Mesa Lunga

When I was in kindergarten almost 15 years ago (wow, time really flies, doesn't it?), my dad brought me a bookshelf of educational books from the 80's previously owned by my very distant cousin. The books varied wildly in topic, from classical literature to sex education. Being an obedient Asian kid, I actually managed to read all those books over and over again, especially sex ed ones... joking!

Among those books, there was a series of 7 books on European countries, about their culture, art,  food, and other miscellaneous things. I read them for years and years. I especially liked the food section of those books. I bookmarked and read them whenever I had time. I would then fantasise about all those exotic foods. Fondue, paella, sachertorte, kebab, scotch whiskey (...well the series featured it as a main Scottish cuisine)... 

In the end, all but one of the books disintegrated and I had to throw them away. I still have the last survivor from that bookshelf though. It's a book about Spain. Even now, whenever I read that book, I fantasise about traveling along Costa del Sol, walking along the streets of Madrid, visiting Antoni Gaudi's creations in Barcelona, and dining in a restaurant in Valencia.

I am fairly sure my years of fantasizing would have influenced my decision when I chose Mesa Lunga as the next restaurant to review. It's not exactly dining in Valencia, I know, but it's as close as I can get with my poor university student budget.

Mesa Lunga is located at the intersection of Gouger Street and Morphett Street. You might find it slightly difficult to locate the restaurant because even if it has a big sign up, its visibility is not that great. It could have been more eye catching if the name on the sign was bigger or if they had used a different colour scheme. Hopefully this picture will help you when you are looking for Mesa Lunga.

Like many other Spanish restaurants, Mesa Lunga also functions as a very comprehensive bar. This is because many Spanish restaurants in Australia have tapas as their main selling point. Since tapas originally started as small accompaniments for alcoholic beverages in a Spanish region called Andalusia (tapa means 'top' or 'lid' in Spanish. It is thought that tapas dishes were placed on top of mugs or glasses as lids when being served to customers of the bar), alcohol is an essential aspect of tapas.

I am not sure what this restaurant's name means. After some googling, I found out that lunga means 'long' in Italian. Since mesa means 'table' in Spanish, I think Mesa Lunga is supposed to mean 'long table'. That makes sense, as the restaurant was divided into a bar section and a restaurant section by a long table in the middle. Apologies for not taking a photo of the whole restaurant. It was too crowded to take the photo while waiting to be seated.

The interior of Mesa Lunga was warm and cozy. Exposed bronze pipes, wooden chandeliers, and orange lighting gave it a steampunk vintage atmosphere. Utilisation of a brown, black, and white colour scheme made the restaurant seem warm and cozy. Jamons hanging from the ceiling and Arabic tile decorations (Muslim influence was prevalent in Medieval Spanish architecture) defined the restaurant well.  However, I found the table allocation of the restaurant slightly disappointing. Not much space was allocated to the customers seated at the long table. I (Male with 180cm height) found it a bit uncomfortable to move around in my seat. The restaurant was fully packed with people and it wasn't helping either.

We ordered;

• 2*Sangria Clara - Cava (Spanish sparkling wine), lychee and green apple liquor, brandy and apple juice with fresh mint, apple and lemon ($9 ea)
• Cerdo ('pork') - Twice cooked crispy pork belly ($12)
• Paella de Mariscos ('seafood paella') - Bomba rice, sofrito, mussels, clams, prawns, lemon ($48 for 2)

Ordering sangria and paella in a Spanish restaurant was something I had always wanted to do. Like ordering tom yam kum in a Thai restaurant (done), xiao long bao in Shanghai (not yet), and margherita pizza in Naples (not yet). We also ordered crispy pork belly as a side dish, but we ended up having it as an appetiser.

Because the weather was extremely hot when we visited Mesa Lunga, it was really nice to have water provided. It was not filtered, but it was still cold and refreshing. Service regarding water was very nice. There were 2 waitresses going around with water pitchers, promptly filling up customers' empty glasses.

Sangria is a wine punch originating from Spain. Traditional sangria consists of red wine, chopped fruit, sweetener, and some brandy. However, there are many other variations nowadays.

In my knowledge, white sangria tastes clearer and purer than the original red sangria. The aroma and taste of Sangria Clara was consistent with my knowledge. Its aroma was very mild, with the aroma of mint being the main contributor. There also was a mild aroma of apple. The aroma of cava, liquor and brandy was not very noticeable, probably because it was very cold. It had an extremely light and refreshing taste, quite easy-going on the palate. I could taste fruitiness from liquor and fruit slices, fizz from cava, and bitterness from alcohol (probably brandy) and mint, but they were all very mild. One could find its aroma and taste a bit too weak for their liking. Hien was quite disappointed with it. I also would have preferred if it was slightly sweeter.

Crispy pork seems to be something of a global cuisine to me. Wherever you go, if people eat pork, you will find pork belly dishes with crackling. The crispiness of crackling and soft juicy meat seem to have global appeal. Big thanks piggies, for providing us with such a tasty body part.

My first impression when our crispy pork belly was served was that it was very small. It was as wide as my fork, but it was smaller in its length. With the price tag of $12, it didn't feel that appealing to me.

The crackling was very nice and crispy. However, I felt that the meat was a bit dry. The seasoning was a bit too salty, but was not too unpleasant. The sauce served with it was full, sweet, cheesy, creamy, fruity; almost tangy. When the pork was had with its sauce, the sauce complimented its saltiness nicely and provided some juiciness that I felt that it needed. However, as I prefer a dish that can be eaten without its complementing sauce, I would have enjoyed this dish a lot more if it was less salty.  

Paella originates from Spanish region called Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Regardless of its variations, all paellas are common in the sense that they consist of sauteed meats/seafood, simmered rice in a wide shallow pan called paellera and spices such as saffron. The traditional form of paella consists of sauteed meat (rabbit, chicken, and duck), land snails, green vegetables, beans, seasoning, and white rice simmered in broth. Popular variations of paella includes seafood paella and mixed paella.

I was not aware of it when we were dining, but thinking about it now, the menu was very misleading. There were lots of other ingredients added in the actual paella we were served, such as chunks of chorizo sausage, squid ink, and green peas. There was no lemon provided despite it being listed on the menu as an ingredient. The added ingredients made the identity of dish unclear. I think it was more of a mixed paella than seafood paella as it was written on the menu.

Our paellera was as big as a medium-sized frying pan, about 30cm in its diameter. When I tried the paella, I could detect the strong umami taste which must have come from the seafood broth that was used to cook the rice. The seafood and chorizo chunks were well cooked. I found the seasoning pleasant, not too salty but not too bland either. The texture of  rice was quite soft due to its cooking method, but it was not soggy or sticky. There was nice socarrat (crust of rice that forms at the bottom) which I enjoyed. However, I found the bitterness of squid ink unpleasant, especially because I was not expecting it to be used as an ingredient. I couldn't smell the aroma of the spices either, though they must have been used, judging by the colour of the rice.

I felt that the overall price of dishes in Mesa Lunga were expensive compared to other restaurants in Adelaide. For example, Tapas on Hindley sells three tapas dishes and paella for $30 per person (minimum 2 people). I don't think the amount and the taste of the food served justified the price either, as I was disappointed with the portion of crispy pork belly and the misleading ingredient information of paella de mariscos. The restaurant had a welcoming interior, but the tables were uncomfortably packed. As much as I like Spanish culture, I don't think I will be visiting Mesa Lunga anytime soon.

Hien's note:
As you all know, when it comes to reviewing food, I'm not particularly good at it. So I will be blunt and straightforward with my opinion.I was quite excited to taste the sangria, because of the enticing description on the menu. Alas, the description was actually a little misleading, because I could not detect some of the flavours I had expected to taste. The flavours were washed out and weak, which ultimately resulted in disappointment.
The pork belly was not too bad in my opinion, but I agree with Ju Sung that it was too salty. I found the sauce to be extremely overpowering, and I did not like it.
The paella was not to my taste at all, and I did not enjoy it. The bitterness from the pan it was cooked in and the squid ink was the main negative factor about this dish.
Overall, Mesa Lunga was a disappointment for me. The value was not great at all, and the service wasn't the best. I don't think I will make a return to Mesa Lunga. 




Food: 2/5

Menu was misleading, unpleasant bitterness of paella, too strong seasoning of pork, bland sangria.

Value: 2/5
Generally overpriced compared to other Gouger Street restaurants & other Spanish restaurants. Crispy pork belly was too small considering its price.


Service: 2.75/5

Delay in table allocation, could not find booking manager. However, water refill was prompt.

Ambience: 3.5/5
Extraordinary interior design. Warm, vintage atmosphere consistent with the food being sold. However, it was overcrowded.

Mesa Lunga

140 Gouger Street

Adelaide

South Australia, 5000

Ph: (08) 8410 7617

Ga Bin

As unexpected as it sounds, Chinese restaurants have been one of the most prestigious contributors to the development of modern Korean dining culture. Originally called '청요리' (literally translates to 'Qing dynasty cuisine'), they started as a fine dining place for wealthy Koreans and Japanese during the Japanese occupation. After liberation, Chinese restaurants gradually grew to become a vital part of Korean dining culture in the course of 60 years.   


Nowadays, 'Chinese food' in Korea connotates slightly different meaning compared to other countries around the world. Most of the Chinese restaurants you will find in Korea are run by Koreans (which is also helped by the fact that the Korean government in the 60s-80s implemented policies to suppress growth of Chinese immigrants). The foods they serve are very different from that of the mainland China. For half a century, they have been cooked by Koreans, developed to suit the appetite of Koreans, and have become quite an original Korean cuisine.


In terms of this, Ga Bin is a unique restaurant . Unlike other Korean restaurants in Adelaide, it specialises in Koreanised Chinese cuisine. Having lived in Korea for 15 years, it makes me quite glad to think that the existence of this restaurant adds some diversity to the Korean foods offered here.  


Ga Bin is located at the intersection of Morphett Street and Grote Street. It is isolated from the main hustle and bustle of the dining sector of Gouger Street. This can make navigation slightly difficult, but the restaurant itself is quite big so you should be able to recognise it easily unless you are in a completely wrong street like I was. This is the sign you should look for. It is quite recognisable, isn't it?

Even if Ga Bin specialises in Koreanised Chinese food, they still serve many popular Korean dishes, like the ones on chef's special. Their price is a bit dearer than other Korean restaurants though.

The interior of Ga Bin was not flashy or glamorous. It served its purpose of defining the identity of the restaurant. There was a minimalistic approach to the walls and ceiling, and the utilisation of square shapes and warm colours gave it a polished, clean, simple, and welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant was also quite spacious too, giving it a refreshing quietness, unlike many other Asian restaurants. There were about 5 or 6 tables occupied when we entered Ga Bin, but it was not noticeable. This is an advantage of being located away from the space-lacking and business of Gouger street, in that Ga Bin could afford to utilise wider spaces. 

Even if I don't visit Korean restaurants often, one thing I always love when I visit Korean restaurants is that I get cold filtered water for free. I didn't appreciate it when I was in Korea because I took it for granted. Now that I am living in Australia, I know that it is not as common in other kinds of restaurants.

Soy sauce, vinegar, and chili powder. These are 3 condiments you would find in any Chinese restaurant in Korea. Soy sauce is most commonly used as a dipping sauce for dumplings. Vinegar is most commonly poured onto raw diced onions that come out as a side dish (we didn't have any served in Ga Bin though). Chili pepper is basically put in everywhere where you feel a need for some extra spiciness. There is no fixed rule or tradition though. I mean, one of my friends in Korea used to put vinegar in rice, soy sauce in onion and sprinkle chili powder over dumplings.....





Okay, now let's get on to foods, we ordered;

•  Large Black Bean Noodle Soup (삼선짜장면)$11.5 + extra $2.5 for large
• Stir-Fried Vegetable & Pork and Sweet Potato Noodle on Rice (잡채밥) $13.9
• Small Sweet and Sour Pork (탕수육) $14.5

Just like in any Korean restaurant, you are served kimchi as a side dish. Ga Bin's kimchi had a weak blend of sweetness from cabbage, very mild spiciness, mild saltiness, and some sourness from fermentation. Its texture was a bit soggy. The taste of this kimchi was a bit disappointing due to the lack of characteristic tangy flavour. However, this is really how kimchi tastes in any ordinary Korean restaurant. As famous as it is, kimchi is usually just an accompaniment for main dish. Not a lot of emphasis is put on it.   


On the right side of the photo is danmuji, pickled radishes. Originating from Japan, it is a popular accompaniment for dishes in Korean Chinese restaurants. Their purpose is exactly the same as sliced pickled ginger in Japanese cuisine; to refresh our palate.





Sweet and Sour Pork, or tangsooyook, is arguably the most popular side dish in Korea (except for fried dumplings, which you are able to get for free when you order jiajangmyuns). This dish originates from Sweet and Sour Pork of China, specifically from the recipe of Guangdong region. Originally, tangsooyook consisted of deep-fried pork strips with starch, egg yolk batter, and sweet sauce. The modern form of tangsooyook has flour and sodium bicarbonate added to its batter for extra crispiness. Its sauce also has canned pineapple added as its primary ingredient for extra sourness.


Below are the pictures of tangsooyook. The meats and sauce are served to you separately, which is a unique feature of tangsooyook compared to other sweet and sour pork dishes. This adds some flexibility to the way you can eat tangsooyook. You can either pour the sauce onto the meat, dip the meat in sauce, or be a badass and shove all the pork strips down your throat, washing it down with the sauce (I'm joking!). Another added bonus of having meats and sauces served to you separately is that the freshly deep-fried pork strips retain all its crispiness.

The way you eat Tangsooyook has always been a subject of heated discussion. It seems like everybody has their own way of eating it. My family tradition is to pour the sauce onto the meats first though. Even if I dipped my meat on the sauce in the picture below, I did end up following my family tradition.

I think Ga Bin's tangsooyook well exemplified how a well made tangsooyook tastes. Its batter was crispy and well seasoned. The sweet and sour sauce had a good balance between moderate sweetness and sourness, with some fruitiness from canned pineapples. Vegetables in the sauce (we forgot to take a picture of the sauce, but there were sliced onions, sliced zucchini and dried moki mushrooms) also added nice chewiness to the dish.    


Black Bean Noodle Soup, or jiajangmyun, is arguably the most symbolic Korean Chinese dish. It is by far the most popular delivery food in Korea with more than six million servings sold per day (read this for more information). jiajangmyun was first introduced to Korea in form of Zha Jiang Mien (炸酱麵, literally "fried sauce noodles") by Chinese labourers from Shandong region during the late 19th century. jiajangmyun in its original form consisted of wheat noodles topped with a mixture of pork mince stir-fried in salty fermented soybean paste Zha Jiang (炸酱). It developed into a modern form of jiajangmyun in the mid-1950s with the development of sweeter fermented soybean taste called chunjang (춘장). Modern Jiajangmyun consists of wheat noodles topped with a mixture of minced meat (either pork or beef) and diced onions stir-fried in chunjang. Some variations of jiajangmyun also contain scallops, prawns or mustard seeds.


Before going on to jiajangmyun, I must point out that its name on the menu was misleading. 삼선짜장면 (samsun-jiajangmyun) as it was written on the menu, refers to jiajangmyun with seafood. However, from what I was served, it was just vanilla jiajangmyun. Its English description on the menu was quite correct though.


Ga Bin's jiajangmyun consisted of jiajang sauce (stir fried onion, pork mince and chunjang sauce) noodle, and some cucumber slices. I have heard many people saying that those cucumber slices on jiajangmyun are meant to help digestion. I don't think that amount of cucumber slices will help digestion significantly though. In my opinion, the slices are just there to add some visual highlight. Jiajangmyun without cucumber slices would very closely resemble a black smudge... Not so appetising.  

Jiajangmyun doesn't actually have that much soup. It just looks like noodles are submerged in jiajang sauce because jiajang sauce is poured onto the noodle before it is served. Since jiajang sauce is quite viscous, you must stir it a bit before you eat. The stirring makes jiajangmyun look like a mess but it tastes more consistent that way. 





Stir-fried onion and caramel (caramel is used to sweeten chunjang) added some pleasant sweetness to the jiajang sauce, while fermented bean still kept it savoury. There was no pungent characteristic of fermented sauces either, which I found very pleasant. The noodle was not handmade, but it was still chewy and nice. However, I found it disappointing that there wasn't much pork mince. Pork mince plays an important role in forming the flavour of jiajangmyun as its savouriness balances with sweetness from onion and caramel, while also giving the food a nice meaty texture.


One thing you must be cautious of when you are eating jiajangmyun is that it is very easy to make a mess. Since the sauce is thick and black, you would have very visible splotches of jiajang sauce around your mouth. Make sure you wipe it off or apply more black makeup if you are going to an emo concert before you leave.


Stir-fried vegetable & pork and sweet potato noodle on rice, or simply japchaebap (literally japchae with rice), is also a very popular dish in Korean Chinese restaurants. However, it differs a bit from other foods in the sense that they originate from traditional Korean food. Japchae was first made in the early 17th century in Korea for royal functions. Originally consisting of stir-fried sliced vegetables, mushrooms, and pork slices seasoned with soy sauce, it now has dangmyun (noodles made from sweet potato starch) added as a primary ingredient. japchaebap is simply a dish consisting of this japchae and rice.


Ga Bin's japchaebap consisted of rice and japchae. Japchae was made of stir-fried vegetables (sliced carrot, onion, zucchini, Korean chives), dangmyun, and pork strips. 





One might think it is a weird combination to have rice accompanied by noodle. However, this combination works well because dangmyun differs a lot from other noodles. Being made of starch, it is a lot more chewy than flour-based noodles, making it a bit difficult to be eaten as a staple food. It works better when consumed as an accompaniment to rice or other noodles. 

Following tradition, the flavour of japchae was formed primarily by soy sauce. Its saltiness was moderate, just right to accompany rice. However, one thing that differed it from traditionally made japchae was a strong emphasis on black pepper. The taste of black pepper in dish was as strong as soy sauce. Hien and I did not mind it, but the pepperness of this dish can be a turn-off factor for some people. I would also have not minded having more pork strips in japchae. The rice was cooked in Korean style, exclusively using short-grain rice and simmering. This resulted in its characteristic stickiness but it was not too much. Complimented by the chewiness of dangmyun, it provided a nice texture to the dish. 

The overall price of dishes in Ga Bin was a bit more expensive compared to Korea, but in Australian restaurant standard, it was not bad. $40-50 was enough for two person to dine with 3 dishes, 1 main for each and 1 side dish. Even if I felt that they could have been more generous with portions of meats in the dish, the actual portion was quite nice too. Hien and I were feeling very full after our meal (our stomach size is about average). I was quite satisfied with what I was served in Ga Bin. Considering its uniqueness and symbolic value to Korean part of me, I will be visiting the restaurant again every once in a while.

Food: 3.5/5

Jiajangmyun tasted the way it did in Korea. Tangsooyook was crispy and well seasoned. However, strong pepperness of Japchaebap can be a minus factor to some people. 

Value: 3.75/5

Reasonable compared to other Gouger Street restaurants & other Korean restaurants. Portion was nice, enough to make us feel very full. However, jiajangmyun and japchaebap could have had more meats.

Service: 3.5/5

Free cold filtered water, prompt service when requested.

Ambience: 3.5/5

Warm welcoming atmosphere. Spacious dining hall. Interior consistent with the food being sold.  




Ga Bin
144 Grote Street
Adelaide
South Australia, 5000
Ph: (08) 8231 9996

The Elephant British Pub

Okay, pub is probably not the most romantic place to dine out. I don’t go to pubs often because I don’t have friends I don’t like drinking much either. However, I think one must agree that pubs have unique attractiveness as a dining place. You can’t experience that bustling, fun, and care-free atmosphere from any other sort of places.

Located near Palace Nova Eastend cinema, the Elephant is a quite well known -just like all the pubs on Rundle street- pub. This is where Hien and I will be popping our cherries as food bloggers.

If you are tunnel-visioned like me, you could have been oblivious of the existence of the Elephant. Its location is not as obvious as Austral or Exeter Hotel pub, you need to go into the side street (That’s a big thing for people with no sense of direction like me :<)! I wouldn’t be surprised if people remember this pub as something like ‘that drinking place near the cinema’…..well, because I did. For directionless souls like me, this is the sign you have to look for.

 

It’s not as obvious from the photo, but it was really really busy when we went in. The atmosphere was as expected. Quite loud, busy, and crowded. But it’s quite a pleasant atmosphere to be in. It’s Friday evening and people were having fun. It felt like I was being showered with the radiating happiness from people. As for ‘British Pub’ atmosphere, I guess I can’t comment since I’ve never been to the UK, but I don’t think it is a big uniqueness of the Elephant. Most Australian pubs share that atmosphere.

It took us about 20 minutes to find a table, and even then we had to share it with another group. I think they thought we were some tourists with all the photos we were taking and all the notes we were writing Hien wore funny shirts too. Our order number was 44, double death (in many Asian languages 4 is pronounced the same as death, 死). Maybe it was foreshadowing imminent misfortune…. But luckily I didn’t suffer from any as of yet.

 

Now enough talk with inedibles, let’s get onto glorious food! We ordered;

• 2*Tooheys 5 Seeds Apple Cider ($7 ea)
• Fish and Chips ($16.90)
• King Henry Pork Cutlet ($18.90)

We ordered cider because.. well I’m a very non-manly man with strong fondness for sweetness. Fish and Chips and King Henry Pork Cutlet were chosen because they represent two popular method of pub meal preparation, deep-frying and grilling.

It took us quite a bit, about half an hour, to get our meals. I think that was understandable seeing as the bar was extremely busy. The staff there were quite friendly and nice too so I didn’t find it unpleasant.

In one word, I would summarise the taste of 5 Seeds Cider as ‘balanced.’ Moderate fruity taste of apple, slight bitterness, weak sweetness (obviously it’s not as sweet as I thought), and slightly woody aroma were defining its taste. It has quite a light characteristic and goes soft on palate. It is quite a refreshing drink. However, for people like me with strong fondness for full bodied sweetness of cider, it could taste quite bland.

As you can see from the photo below, 5 Seeds Cider has a lighter colour compared to other ciders. I found it quite appetising.

The Fish and Chips dish consisted of Hake fillets, tartare sauce, lemon, chips, and fresh garden salad with a vinegarette dressing. The first impression I got when I tried the fish and chips was that it was very well fried. As you can see from the colour of the batter, it was cooked in a fresh clean oil (I can’t say it’d be like that everytime though, we visited the pub quite early in the evening and they might have just changed their oil).

Both the fillet and chips were very crispy on the outside with juiciness in the core. I know it is quite common for deep fried meals to be either too soggy or overcooked, but as you can see from the photo below, the fillet retained juiciness while still being crispy on the outside. They were both seasoned mildly and consistently. We didn’t need lemon to cover excessive fish aroma either, an indicator that the fillet was likely to be fresh.

As for the accompaniments, tartare sauce showed a pleasant blend of sweetness and sourness. However, we didn’t find a need for tartare because we are true blue british… I mean, because the fillet was nice enough without it.

The salad was also a nice blend of fresh garden vegetables and mild vinegarette. Vinegarette was not too excessive and and enhanced the flavour of vegetables. One thing Hien found disappointing was the fact that there was just a small piece of tomato.

King Henry Pork Cutlet. Grilled pork cutlet, mashed potato, steamed vegetable, and apple sauce. Can’t get more British than that can it?

As soon as I tried a bite of pork cutlet, I could taste strong saltiness. It was quite strong, and for me it was beyond the boundary of pleasant saltiness. It had nice roast aroma, but the taste from its charred bits was very strong and bitter. Strong saltiness and bitterness were forming the backbone of its flavour. However, the inside of cutlet was cooked quite nicely, well-done and juicy. It provided a nice texture to the meat.

The apple sauce was very sweet and condensed. It complimented the saltiness and bitterness -which I felt was quite excessive- of the pork cutlet. However, I didn’t feel keen on it because I think sauces should be used to enhance the taste, not to hide it. I think if something is unpleasantly cooked, even if you find a way to hide it, it’s not a good meal. 

Mashed potato was quite rough in its texture, and I could feel some chunkiness every now and then. However, I think it is really up to personal taste. I prefer soft creamy mashed potato but I find that rough mashed potato can be quite pleasant too.

Steamed vegetables were well cooked and seasoned lightly with salt. I’m not a fan of steamed vegetables because I always find them too soggy for my liking. However, this one had moist texture without being soggy. Mild seasoning of salt also enhanced the flavour of vegetables very well.

As I’m not an avid pub goer, I don’t think I will be making a fair judgement about the Elephant if I were to make one. However, I can confidently say that it was a quite nice and happy place to dine in. As you would have seen from the photos, the portion is decent (probably not the best though), considering the price. It can get a bit busy, but I guess that’s part of fun. You get to talk with your friends and enjoy the atmosphere. Personally, I’ll go there again when I’m feeling like something nicely deep fried. If I’m feeling like something grilled… I’ll find somewhere else though :< 

Hien’s Notes
Not much to say. I liked The Elephant British Pub. The prices are reasonable. I was very happy with the Fish and Chips. I did not enjoy the King Henry Pork Cutlet and found it to be overly salty.
Apologies for the lack of photos and quality of the photos. I should probably bring two lenses next week!


Food: 4/5 (fish and chips) 2.25/5 (King Henry Pork Cutlet) 2.75/5 (5 Seeds Cider)

One of the best fish and chips in Adelaide CBD. Fresh salad with refreshing dressing.
Pork cutlet was unpleasantly salty and had excessively burnt bits. However, steamed vegetable was okay.
5 Seeds Cider was light and refreshing, but too weak.

Value: 4/5 (fish and chips) 2.5/5 (rest)

Prices similar to other pubs in Rundle Street. 

Quality of fish and chips was definitely better than its price. 

For the price we paid, we would not buy King Henry pork cutlet or 5 seeds cider again

Service: 2.75/5

Took long to receive our meal. Staff seemed a bit confused.

Ambience: 3/5
Merry pub atmosphere. Interior consistent with food and drinks being sold. However, there was nothing extraordinarily British about its ambience.

The Elephant - British Pub
1 Cinema Place
East End
Adelaide
South Australia, 5000
Ph: (08) 8227 1633Fax: (08) 8227 1644