La Boca X Prancing Pony Matched Beers Dinner

 

Hi guys! Last Thursday we went to the La Boca X Prancing Pony Brewery Matched Beers Dinner held at La Boca Bar & Grill in the city and had a fabulous time! As soon as I saw the six course menu I knew I had to buy tickets to this special dinner, as each course sounded delicious! This was also a great chance to try some craft beers, which I don't normally order. We were so happy to see upon arrival that we were seated on our own instead of on long shared tables, like a recent matched wines dinner we attended. As introverts, we are much more comfortable sitting by ourselves than having to make small talk with a bunch of strangers we'll never see again lol.

Let's have a look at the menu!

Course 1

Signature Beef Empanadas
Traditional Argentinean beef empanadas, loaded with a mixture of ground beef, capsicum, olives and onions. (The only course that concerned me because I dislike olives, but I didn't taste them and this was a delightful start to the night!).
Paired with Blaze Of Haze
Easy-going and refreshing. Moderate to high hop aroma. Sweet fruits, predominantly strawberries, followed by gooseberry and blackberry, with a very slight note of citrus. Creamy mouthfeel and smooth bitterness, with a hint of toasty oat from the malt. (Loved this beer, the paler the better for me).

Course 2

Choripan With Criolla Salsa
Chorizo sausage, crusty bread accompanied by relish composed of onion, capsicum, tomato and vinegar. (I definitely tasted the vinegar here! This is a smaller version of a very similar dish from their express lunch menu which I've had before, with a different bread, but I liked this version more.)
Paired with Sunshine Ale
A refreshing Summer Ale with a smooth and delicate hop flavour. Beautifully balanced with moderate bitterness and a citrus kick. Pineapple, lychee and honeydew melon shining through from the hop, with a delicate biscuit malty finish. (I really enjoyed this beer too, couldn't discern the flavours though lol.)

Course 3
Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Ribs
24 hours slow cooked pork ribs, finished on a wood fire grill and glazed with honey mustard. (These ribs were so tasty! More would have been good but they have to do small portions when there's six courses!).
Paired with Hopwork Orange
A refreshing Pale Ale with hop aromas of orange, tangerines and pine, alongside balanced caramel malt flavours. (I love the play on A Clockwork Orange here, very clever! Love these flavours and it was nice to try it in a craft beer).

Course 4

Asado Pork Belly Bondiola
Authentic Argentinian sandwich with thick slice of pork belly asado, chimichurri and rocket leaf. (This was delicious! I'm a huge fan of pork belly, so really enjoyed this tender juicy meat with the crispy crackling in the bread pocket).
Paired with India Red Ale
Mango, passionfruit, blackcurrant, apricot and pineapple hop aroma making the beer super fruity combined with strong caramel malt character. Supreme Champion Beer at the International Beer Challenge in London, 2016. (Another yummy beer and an award winner, no less! Loved the fruity flavours).

Course 5

Mini Wagyu Burger
Wood fire grilled homemade juicy Wagyu burger patty, provolone cheese and mini brioche bun. (They don't mention that it comes with fries and they were so good! I think drinking this much beer elevates all the flavours haha. I couldn't finish my burger though, so it went to hubby).
Paired with Amber Ale
The Amber Ale is a  full-bodied American style ale, delicately floral and slightly spicy hops. The hint of caramel malt makes this beer super toasty and cosy, but also surprisingly refreshing. (Try as I might, I couldn't make out the spicy taste. Probably a little too strong for me).

Course 6

Churros With Dulce De Leche
Deep fried churros coated with cinnamon sugar and served with traditional caramel sauce. (Delicious and a great way to finish the night. However a spoon would have been nice so we didn't have to use our fingers to reach the remaining caramel sauce at the bottom of the jar, lol).
Paired with Pinkers Brut IPA
Eden Pink has brewed for Prancing Pony Brewery for a fifth of her life now. This IPA Brut style celebrates that. It is super dry with a low IBU and an ABV of 7.2%. The flavour profile is tropical, with hints of lychee. Eden used a combination of tropical hops including Eldorado, Sabro, Amarillo and Citra. (Six beers in and you're expecting a flavour profile breakdown? I don't know my own name at this point! Not gonna lie, I skulled this and we were on our way lol).

Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I'm so glad we went! You don't have to make any choices on the night as all food and drinks are set, so you just sit back, relax and enjoy each course as it's served. I'm definitely keen to do more alcohol-matched dinners in the future, as they are so much fun.

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Royal Adelaide Show!

 

Hi guys! This year's Show was dubbed 'Royal Adelaide Show: The Reunion' after being missing in action for a few years due to Covid. And despite news reports stating numbers would be capped, it was clear to see the crowds were massive, at least when we went on the weekend. Thankfully it was lovely weather on the day we attended, 'cos there's nothing worse than walking around in the rain!

I didn't take as many photos as I usually do, and for the first time ever, we didn't stay for the fireworks. But we still packed a lot in and I'm happy with what we got done. Let's take a look at our day at the Royal Show....

I was so excited to find OMG Donuts in one of the pavilions! We got the 3 donuts for $10 deal for the second time in as many weeks (the first time was from their stall in the Adelaide Central Market). They are so light and fluffy! You absolutely must try them if you're in Adelaide.

We did the Yellow Brick Road trail again, which I love because it takes you all over the showgrounds and you get to see lots of different things. Plus you get to collect actual healthy items like bananas, apples, oranges and mandarins along the way. Which is good as normally I eat all the bad things at the Show - but this year I just didn't feel like it. Yes, donuts and ice cream went in the pie-hole, but normally it's a lot worse lol #dontjudge

I always love checking out the flowers, cactus and bonsai displays, along with the decorated cakes and cookery entries.

We tried to see the dogs but it was too packed to get a seat when we went because they were doing the judging trials. I wanted to see the dogs in crates bit but it wasn't where it normally is and I found out later on Reddit that it was through the northern section. 

You couldn't see the cats up close this year, which was disappointing. However, I made a new best friend (see the photo above). We walked through the large animals bits and saw lots of massive pigs and cows. Look how many boobies this pig has!

We got some food from Carnivore and although hubby's buffalo wings were massive, my pulled pork loaded fries were disappointing. $15 for a totally cold dish which I basically just ate the pork off because the fries were cold and not nice. We watched the woodchopping and my bum got wet from the bench lol.

The dairy pavilion was good because of the free brie and camembert samples and the ice cream. I had an idea to get Royal Copenhagen but noticed it had been replaced by St Louis, which was just as good! We both got lemon sorbet and chocolate noir and ate it out in the sun.

The Tasting SA pavilion was super packed and it was ridiculous trying to sample the products so I gave up. We went through the Golden Grains (or possibly the Ram Shed?) part and looked at some sheep that I thought were goats (lol). They didn't have their wool on, so you know, it was confusing.

We got a few showbags right before leaving so we didn't have to carry them around all day. We treated this like a military operation. We basically split up and had individual missions to locate and purchase certain bags. We had had enough and were not fucking around at this point lol.

I had a good time but next year will go on a weekday, as it was just so packed full of people on the weekend!

An Indian Feast at Johnny's Kitchen!

Johnny's Kitchen
56 Glen Osmond Road
Parkside
SA 5063

Hi guys! I was recently invited to try out Indian restaurant Johnny's Kitchen, which is located on Glen Osmond Road, right near Kublai Khan. I immediately felt a hit of nostalgia, because we've had many a romantic night at this Mongolian BBQ restaurant, but it was time for a new adventure! I love Indian food, so I was excited to sample some flavourful Indian curries and see what else they had to offer. We were met by Jany, who was warm and welcoming. She's married to Johnson, aka Johnny, the Chef and Owner. They were happy to pose for this cute photo for me!

The inside of the restaurant is decorated with beautiful paintings and a large wall mural, that's both colourful and gorgeous. The tables are absolutely stunning, and they are so unique! I spent a while looking at them all and deciding where to sit based on lighting and how the glass-topped table looked for photos! I even swapped tables, because I just couldn't decide (this might be a food blogger thing!).

Johnny's Kitchen is a home-style restaurant, serving authentic Indian dishes with local ingredients sourced from the farm or markets. This ensures fresh dishes, prepared simply so the food shines. They pride themselves on using quality ingredients, less oils and absolutely no preservatives or food colours.

Have you heard of a Lassi before? No, I'm not referring to the pretty Collie dog, I'm talking about the Indian drink! We tried the Mango Lassi's and wow, were they yummy! Think a mix between a tangy yogurt drink and a thick milkshake. The Lassi is a traditional chilled Indian drink that is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and fruit. I'm so glad we tried these, as it really enhanced our Indian experience at Johnny's Kitchen!

For entree, we chose Samosas and Chicken Tikka. The samosas were tasty flaky parcels filled with seasonal potato, peas, cumin seeds, and were deep fried to perfection. I love this type of food! The chicken tikka was such a vibrant orange colour and came with some fresh salad. This boneless chicken dish is marinated overnight with yogurt, ginger, garlic and Johnny's Kitchen blend of special herbs and spices, then roasted in a charcoal tandoor. These dishes were all the yum!

We were all set with our main course choices of Butter Chicken for me and Lamb Vindaloo for my husband, but Jany generously surprised us with more of their delicious curries and a beautiful bowl of saffron rice, so were were really able to get a taste of more of their dishes. We also ordered garlic naan bread and cheese naan bread, because you can't have curries without naan!

The Butter Chicken was so creamy and bursting with that familiar butter chicken flavour. It's my favourite Indian dish and Johnny's Kitchen version does not disappoint! I would order this again and again and highly recommend you try it if you pay them a visit! Hubby's Lamb Vindaloo was pretty spicy but I loved it. The thing I love about Indian dishes is that they are bursting with flavour, and these curries sure nail that brief.

We also tried a couple of vegetable-based curries. The Dal Tadka (which I admit, I'd never heard of before) is yellow lentils cooked on a slow heat and seasoned with butter, onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and garnished with coriander. This one was a bit milder and a welcome reprieve from the vindaloo. The Palak Paneer, the dark green coloured curry is cottage cheese cubes cooked with spinach, spices and a dash of cream. I'm not a huge fan of spinach, so although I tried this one and didn't dislike it, I mainly left it for my husband!

I absolutely loved both the cheese and the garlic naan breads and the fluffy and fragrant saffron rice was the perfect accompaniment to the delicious curries. I love that this restaurant caters to vegetarians, with a large range of non-meat dishes on their menu, too. Whether you eat meat or not, there really is something to please all tastes and diets. We had an amazing experience at Johnny's Kitchen and would highly recommend you go check them out! They currently have a number of specials running, and if you subscribe to their emails, you get a generous 25% off your food bill in August, dine in or takeaway!

You can check out the Johnny's Kitchen website here, like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram here!

Thanks so much to With Eric's Help for facilitating this visit. Go check out his page if you're in the market for a Marketing expert!

You may be interested in Cooking With Foodee: Mee Goreng

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Disclaimer: We were invited as guests to Johnny's Kitchen, all food and drinks were provided. Reviews are my honest opinion. All photos taken by Max The Unicorn blog, please give photo credit @imhungrymax if sharing on Instagram or Max The Unicorn if sharing on Facebook. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite Indian dish?

Cooking with Foodee: Mee Goreng!

Hi guys! I'm so excited to tell you all about Foodee, because, drum roll please ..... I made Mee Goreng! And it was a roaring success! Foodee was created by Jenn, Miss Foodee, a home cook who aims to simplify the grocery shopping and dinner cooking experience and take the stress out of the age old question 'what's for dinner?'. Foodee is an Adelaide-based meal kit experience at grocery store prices. You simply choose which meals you want to cook, and Foodee packs all the necessary ingredients and delivers them to your door! I'm thrilled to have collaborated with Foodee* and think it's a fabulous service.

Currently there are six meals to choose from:
~ Beef Pho
~ Curry Laksa
~ Satay
~ Rendang
~ Mee Goreng
~ Asam Laksa

More recipes will be added in the coming weeks too! So whether you are an experienced cook or a novice like me, there are choices to suit your tastes and skill level. I chose Mee Goreng because it looked super-straightforward, enabling me the best chance to obtain a nice photo for my foodie Instagram account and a delicious dinner, haha. Win win!

Delivery is available to the the Adelaide metro area and it's free on orders over $30. As long as you order by 11:59pm on Wednesdays, your delivery will come the following weekend. You can even add in pantry items and fresh vegetables as optional extras. Think anything from garlic, bok choy and kaffir lime leaves to red onions, fresh eggs and oyster sauce. I added in a generous jar of fried shallots and they really elevated my dish with a crunchy flavourful texture. And now I have the remainder to add to other Asian dishes I make, which is great because fried shallots are something I would never usually buy!

My Foodee experience was easy and fun! Included in the box is a recipe card for your chosen meal, with clear instructions. Up the top is the ingredients, then it says the amount of people the dish serves and the cooking time. I love a set of simple directions, and when there's only seven things to do, I'm like "YES, I can do this!". The only preparation for Mee Goreng was chopping the chicken, cutting the bok choy and chilis up (an optional extra I added) and cutting some lime wedges for garnishing. Then it was just simply a matter of frying the chicken until it was brown, adding the bok choy, the Mee Goreng sauce and the Singapore noodles. Check out my photos below for the cooking process.

The only thing not included in the pack was the eggs, but I had eggs in the fridge, as most people do, so I fried a couple to add to the top of the dish. I did have to Google 'which part of the bok choy do you eat' (lol) and apparently it's all of it, so I chopped up and added the whole thing. All of the ingredients provided were super fresh and great quality! The sauce was Ayam brand and the chicken was Lilydale. As an added bonus, the instructions said to use only half the chicken thighs, so I had leftover chicken which I used for dinner the following night!

Overall, I am really impressed with this Foodee box and my experience, and would highly recommend it if you're in Adelaide! The customer service was friendly and professional and Jenn was a delight from start to finish. Please check them out on their website and give them a follow on Instagram as well!

As a special offer to my readers, use the code 'IMHUNGRYMAXAUG2020' at checkout to receive $5 off your order! This code expires at the end of August.

You may be interested in Restaurant Recommendation: The Locavore

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Disclaimer: *This Box was provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite Asian dish to cook?

Stirling Restaurant Recommendation: The Locavore

The Locavore
49 Mount Barker Road
Stirling
SA 5152

Hi guys! Last month we went on a drive to Stirling, in the Adelaide Hills. It's such a beautiful area, with lots of pretty flowers, gorgeous trees lining the roads and quaint little shops that just begged to be explored! I really love the relaxed vibe, and I guess it helped that we visited on a lazy Sunday. The only problem was, Sunday is the one day of the week the much-hyped Lobethal Bakery is closed. Oh damn! So that's still on my must-visit list (a great excuse to re-visit this lovely part of South Australia).

We had lunch at The Locavore, which is a family-run restaurant situated along Mount Barker Road. Given the option, I basically never choose to sit outside (wind being my mortal enemy and all) but it was such a lovely day, and to keep hubby on his toes (plus natural lighting, who are we kidding?), we sat out the front, which was the best decision ever. It was a super relaxed atmosphere and we were able to people and (more importantly) dog watch to our hearts content. So many dogs, you guys.

The Locavore specialises in locally sourced produce, and they strive to live by the 100 mile diet. This means that, as much as possible, they try to work with produce that is grown within a 100 mile radius of the restaurant. I love this idea. Talk about supporting local! Time to slip the #IChooseSA hashtag in.

Now onto the food. They do have a Kids Menu, but we did have to request it. Everything on the adult menu was a bit too fancy for our fussy son, who has only recently branched out to Fish and Chips as his restaurant order, after a good many years ordering Chicken Nuggets and Chips. Baby steps, right? He loved his meal, and happily, it was quite a generous size for a kids meal. The hand-cut chips were super chunky too!

Hubby and I ordered the Dips & Dukkah Starter and it was amazing! He said to me "you're ordering the dips platter no matter what, aren't you?" and he was right. Ain't no stopping me. This is one of my favourite things to get as a Starter, and this platter did not disappoint. There's just something about dipping various breads in oils, dips and dukkah that makes my heart sing. These flavours were delicious. It included two housemade dips, toasted rye bread, extra virgin olive oil, vincotto, house made dukkah and Fleurieu olives which hubby claimed because I'm that freak that dislikes olives.

My husband had the Murraylands Sirloin with Three Chips (lol, not the actual name of it) which he said was beautifully cooked. It was actually served with kipfler potato and red wine jus. Yum. Usually we let our son steal some of our chips, but hubby wasn't letting him eat Tom, Dick or Harry on this occasion, and rightly so. Haha.

I ordered the Gnocchi, which was accompanied by a creamy, delicious sauce and was absolutely to die for. I always gravitate towards pasta, what can I say? Sorry, not sorry. Except sorry to my clothes, I guess, which invariably fit a little tighter afterwards. Worth it though, when a dish tastes this good! Guys, I cannot find the menu I printed out at the time with this exact dish name on it (lol, I can't be the only one that prints out the menu and plans their entire meal beforehand? Like with highlighter and everything?) and now their online menu has changed so I have NFI what this gnocchi exactly was, just know that it was incredible and you should haul arse to Stirling and dine at The Locavore immediately.

You can follow The Locavore on Instagram here or Facebook here and make a booking here.

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Disclaimer: Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Do you have a favourite restaurant in the Adelaide Hills?