29 August 2013

Wheat Thins (Coles brand) - Australia

Anyone who's been away from foods they grew up with would understand my excitement when I discovered a Coles brand version of Wheat Thins here in Adelaide, South Australia. The Wheat Thins I know and love from North America previously had to be sourced from places like USA Foods in Australia. Not anymore! Granted, the Coles brand version isn't exactly like Nabisco's... but it's close. And at only $1.79 for 250 grams, not bad value either.

Wheat Thins in Australia! (Coles brand)

Wheat This (Coles brand)
I'm also pretty happy with the list of ingredients. Definitely not the most unhealthy snack food on the market and I'm glad to see there are no monoglycerides on the list. Interestingly, they are made in Canada. Coles also sells a Vegetable Wheat Thins variety (green box) which are good too, but the plain ones (orange box) are definitely my favourite. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Wheat Thins (Coles brand) nutritional info

10 August 2013

Nordburger - Norwood, South Australia

Burger bars have been popping up like crazy around Adelaide lately. One of the most recent additions to Adelaide's growing burger scene is Nordburger (168 The Parade, Norwood), which first opened its doors on the 4th of July 2013. Parking is easy since it's so close to Norwood Mall. Off street parking is available in the Coles carpark or across the road at the Foodland carpark.

Nordburger & Norwood Mall entrance

Though it may sound Scandinavian to some, the name "Nord" is also short for Norwood.

Nordburger window

Inside, it's a long and skinny shop with orders taken at the register near the entrance and a few stools for those choosing to eat in.

inside Nordburger

If you can't find a seat along the main counter, there are a couple more seats as well as a couple of stand up tables at the back. Of course, take away is an option as well.

Nord

We managed to snag ourselves a couple of stools and enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, which included MasterChef 2011 runner-up Michael Weldon working the grill.

Nordburger in action

If you're after a cold drink, try a Dr Pepper, A&W Cream Soda, Cherry Coke, or TAB. Or choose from one of the milkshakes...
Classic: strawberry, vanilla or chocolate ($6)
Specialties: pretzel, cornflake, salted caramel, or peanut butter & jelly ($7)
We tried the salted caramel and loved it. I noticed they use Tweedvale milk too - great stuff!

Cold Drinks

On to the main event...the burger! We ordered a Nordburger ($7.80) which comes topped with pickles, tomato, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, and Nord sauce. We also added cheese ($0.70). The beef patty was seasoned and cooked perfectly and seemed a little bit thicker than some skimpy patties I've had elsewhere recently. Bun was fresh, toppings and sauces were all very tasty. This was an excellent burger!

For sides, the choices were tater tots, crinkle cut fries or crinkle cut fries with chipotle seasoning (small $2.50/large $3). We ordered the crinkle cut fries (small) and Nord sauce ($0.50). When I saw the fries from a distance, I wasn't overly excited. Upon closer inspection however, they were nice and crunchy and not too heavy on the salt - very moreish. The Nord sauce is almost identical to Shake Shack's shack sauce (delicious) and was well worth the extra 50 cents for an excellent dipping sauce.

Nordburger ($7.80), Nord Sauce ($0.50), Crinkle Cut Fries (small $2.50)

We decided to try a hot dog as well, the New York ($5.90). Isn't it pretty? It's a Vienna sausage topped with pickled red onion, everything bagel (I think this is a reference to the poppy seeds & sesame seeds), mustard & ketchup. The bun was sturdy but soft. The sausage and toppings were well matched and very enjoyable.

New York Hot Dog ($5.90)

So far, we've thoroughly enjoyed everything we've consumed at Nordburger and we're looking forward to our next visit in the near future. Check them out if you can, but try to avoid peak meal times unless you're happy to line and up and possibly choose take away. Space is quite limited in the shop.

Nordburger on Urbanspoon