It was my wife’s 50th birthday last week and so we decided, seeing as how it was a momentous occasion, we would celebrate it in style. That being the case we decided on the Riverside Restaurant which just happens to be one of Adelaide’s favorite buffet restaurants. I didn’t realize how sumptuous Riverside’s buffet selection really was until we rocked up on the night.

Even though I’m not a seafood fan, my wife is and it is her night after all, and it just so happened that the Riverside features a great range incorporating the best of local seafood and produce, as well as a range of decadent desserts, and I have to admit the desert was to die for.

Like I said I’m not into seafood but Anna and the guests were and they absolutely loved it. It consisted of fresh prawns, oysters and crabs. As can be seen from the following photo the presentation was superb.

Next is a photo of some of the selection of salads and stuff.

What I really liked was the roasts and desserts, and the fact that the service was impeccable. They were even nice enough to organize a small section of the room just for us. This photo is a view of the restaurant from our little special spot.

As I said they supplied great service which included this margarita just for Anna.

It was a great night and the family had a great time. You’re all wondering about the price. Well the buffet itself was $65 per head which I though was more than reasonable. They had a nice selection of wine, of which the guests chose Lehman Shiraz at $45 per bottle and Kalleske Clarry’s Grenache Shiraz at $46 a bottle, both which was dearer than what you would pay in a bottle shop but withing reason for a restaurant of this type.

Beers included Coronas, James Boags and Crown Lager which were $10.50 and $9.50 respectively, and Hahn Light at $7 a pop. The only thing that knocked me for a six was that they charged $10 for every bottle of water (Santa V Still) which I thought a bit rich.

Anyway, like I said, it was a great night and well worth the money spent. The Riverside Restaurant is located at North Terrace in Adelaide and if your interested in more details about this Restaurant please phone them on (08) 8238 2384.

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In my last post I mentioned the Tap Inn where we had my son’s 21st, so I thought it only fitting that I dedicate this post to another Adelaide business that I happened to come across, and all because of my daughters 18th birthday.

I’m talking about a nice little store that specializes in making cakes for all occasions, especially weddings, engagements and christenings. My wife happened to find it while surfing and once she showed the site, 2 Nice 2 Slice, to my daughter the decision was made.

Honestly, from the moment we picked it up it was obvious that a lot of love

and care was put into making this cake, and we couldn’t thank Melissa Barnet enough when we saw how well it turned out. As you can see from the photo the cake came in four tiers with the cake proper on the top tier.

The other tiers were filled with scrumptious cupcakes each of which had Lindt Chocolate as part of the ingredients. We had a total of 38 cupcakes and they comprised of three different flavors.

I can honestly say that the cake tasted as good as it looked. It was all I could do to keep my hands off it until it was time for Nadia, my daughter, to cut the cake. If you look at the main cake you can just see that it had some crystals embedded in it. According to the wife they were Swarovski crystals, but don’t quote me on that.

We had the cake set up in full view of the guests and I can safely say that every one of them commented on how great it looked. It was all I could do to keep the kids from knocking off one of the cupcakes before Nadia had time to cut the cake.

Needless to say that whilst the barbecue went really well, I’m sure that most of the guest were hanging back some so that they would have some room left for that cake.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post the guys that put this cake together call themselves 2 Nice 2 Slice and honestly when you see their cakes you can see how aptly they’ve named their business.

Needless to say everyone loved the cake, and lucky for me we had some left over, and I am making it last as long as possible.  if you want to see more sample of the cakes they produce, just head on over to their FaceBook page.

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When we had to find somewhere to host my son’s 21st birthday we wanted somewhere that offered not only a great dining experience for our guests, it also had to have a whole heap of atmosphere. After trialling a few restaurants, any excuse for a good feed, we decided on the Tap Inn which is located at 76 Rundle St. Kent Town.

We decided to hold it in their Sand Bunker Beer Garden as it enabled us to be separated from the other patrons without losing any of the atmosphere. There was about 35 of us at the party and it was a perfect size for us. What was really unique about the place was the huge palm tree growing in the middle of the room.

Our wine selection included some Geoff Merrill Savignon Blanc, Woodstock Shiraz and the girls requested some Trilogy. For food we had a great selection which included Tiger Prawns, Oysters Kilpatrick, Salt and Pepper Squid, Crumbed Barramundi, Feking Duckwits, Beef kebabs, Haloumi & Zucchini Fritters, and the list went on.

The food was absolutely superb and we didn’t have one complaint, everyone loved it.

This is a photo of one of the entrances;

If anyone is thinking of a venue to hold a party I highly recommend the Tap Inn.

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I had some time to kill the other day, a four hour wait whilst my Honda Civic was getting serviced, so I figured I would take my camera for a walk. It was a nice enough day so I wandered down the River Torrens towards Cafe Lago. I’ve been to Cafe Lago a couple of times and I was always impressed with it’s menu. In those days the menu had a Tuscan flavor to it which was probably one of the reasons it appealed to me so much. That and the picturesque view of the city while I dined.

To my surprise Cafe Lago was no more as it is now known as the River Cafe. I went inside to ask if I could take some pictures of the city from the outside deck area and the manager graciously gave me his permission. Once on the deck I was presented with a great shot of Adelaide’s business district. From memory it was even more stunning at night, especially if the Torrens was very calm.

I’ve never actually had a meal on the deck, but I reckon if you wanted to have a meal whilst having the City of Adelaide as a backdrop, then the deck area would have to be the perfect spot. I also noticed the soothing sound of running water from a pond somewhere on the left which would only add to the whole eating experience.

This next shot was taken from the dining area which is down a few steps from the bar area, but not to worry as a small lift was installed to help the wheelchair bound diner.

The River Cafe is only part of the dining experience as it is, as was Cafe Lago, associated with the Red Ochre Restaurant, located upstairs, which also has stunning views. I must admit that I have never really tried ‘contemporary Australian Cuisine’ and this restaurant is touted to have innovative Australian food with a native influence. Perhaps it is time that I checked both out, the River Cafe to see how it stacks up against Cafe Lago, and the Red Ochre Restaurant to finally sample some traditional Aussie cuisine.

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This church is probably the first church that I came into contact with as it was in this church that I was baptized. The Sacred Heart Catholic Church can be found at 252 Port Rd, Hindmarsh and it is really quite an impressive building.

Baptisms and wedding bookings are by appointment only and you can get in touch with them by using one of the following.

They also offer the following services.

Mass times for Sacred Heart CHurch, Hindmarsh;
Sundays: 9.30am 2nd-4th Sundays; 11am Italian every week except 3rd Sunday; 5pm Latin; 7pm Charismatic Mass.

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The Orange Spot Bakery, located on 752 Anzac Highway Glenelg, has to have the best pies and cakes in town. Even though I was born and raised in South Australia and I have visited Glenelg on many occasions, last Australia long weekend (January 28th) was the first time I ever stepped foot into this establishment.

Just to give you an idea of the prizes they have won I took a picture of just a small selection of their trophies.

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