Saturday, May 26, 2012

Delicious Desserts

Dessert date night.

So we got a .. a… aaaaaa SCOOPON for Delicious Desserts entitling us to two desserts and two hot drinks.

We spoilt ourselves just a little this particular date night. We didn't have a home cooked/freezer meal, we went out for dinner as well. Our favourite indian place, Tandoori Temptations, was on the cards for an early dinner. 

By favourite I mean we go there nearly every week, and preeeeetty much order the same thing each time too. Well I definitely do. But it's gotten to the point where we sit down and they ask us if we want the usual. I've had this experience with places that you might get a morning coffee at… But dinner? It was a sure sign of just how much we frequent there. But I don't even care because it's nothing short of mind blowing every single time.  And because we go there so much it doesn't count as date night. 

Anyway, early dinner so that we could be full then just the right amount of empty before our date night dessert.  Delicious Desserts is hidden in the back of Cold Rock on O'Connell Street (another tick off that list) which is a little bit of a strange set up but it works. 

When we first went in I saw the fridge case window thing with all different cakes and got excited but a little bit awww because I thought we got more of a choice of "desserts" rather than cakes. I was wrong and we did. The guy serving us was a little bit young and awkward, like he was just hitting those years where he's got a job so he can buy his girlfriend a pretty bracelet for her birthday.  He was alright though. 

Paul got a coffee and I got a tea so I would actually be able to sleep that night (yesss tea has caffeine but I wanted one!). I wanted some of his coffee foam and the sweetheart put it on top of my tea. I don't think he had realised how not at all those two things went together but he was still sharing… right? 


Dessert for Paul was a trifle… thing.  It had orange jelly, chocolate brownie, custard, fruit, cream and more brownie. It was super weird and wasn't something that makes you want to keep eating if you're full, but Paul still got a fair way through it though so they did something right. 


I went the waffle. It was the hot fudge sauce that got me.  But here it comes why having Cold Rock in the same shop came in handy - what flavour ice-cream would you like on your waffles? I had my pick of all that CR had to offer! I was still a bit full from dinner, not full, just… content and not really hungry. But I ate it all except maybe a scoop of ice-cream. So pretty fair effort thaaaaank you!


They did have so many other dessert options, I think it would be good to go there again.  It's not too pricey and they cakes looked awesome :)

After all that, it was definitely the end of the food portion of date night. 


Delicious Desserts on Urbanspoon

Saturday, May 19, 2012

General Havelock Hotel

Tonight was a new kind of experience for Paul and I. We spoke about it and it was going to be okay for both of us. We agreed on the girl. Tonight was our first threesome.

First threesome date night, that is.

A friend from work was having her birthday at the Havelock, so another girl from work, Kathy, joined Paul & I for date night dinner.  The last time I had been to the Havelock for a meal I had a schnitzel. A bloody good one at that. However, that last time was on my friends 18th birthday, could the Havvy Schnitty still be tip top after 4 years?

After a quick after work outfit change in the car on Hutt Street across from the Havelock (I try my best to stay classy), we were on our way in for an early 6.30pm dinner. 

Little did I know that the Havelock actually had a huge variety on their menu, a lot "different" stuff that I wouldn't have thought a typical pub would have on offer (ilke Soy Plum Kangaroo Fillet and Moroccan Lamb & Cous Cous Salad). So when it came to choose it turned out I had a lot more options than a schnitzel.  It was tough, my mind was boggled with what I had promised myself and the options I had in front of me.  What if I see a schnitzel going past and I regret not getting one?? As you can probably tell, what to eat being my biggest problem I've got a pretty good little life happening. 

Anyway, the hard decision was made. Chicken schnitzel with bacon, bbq sauce and cheese. Holla. Full bacon rashers too, none of that "bacon pieces" stuff, real meat thank you!

My friend from work had also decided before we got there what she was having so that made things easy (Salt & Pepper Tofu fyi). Paul had the Lemon Oregano & Garlic Chicken which looked and smelt too good. Paul had a try of the s&p tofu but I wasn't game enough. One day.


The S&P Tofu, for future reference, didn't come with a dipping sauce and apparently needed it (along with some more salt and pepper, white pepper).  But apparently was overall fair good.  And as far as the schnitzel went, it still held up.

After our meals it was onto drinks upstairs and a fairly early night because it was my cousins wedding the next day and I did not want to be any sort of tired for that :)


General Havelock Hotel on Urbanspoon

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Nonna's Kitchen

Scoopon city, once again.

We made our way up to Mt Barker for some "authentic italian" at Nonna's Kitchen.   Paul gets his tattoo's done at Frontyard Tattoo in Mt Barker, and last time I had gone with him on a Sunday I was walking around and happen to stumble upon Nonna's Kitchen.  With an excited little thought "oohhh that's where we're date nighting!" and gave the place a quick once over :)

Lucky I had stumbled upon it because I knew exactly where to direct Paul once we were in that fine town.  It was 7pm on a warm Saturday, I was expecting the place to be busy, but it wasn't in the slightest.  There was a table of 3 out the front (I assume one of the guys worked there/owned it because he gave us the "how's it goin? as we walked in) and a couple inside.  I like it when it's quiet.  The waitresses are less rushed and more relaxed, not busy trying to get from one table to the next and back to the kitchen then back out again then greeting people… you get the jist.  

Inside was gorgeous.  Lots of wooden tables and just simple.  Tables and chairs and a fireplace and a fridge with desserts.


With our scoopon we could get 2 drinks, garlic or chilli cheese bread and 2 pasta dishes.  We got our menu and reading it (the non pasta dishes especially) made my mouth water.   It was hard to keep my eyes on the pastas!  


There was a delicious creamy white wine sauce one with chicken and bacon and mushroom that I definitely couldn't go past


and Paul's… well I didn't try any and I just asked him to explain what it had in it and I got a "it was tomato-y and had chicken in it"… but I hear it was delicious. 


Lets just say, going from fasta pasta to this… there is no comparison.  I'm not italian and haven't had "authentic" italian to my knowledge… but I think this had it pretty right.  It tasted so fresh.  I really don't know how to explain it better than that.  The meal blew my mind, I couldn't talk because I was so busy eating and had to mentally pull myself back from stuffing myself too much.  Paul cleaned his plate up :) (and look how happy he was about it!)


There's no dessert "menu" but there is an assortment of cakes and the like in the fridge at the counter.  I would love to come back here for a non-scoopon date night to try some of the other food on their menu.  If there pasta was that good I can't even imagine how good their other stuff would be.  And the pizza smelt amazing.  

After Nonna's Kitchen it was still early so we heading down to Glenelg for ice cream.  It was packed and Paul wanted Boost Juice.  There was a new boost I wanted to try.  I had it.  I was too full for ice-cream.  So Boost Juice + hot weather + big crowds + super full belly after ridiculously delicious meal = end of date night.


Nonna's Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Shiki

There's something nice about getting fancy pants on for a date night.  There's not many places we go that I will put on a pair of heels and not think that I'm probably over dressed. 

Paul's brother's fiancé, Jenna, suggested Shiki, and having been there for a previous work function, I could not wait to get there again. We booked a date and boom, double date night was on.


Because of the semi circle type tables for the plate the chef's cook on, we had another 6 people on the table with us. A couple of couples I will dub as "normal", one man, and one drunken loud mess of a wife who, throughout the evening, slammed her hands down and put her head on the table like a child while exclaiming that "she was on weight watchers".  She was definitely good for a laugh (at her expense). It didn't stop, and it got worse the more she drank (someone should have told her that wine counts as calories as well).  Seriously, the whole time we were there, which was a few hours, it just didn't stop. She would eat and eat and then be like nooooo i'm on weight watchers *throws tantrum like a 3 year old*.  It really was a good laugh, amazing, and must have been embarrassing for the guy that she was with (though to be honest he didn't seem that phased… it may have been regular behaviour).  I'm not being a hater I promise, it was just a funny, dominant part of our Shiki experience that I need to share.

So - back to why we were there. Food. I mentioned first up that I'm allergic to nuts and they quickly switched the little three sauce holder dish to one that wasn't going to kill me (always appreciated) and we were looking at the menus. For entree Paul braved crocodile (which he said tasted like squid) 


and I went some kind of delicious garlic beef.  


Jenna and Jamie had sashimi. I had tried sashimi before and I was not a fan, but Paul gave it a go and really enjoyed it. He said it didn't taste like he would expect raw fish to taste (it didn't taste "fishy"). Mains was were the party got started on the plates and we got a bit of flames thrown in for us so we could get a photo:


It was definitely a good time watching our food be prepared. The ingredients they were using seemed so minimal and simple, but everything tasted like so much more than what it was. Because everything was being cooked after we finished our entrees by the time the mains were ready I was super hungry all over again. We each had different types of fried rice, from garlic to chicken to vegetarian and it was awesome seeing the same starter ingredients and how just a couple were altered to create the different three. It kind of reminded me of the pokemon Eevee (the one that can evolve into 3 different pokemon… anyway).


We moved to a different table for dessert/coffee and eventually made our way outside. We stayed outside for a little while because we had one of those goodbyes that kept turning into conversation each time, and only left when it started to rain on us.  Double date night, excellent.


Shiki @ Intercontinental on Urbanspoon