I spend a lot of my time away from home; that's just the nature of my job. But sometimes I do get to hang around here long enough to enjoy my home town. Adelaide, South Australia, may not be on par with the New Yorks and the Londons of the world, but it has a quaint, homely feel to it that I very much enjoy. And so, today - and from time to time going forward - I would like to share some of the gems of my home town, so that you, too, might enjoy them one day.
For those looking for a bit of higher-end shopping, or a quiet and elegant cafe, Unley is a good place to start. Directly south of the city centre, over the other side of the park lands, you can find Unley Road. If looking for a bite to eat, you are certainly spoiled for choice along this strip. But not too far south, at number 50 Unley Road, you will find Maid Mice Cafe & Lounge.
Nestled quietly amongst the many other shops in the area, Maid Mice opened its doors in December 2014 and has slowly gathered a nice following of locals on Facebook. I have to admit that I am not often in the know about new and exciting places to eat in my home town. I knew about this one due to the fact that one of the owners is a friend of mine. Her and her cousin opened Maid Mice to celebrate and share their love of the home-cooked Vietnamese-Australian food that they grew up with. While touted as simply a "cafe and lounge", the menu is inspired with a Vietnamese-fusion style.
It's actually a bit unfortunate that it took me this long to get here and try it out... but I am not often here long enough to make plans to eat out. On this occasion, I was catching up with a friend for lunch, and I suggested we try this place - we are both friends of the owner, but neither of us had tried it yet. Furthermore, it sits about halfway between our respective workplaces, so there was a geographical convenience to it as well!
I had previously read a recent article in the Adelaide Review which reported some very good things about the restaurant. In this review, it was noted that the Bogo Burger looked like a winner, and so that's what I went with. My companion opted for the Wonton Soup. My burger came with an optional side of sweet potato fries, which were deliciously soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. Covered head-to-toe in some kind of garlic/salt mixture (maybe? I'm somewhat culinarily challenged!), they were a perfect side dish. Also on the side was some "Asian Slaw". While pleasant and tasty, I'm not sure I noticed any difference to a regular western coleslaw. But hey, I'm not a chef!
And, of course, the burger. The burger patty itself was at least 2cm thick; soft and juicy and perfectly seasoned. Covered over with cheese and some kind of relish, and all presented within a lightly toasted (but still soft inside) hamburger bun. A burger enthusiast would probably want to know where the lettuce or tomato or beetroot had got to. But, to be honest, they wouldn't suit this kind of burger, and they were not missed in the overall flavour.
To wash it all down, I of course had to have a Vietnamese coffee. If you haven't tried this before, it is definitely worth a go. Your personal coffee dripper will slowly filter water through the coffee and layer it drip-by-drip on top of condensed milk that is already in the cup. Once all the water has dripped through, you can remove the filter and give it all a good mix to combine. The sweetness of the condensed milk really gives the drink a nice kick. It also works very well as iced coffee; simply pour the mixture over some ice in a glass, wait for it to cool a bit and then enjoy!
So whether you are an Adelaide local like me, or you are visiting from interstate, or even overseas: if you find yourself in Unley and are looking for a pleasant and tasty meal, definitely drop in and say hi to the Mice. You can be guaranteed to be welcomed with a smile and to leave with taste buds satisfied!
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