Scenic Adelaide, Sites And Stories of South Australia

Chianti Classico Restaurant Adelaide, A Great Experience

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 at 3:45 am

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The other night we went to Chianti Classico for my mother-in-law’s birthday and I have to admit I was pretty excited because I heard so much about it. Located on 160 Hutt Street Adelaide they’re open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We all rocked up at roughly the same time and from the moment I walked in with my family we were greeted by staff who were exceptionally friendly. Actually throughout the whole dinner they went out of their way to make sure that everyone had a great time. There was never a moment when we were left lacking service as can happen at some restaurants.

Something that I liked about the restaurant was that unlike a lot of cafes the noise level was such that I could actually hear myself speak to the person next to me.

As to the meals, I had the Risi e Bisi, a
Venetian summertime risotto of vialone nano rice, fresh peas, smoked speck & parmesan. My wife looked at me as if I had made the wrong choice, but once she a taste of my risotto she was amazed at the flavor. Now I have many a risotto and I have to admit that this only just missed out from being the best ever.

Nick, the brother-in-law’s meal really looked a treat. They say that if the meal looks appetizing then you’ve won half the battle. Well his meal looked simply scrumptious and according to Nick it tasted as good as it looked.

Probably the only one who was a little disappointed was Sam, the other brother-in-law, who is somewhat of a regular. That alone speaks volumes as to the quality of the food at Chianti Classico, as you wouldn’t go back if the food was lacking. Anyway, Sam had rabbit and he thought it was a little dry. Sorry Sam, I reckon you should have had the risotto old son.

Seeing as how it was a birthday celebration we brought our own cake and so I didn’t get to sample any of their desserts. Normally if a restaurant was to present a birthday cake which a customer had supplied it’s just cut into slices and put on individual plates. Not Chianti, no they presented it as if it was part of their own dessert. I have to admit that in itself was pretty impressive.

All in all we had a great experience. The food was great, as was the atmosphere and the wait staff were exceptional. I would recommend Chianti Classico to anyone, so if you’re ever in the area you may want to drop in for a great meal.

They also have a website in case you want to check out the menu and opening times.

Make my day and shout me a beer.

The Norwood Water Tower Now For Sale

Saturday, November 20th, 2010 at 6:06 pm

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If you were to drive around Adelaide, every now and again, you would see a tower of sorts and you may be wondering what they were. The one pictured here is the Norwood water tower, and as the name suggests it used to hold water. This particular one supplied water to the surrounding area, but I would say it wasn’t so populated when it was constructed.

Currently this water tower is for sale and one would assume that it would command a tidy sum of money considering it is located in the heart of Norwood which is always busy as it’s a popular cafe and shopping district. Apparently there was even interest from interstate from an investor who wants to turn it into a boutique hotel.

At the moment three floors are used for residential purposes but the rest remains pretty well vacant. They reckon it’s worth about 3.2 million, and it would be a pretty good investment. Imagine, you already have tenants that you’d be collecting money from, you could set up a sizable home for yourself in the midst of Norwood and rent of the rest of it for even more income.

Make my day and shout me a beer.

A Legacy To Doris Taylor Founder of Meals On Wheels

Saturday, November 13th, 2010 at 6:48 pm

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Until recently I’ve never heard of Doris Taylor but it’s with great pride that I write of her today, as she is a fellow South Australian that made a difference with her life.

Born in Norwood on the 25th July 1901 she was the eldest of four children. She wasn’t the luckiest of children as a fall at the age of seven caused her to have a severe limp and then another fall when she was twelve injured her spine which eventually lead to paralysis by the age of sixteen.

This remarkable women went through many hardships but persevered throughout and eventually founded the South Australia’s Meals On Wheels in 1954. You can read more of this remarkable South Australian woman at The Australian Dictionary Of Biography Online. The Meals And Wheels site also has a lovely article on the history of Doris Taylor.

The photo that you see here is of her home. This Victorian Sandstone Cottage was built in 1879 by Benjamin Taylor. In 1956 she actually established the first Meals On Wheels library from this very house.

This lovely house can be found on 121 William St Norwood if you would like to take your own photo, but don’t go knocking on the door as it’s a private residence.

Make my day and shout me a beer.

Sacred Heart College Somerton Park

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 5:56 pm

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I have often driven past this beautiful building on my way to one of the many beautiful beaches in Adelaide and I’ve often wondered what the story behind it was. It was obviously a religious building, but I was always curious as to what denomination claimed it as their own.

On this particular day I had some time to kill after dropping my daughter off for one of her university exams and so I decided to drive down and finally put my curiosity at ease.

The church, or chapel as it turns out to be, is located on Brighton Rd in the beach side suburb of Somerton Park. This photo is what I saw every time I drove by and what I thought was just a normal church was actually the rear of the school chapel of The Sacred Heart College.

There is actually a fair bit of history behind the college and it all started in 1817 when a priest, Marcellin Champagnat, shocked by his ignorance in God started a new teaching order, the Marist Brothers.

The Sacred Heart College website is full of interesting information and I strongly suggest you go on over and have a look. For now I would like to show you other photos that I took on that day.

This is a shot of the front of this beautiful chapel. “The Sacred Heart College Memorial Chapel is a dedicated sacred building opened and blessed in 1924 as a memorial to the Old Collegians who lost their lives in the First World War.”

This is a photo of Paringa Hall, the stately Cudmore which was purchased at Easter 1914 just as World War I was getting under way. The college was transferred there when the previous grounds got to be too small.

This next one is of the entrance to Paringa Hall, which I’m sure you will agree is quite stunning.

Oh, I forgot to mention it was a Catholic school and that it had beautiful well manicured grounds. I took this shot of a statue of Jesus because I loved the way it looked with the reflection of the chapel in the background.

You can see other photos that I took of the chapel at my Photos 2 Blog blog.

Make my day and shout me a beer.

Chateau Yaldara Home To Great Wines And Fine Foods

Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at 5:46 pm

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One thing South Australia is well known for is it’s wine and wineries and one of the favorite wine regions to visit is the Barossa Valley. While famous for it’s reds The Barossa Valley is also well known for it’s white wines and is the home to some of Australia’s most famous brands including Henschke, Torbreck, Yalumba, Jacob’s Creek, St Hallett, Peter Lehmann and Wolf Blass.

Because there are so many wineries in the Barossa Valley there are many wine tours available that take you to a selection of wineries where you may sample some of their best wines.

One that you must visit is Chateau Yaldara, originally founded by Hermann Thumm in 1947 it was sold to McGuigan Wines in 1999. As you can see from the photo below it is an idyllic location which presents many photo opportunities. Along with a great selection of wines that you may sample it is also houses Cafe Y where you can sample some fine Barossa cuisine.

Only an hours drive from Adelaide it’s located 2km from Lyndoch.

For enquiries and bookings you can phone (08) 8524 0225, and don’t worry it’s open from 9:30 to 5:00 – every day except for Christmas Day

Not able to get to Australia to enjoy our premium wines? Not to worry, you can Enjoy boutique wines delivered to you direct from the winery’s cellar door via – BoutiqueWineries.com.au – the fastest and easiest way to enjoy the boutique winery tour experience from Australia’s best wine regions, without driving hundreds of kilometres to get there