Indian Temptations - Adelaide, South Australia

We've been eating at Indian Temptations for a few years now so this review is long overdue. We love this place for authentic, cheap and delicious Indian food. You would think it would be a bit risky to eat here since it looks pretty dingy inside and out, but we've always had great experiences. Their food is the best Indian in Adelaide and far better than the more upmarket options around.

Most nights, Indian Temptations is buzzing with people of all different cultures ordering and collecting their take away. They have about 4 tables for eating in and if you choose this option, you certainly won't be bored with all the people and staff busily making magic in the kitchen just behind the counter. Here's a shot of the main counter during a rare quiet moment.



Now, to the food. Pick any dish you like and it's sure to be good, but the butter chicken and naan are amazing! If you don't know where to start, these two are very safe bets. Consistently awesome. Here's garlic naan ($2.50), butter chicken ($10.90), dal maharani ($8.50) and rice ($4.50 for a large).



Also highly recommended is the mango lassi ($5 for a large), a deliciously sweet and thick yogurt drink.



If you're ever in the northern suburbs of Adelaide and want some awesome authentic Indian food for cheap, Indian Temptations is a must. With consistently awesome food and generous portion sizes you really can't go wrong. They're open 7 days 11:30am til late (except Sun 5:30pm til late).

Burger Theory - Adelaide, South Australia

Great news: Adelaide has its first modern food truck! The food truck phenomenon has had a re-birth in the US over the last few years, starting with Los Angeles and spreading to most other major cities including Austin, Chicago, New York, Boston, DC and more. Check out roaminghunger.com for more info about food trucks in the USA. The new generation of food trucks aren't like the old roach coaches of yesteryear. These new fandangled food trucks have fancy names and eye catching paint jobs. The owner-operators make their food using premium ingredients, move to various locations around their cities and communicate with their customers through Twitter and Facebook. I honestly didn't expect to see one of these new breed food trucks in Australia, let alone little old Adelaide. But believe it or not, the day has arrived and our local food truck trailblazer Burger Theory is open for business!



The truck "Pearl" came all the way from Queensland. I can imagine it would have been a pretty interesting journey. She was then painted by local artist Sam Evans.



So far, the menu is pretty limited. It's just burgers and burritos right now, but they do plan to expand in the future to include fries, additional toppings and maybe more.



We went with the No. 1 Burger and the No. 1 Burrito on our introductory visit. The burger meat is Coorong Angus Beef and the bun is from a local favourite, the Red Door Bakery. The No. 1's toppings are American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato and Truck sauce.



The No. 1 burrito (which is also a vegan option!) has black beans, iceberg lettuce and tomato in a warm flour tortilla.



We also managed to snag one Small Batch Triple Choc Cookie from the fridge. This was definitely the highlight. The not-so-secret ingredient of molasses made it extra chewy and added another dimension in flavour. Awesome! You can also get these cookies from Wilson's Organics if you can't find the truck and need your cookie fix.



If you do spot this truck in your area, please support the street food revolution in Adelaide. While I think there's still room for improvement, I look forward to undertaking further testing of the Theory and following their progress. I hope this is the start of some great street food for Adelaide.



Of course, the best way to find out when and where to find the Burger Theory truck is via their Twitter feed, their Facebook page or their website.

UPDATE (16 Sept 2011): 
Burger Theory now uses Breadtop buns for their burgers instead of the ones from the Red Door Bakery. This is a very important and exciting development. The new Breadtop buns have that perfect balance...soft enough to get out of your way when you go to take a bite, but strong enough to support the burger. Plus they've got that slight crunch in the middle from toasting on the grill and they're full of flavour. Props to the Burger Theory guys for thinking of Breadtop as a supplier. Genius! They've also added a handy Calendar to their website so you can plan your burger attacks in advance.





Update 20 June 2012: Cookies and burritos are no longer available, but fries are!

Sushi Gallery - Adelaide, South Australia

We've never actually tried the sushi from Sushi Gallery on Payneham Road (if you want sushi, you'll need to pre-order or go for lunch), but every dish we've ever eaten there has been fantastic. This little gem of a cafe is run by a Korean family who really care about the quality of the food they serve.



On a busy night you may have to wait up to 45 mins for your food to arrive, but you will be rewarded with a delicious, affordable and satisfying meal. Food comes with complimentary cold water and kimchi (pickled vegetables w/chili). The Bulgogi Donburi (front $10.90) & Japche (back $13.50) are pictured below. The noodles in the Japche are made of sweet potato...refreshingly different.



One of the better known Korean dishes is the Bibimbap. It's a bowl of white rice with sliced veggies and usually sliced beef and a fresh or fried egg on top. The Bibimbap at Sushi Gallery is the best we've tried. Here's one that comes in a hot stone pot, the Dolsot Bibimbap ($12.50).



Another recommended dish is the Ttukbaegi Bulgogi ($12.50) which I'm still trying to learn how to pronounce. It's seasoned beef with Korean sweet potato noodle and vegetables in a hot pot.



Yet another option is a Chicken, Pork or Fish Katsu ($11.50). From what I can tell, this is a Korean take on Western fried foods. Very tasty!



For dessert, I recommend a trip across the road to the Lucky Mart Korean shop for an ice cream or packaged dessert. (note: they close at 8pm) We usually go for the Melona ice cream but we recently tried the Corn ice cream and it was both strange and awesome at the same time!



Sushi Gallery for lunch or dinner (closed Sun) and Lucky Mart for dessert makes for an awesome Adelaide Korean meal combo.

Update 5 Feb 2012:
We've been back to Sushi Gallery a couple of times recently to try the sushi at lunch. It's the best sushi I've had in Adelaide and made fresh after you order. Delicious! A must try for all sushi lovers.


Avocado Shrimp Roll ($9.50)


Teriyaki Chicken Roll ($6.90)