a new item on the menu - Duck Taco ($6.25). This is the first and best duck taco I have ever eaten. The duck was super moist and tender. If you like duck, this is definitely the taco for you.



Adelaide is very Lucky to have Lupitas in town. This place is going to be in high demand for quite some time.