Chilling Out at Saldechin

Bonsoir! Sorry about not posting yesterday, but this is the follow up post.

Vendredi (Friday)... one of my favourite days (if I don't have to get to work on Saturday that is!). It is the day that for the majority, signifies the end of a hard working week and in some instances, when celebration for the weekend begins. With the Friday just passed, I was invited to a combined birthday (SL and TS, once again Happy Birthday...and yes the wrinkles are starting to show!) held at Saldechin. The location is perfect, especially for after work drinks (not that I had work that day, but you get the point). This is the place where you can wear a suit and NOT be pretentious, unlike some other places around the CBD.

For those of you who don't know, Saldechin is located on King William St, right in the heart of Adelaide's CBD. It is restaurant / tearoom / martini bar with some pretty chic decor. They are open 7 days, but what I believe is the main attraction is the Happy Hour $10 cocktails on Friday evenings (from 5pm to 8pm, which was conveniently when the birthday was held), and ALL DAY Saturdays and Sundays. They do have quite an extensive collection of cocktails (some quite unique and definitely tasty creations as well). I've snapped a few photos of what I ordered (unfortunately I did forget a couple of drinks), including a tapas selection.

Kublai Khan - vodka, melon liqueur and pineapple juice

This was a rather enjoyable drink (yes CY, I do make this quite often myself!), and they definitely did nail  this drink with the proportions of each component.

Hong Kong Martini - lychee black tea infused vodka, triple sec and lemon sours

Oh MY.... this was TASTY! I was tempted to gulp down this drink - the actual taste of alcohol was minimal, but it was definitely there (quite a number of people felt it!). The lightness of the infused vodka and the tanginess of the lemon sours made this a perfect summer martini cocktail creation.

Extra Dry Dirty Martini - gin & a splash of dry vermouth served chilled straight up with an olive garnish + splash of olive brine

This is a "real" drink if you ask me....loved it. They definitely made a very decent traditional martini (plus the additions which I requested for). The best way to judge how good a bar is in making cocktails is to order the basics and see how well the make it (and of course how well they deal with the tweaks you chuck in).

Socialite - bourbon whiskey, lime juice, grenadine, orange juice

Although the base alcohol for "Socialite" is bourbon whiskey, the juices of the citrus fruits made it very light and the sweetness from the grenadine syrup made it just right. Also another enjoyable cocktail.

Tapas tasting plate (from top): Saldechin Crab Cakes, Cajun Spiced Sweet Potato Fritters, Prawn Trumpets, Buffalo Chicken Wings

The idea of tapas platter to have with cocktails is amazing (the price isn't too steep either, which made it an excellent choice for something to nibble on as you are drinking). The crab cakes were alright, but the buffalo chicken wings were awesome. Similarly, the prawn trumpets were pretty good (it was surprising that the filling was garlic prawns, not just ordinary prawns) and the sweet potato fritters, although weren't crispy, tasted really good with the lemon aioli.

The mixologists were friendly, although it was hectic at some point (which was to be expected as it was Happy Hour on a Friday evening). The service towards the later part of the evening was quite good (apart from one of the staff who was a bit snappy, which dampened the mood slightly), but regardless of that, it was an enjoyable evening. The live jazz band also helped with the atmosphere of the whole place. I haven't tried the restaurant section of Saldechin, but from the perspective of the martini bar, I highly recommend that you drop by and have a martini (or a few!). 

Always remember, la bonne nourriture means excellent company (for the majority of times) ;)

Sparrows Flying into North Adelaide

Bonjour!


First off, désolé for M.I.A. (missing in action) for a good long while. I will compensate for my actions by providing you with not only one review, but make it a DOUBLE review! For starters, it will be Sparrows on O'Connell St, then I will move to Saldechin on King William Road, but first thing's first.

So a couple of weeks ago, I went to Sparrow to celebrate a birthday of a friend of mine (happy birthday again for then LS). It was a beautiful Sunday with perfect weather - not too hot, or too cold, yet sunny with blue skies. As it was lunch time, I really felt ] like a main meal rather than tapas. So decided to order a steak...

Black Angus Sirloin with Salsa Verde with Green Salad as a side

The cut of sirloin was actually really good, with some streaks of fat through it making the piece very nice and tender. I did order the meat medium-rare, but when I started cutting into it, it was more medium, to medium-well done (similarly with another friend of mine who ordered something similar). That was really the only criticism to the actual steak, but it was still nice. The salsa verde sauce was pretty light which was what I wanted. As I needed a side to go with it, I decided that the green salad was probably a good choice. I did have a whole bowl of salad (placed some beside the steak) - it is pretty pricey for a bowl of green leaves which was absolutely drenched in olive oil... really didn't need that much and the vinegar was pretty bland (bit of white wine or red wine vinaigrette would have been the better option here clearly!), but nevertheless, steak was still good.

This wasn't actually the first time that I've been to Sparrows. The previous time (which was quite a while ago now), we ordered purely tapas - they were actually fantastic (based on what's available here in SA). The menu at Sparrows does change quite frequently so some of the items are not currently available or they may have been replaced.

Grilled scallops with potato mousse

Duck donut, aioli, porcini salt

Sparrow's Mini Wagyu Burger

Sour Green Apple Macaron and Creme Brûlée (or Catalana...can't actually remember)

Lemon tart (I think)

Molten lava chocolate cake with peanut brittle and vanilla ice-cream

The potato mousse and the salty bacon bits with the scallop was A-MAZING (can't believe it's not on the menu at the moment!). The texture was extremely silky and the grilled scallops in the middle was bursting with flavours. If you ever go to Sparrows, duck donuts are a MUST! Yes, they are slightly pricey, but the flavours in them are just incredible. The donut itself is made from taro (or yam) and the duck is just tender and juicy in the middle... aioli of course gave it that extra edge. If this was fast food, I'd definitely be eating it everyday! The signature Wagyu burgers are pricey, but they also tasted pretty good! I think one of the Wagyu piece was slightly dry, but the other one was just dripping with juices.

Then came desserts... the sweetness from the creme dessert balanced out the tartness from the sour green apple macaron. The lemon tart was also a memorable item; the tang of the lemon was cut out by the slightly sweet meringue (pretty good looking dessert as well). The downside was the actual lava cake which was actually not melting as much as we had hoped, but the peanut brittle was quite nice. I have realised that the desserts have completely changed in the menu so do try them out and let me know!

Of course, when you're having tapas, you need Sangria as well! We tried out all their Sangrias and were quite impressed. I suggest going on a Sunday to utilise their "Sangria day" offers. The staff there were quite nice and service was quite good. Recommend that you try it out.