20200131 The Lion Hotel and Chocolate Taperia DRINK: IPA TURN: Stephen

The first picture of the evening says it all it terms of what the weather was going to be like for the evening. It was a very warm, sticky, humid kind of afternoon and the clouds had started to roll in.

It was Stephen's turn to choose tonight and he did a great job (don't tell him that :-) ) in choosing our venue for the evening.

We had such a great time last week, meeting at the Lion Hotel in North Adelaide that we decided to go back and try out it's food.

When we got there, the rain had already begun. Con was sitting outside and the misters were blowing sprays of water to cool the patrons down. However, it was just a little too intense - water spraying everywhere, so we decided to find a seat inside. Another discovery!

The 'beer garden' of the Lion is more of an open courtyard with wonderful sculptures and architecture - a large roof looks like it's a window opening up. It was much quieter in this section of the pub - the other places were buzzing.

We found a high table with stools - a setting for 4 and Con, Chad, Stephen and I sat around and chatted about our week. Chad's first week back and he had been very busy at work.



I didn't have that much to drink, but I can't remember this next picture - is it a cricketer? Where was this? Was this is the 'beer garden'? I have no recollection of these posters. :-)




As I said, the architecture was great. At one point in the evening, when the rain was pelting in, the rain was running down the lights and onto the floor. The open courtyard looked great but in torrential rain, not so...

 Stephen bought the chips for the second week in a row. They were lightly sprinkled with mild chilli flakes and we had the mayo to dip in. They were gone in about 2 minutes. Very nice snack.

 One thing you may not know about Stephen is that he was once a world Table Tennis Champion... not quite... but that's how he likes to remember it and he was happy to give Chad and Con a game or two.

Great action shots! Nice photography Chad.

Chad had a new drink - IPA - Indian Pale Ale which he said was not hoppy enough and probably wouldn't try it again. His next drink was Asahi, but instead of the dark ale, the bartender brought him the light one.

Stephen, Con and I had the $10 pint Furphys - I had 2 which I REALLY enjoyed - a great way to de-stress at the end of the week - sitting and kicking back with friends and sipping on a cold one in the humid weather. You can't get much better than this!

Richard showed up around 6.30 and we all talked about the new Picard Star Trek Episode 1. We had all seen it. Richard has even watched the 2nd Episode. We all agreed that we are keen to watch the whole series.

We moved tables to a bigger space which had glasses and water bottles at the centre. So what are some of the things we talk about on a Friday night? Well, Richard challenged our history knowledge with asking if we knew what the Battle of Midway was - Chad and I didn't know - Stephen and Con did. There's a movie coming out about it. Richard also talked about a new movie he's seen - a South Korean film called Parasite. Sounds like a horror or disaster movie, but it's not. I think I will definitely get to see it courtesy of Stephen.

So... what's the menu like at the Lion? Worth trying? YES! There's something for everyone.

 Con had the salt and pepper squid. Standard pub fare which afterwards, typical of Con, he said it was ok. I'm going to do some statistics on Con's scores - I don't think he ever gives out anything other than a 6 or 7 for a meal.

 Chad and Stephen had the $20 burger and beer deal. A small pint of Furphy with a burger. Chad had the chicken burger and Stephen had the beef burger (well done). Chad and Stephen ate it all - again - standard pub fare. Comments afterwards was that the food was average and ok.

Now... onto what Richard and I had. We ordered... wait for it....





Coconut poached barramundi with sambal and lemongrass brown rice, roasted cashew nuts, Chinese cabbage, yellow curry sauce and seasame omelette - $28.90.

I have not tasted such an amazing meal in years - it had it ALL - the flavours were sublime.. minty, limey, curry, corriander. It had a Vietnamese aura. It had all the textures and layers, the different combinations of soft and hard foods. It was the perfect size.

Richard's comments were that it could have been a bit hotter, it needed just a tad extra salt. Extra brownie points for the omelette.

Scores for the meals:

Elizabeth - 10 out of 10!!!! - My first ever 10
Richard - 8.5
Stephen - 7.5
Con - 6
Chad - 6

By this stage, the rain was pelting down extremely hard. Water was running down the television screen make it blink on and off.

We talked about Billie Eilish's new song, Bad Guy and how it got around 45,000 votes for the JJJ Hottest 100.

Dr Who was also discussed. Perhaps Con could become the new Jon Pertwee??? Long coat, scarf... I can definitely see Con fitting that image. Con said he would have Richard as his companion - trouble right there!



We strolled across the road, dodging the downpour of rain, to safely arrive at Chocolate Taperia. A place literally straight across the road from the Lion.

When you step into Chocolate Taperia, it is as if you are stepping back in time. Rich, dark colours are the decor. Lots of traditional burgundy red - chairs, crockery, wall colourings matched with the dark wooden tables and window frames.

The waitress was happy to put a couple of table together but we were happy to sit in the booth with a chair at the end for Richard.

I really liked the atmosphere here. Very relaxed but not to sombre that you feel you can't talk.

Con had - yes, you've guessed it - his usual, the Capuccino
Richard had the Mocha Latte
Chad had the sticky date pudding with a mocha latte - yes all to himself!
Stephen and I shared the banana and strawberry waffles. Stephen had a dark chocolate and I had a milk hot chocolate. I could only eat half of my waffle.

The place wasn't cheap - $7 bucks for a hot chocolate and $15 for dessert.

However, it was well worth it.

Stephen... you have chosen wisely my child :-)

Chad's turn to choose next week and we're already planning on putting on our hiking boots and traversing the continent to head West... I think it is Henley Beach's turn for the Friday Night crowd... more adventures are in store :-)

20200124 Himalayan Kitchen and Elephant Walk DRINK: Campari/Espresso Martini TURN: Elizabeth

It all started with a suggestion from Richard... let's meet and eat in North Adelaide because I'm seeing a concert there and I may be able to join you for the meal. At the very least I'll join you for a coffee afterwards... well... note to self... don't take Richard's advice. :-)

It was my turn to choose and I was partially influenced by Richard's suggestion - which was a great one - as it turned out.

Con, Chad, Stephen and myself met at the popular Lion Hotel. What a great place! Full of activity - lots of different age groups. The perfect weather to sit outside and while away the hours.

The Fuphy's were $10 bucks a pop, so Chad, Stephen and I endulged. Stephen also had the Asahi Beer to start with, which is Japanese I think. He prefered the Furphy's.

Tonight, we tried something a little different. Chad choose to have a martini glass with Espresso Martini. I'd never heard of it before. I don't know why it's called a martini, because there's no martini in it...

Stephen bought a bowl of chips which the nearby pidgeons also liked and were walking around our feet in the hope of some castaways.

 We had a very large black St Bernard dog sitting at the table next to us. The choice was to either walk around him or to take a leap of faith and do one giant step over him in the hope he didn't move.

We saw Richard's brother at the table next to us. He didn't see us and we left him alone because it looked like he was with family.

One point to say about the Ladies Toilets in the Lion Hotel. I was very impressed with the decor. The washbasins were floating in the centre of the room with a curvy figure 8 shape. And what impressed me the most was a clear plastic chair - very swish...

The evening was off to a great start, but it was just about to get even better...

The Himalayan Kitchen was about 350 metres up the road from the Hotel. Chad and Con strolled up and Stephen and I drove. It was a very unassuming shopfront - nothing to suggest anything special on the inside. However, as soon as we stepped through the door, it had something to offer. Rich, warm, vibrant wall hangings and textured wallpaper - an inviting setting. We had the perfect table by the front window.

The drinks continued... Stephen had a house Cab Sav, I had a Campari (with soda). I'd never drunk it before. It was a bit of an acquired taste. It had a perfumed, sour/bitter back taste. I drank it all but probably wouldn't have another one in a long while.

It was Chad's turn for a mention on the fashion front. Chad was wearing a black and white New Zealand shirt with leaves - very cosmopolitan...

Let's get onto the food now..

There was lots of meals that we hadn't tried before. I ordered 2 entrees. Pakora onions - there were 4 of them so we all had 1 each. It was a dense cake with onion mixed with chickpeas. Not bad.




I also ordered Momo Vegetable steamed dumplings - not something you would normally think of from a Nepalese restaurant, but I guess that's the influence of the Chinese. Again 4, so we shared. It had a rich hot and spicy sauce similar to the Dumplings R Us flavour. It had a bit of a kick.


When we were ordering our meal, we were interupted by a table having a birthday song. The chef came out and blew on his Tibeatan Horn and all sang 'Happy Birthday' - very nice.

One small touch that would have made it even better is if the plates had been warm when served.

Stephen and Chad had the Festival Chicken. It looked like it had plenty of vegetables and came in a thick, tomato sauce. We had a large bowl of rice that was plenty for all.

Con had the Sherpa lamb curry. It looked alot, mainly meat. Con commented afterwards that it could have been enhanced with a few veggies and less potato.

Stephen ordered the Roti bread with garlic, Con had the plain roti.

I had the chickpea and prawn curry - Tharu Macha. The chick peas were very delicate and the prawns were amazing. Very soft. My only comment is that it could have done with some veggies.

Scores for the main meals:
Con - 7
Chad - 9
Elizabeth - 8
Stephen - 8

The best was left to last. Stephen was invited to have a go at the LARGE horn. It took a few goes, but he ended up belting out an 'Indigenious' sounding noise much to the delight of the fellow patrons who clapped at the end.

We were also given the SINGING bowls to try out. Some of the larger ones were easy to generate a sound. The smaller ones were harder. The idea is to hold the bowl in the palm of your flat hand then rub the stick around the outside rim of the bowl creating a vibrating sound.

A lot of fun was had by all.

After the meal, we strolled literally across the road to the 'Elephant Walk' - a very small unassuming shop front that looked closed until you got closer.

This is a MUST for anyone who wants a late night coffee and dessert. It's unique interior and atmosphere makes it a perfect way to end the Friday night.

My first impression was that it was a massage parlour - the red lights were very dimmed, and it had little booth like seating separated by cane and plants.

We all struggled to view the menu and had to use the conveniently placed lamp at the edge of the table to see what we wanted. Con stuck with his Cappuccino. I had a milk hot chocolate. Both Stephen and Chad had a dark hot chocolate. Stephen and I shared a Sticky Date Pudding with ice-cream and Chad had waffles.

A novel cafe well worth a visit.

Now, I have to say that Chad mis-heard me earlier in the evening when we had the SINGING bowls out at the Himalayan Kitchen. Chad thought I said Singing MOES - hence the picture here. But I swear I never said anything of the sort... I maintain my innocence...