Review: Burger Foundry

Burger Foundry
389 Magill Road
St. Morris SA 5068
08 8431 3231
http://www.burgerfoundry.com.au/
T to F 11 – 10pm
S 12 – 10pm
S 12 – 8pm


You can't go past a good solid burger. Burger Foundry on Magill Rd in St Morris is all about the burgers...... a small simple shop, three tables, one cook, one blackboard with chicken burgers, and one blackboard with beef burgers. That's pretty much it. So given the name of the place and given the lack of emphasis on pretty much anything aside from burgers, you'd expect them to be good, in fact, great.

I had the 'Jamaican Jerk' Chicken Burger and YES it was great. The chicken had a fabulous grill taste to it and it was nicely tender. It came with mesculin lettuce, tomato, mango salsa and a spicy caribbean dressing. The flavours were a perfect match and the kick of chilli or jalapeno from the sauce made it an absolute winner. My husband had the 'Australian' Beef Burger and from what I tasted this was also really enjoyable. It came with egg, bacon and beetroot relish (aussie, aussie, aussie, oi!). The only problem was that it was a little dry but aside from that I thoroughly enjoyed my mega sized bite.

There's a choice of about five chicken burgers and ten beef burgers at Burger Foundry. They all come standard with mesculin lettuce and tomato and then have a few more ingredients to individualise them. The burgers are well priced, most costing around $10.90. The burgers are big so it's money well spent. Burger Foundry also sells homemade chips and they are the real deal. You even see the potatoes sitting on the counter. The chips are nice because they are so real, however they didn't have the crisp crunch I was hoping for.

I liked the bread/rolls used for the burgers but my husband thought it was a little chewy. I also enjoyed my burger far more than he did his 'Australian'......it's fair to say we have very different tastes...... I of course think mine is much better :)

Burger Foundry is essentially a take away shop but don't be in a hurry. I believe there is only one cook and it appeared as though one order was completed from start to finish before the next one was underway. No sign of multi-tasking going on here! It does therefore take a while to get your food but you can read magazines or the newspaper while you're waiting.

I'll certainly be back to Burger Foundry next time I'm feeling like a burger, or next time I can't be bothered cooking dinner for the family. I highly recommend you try the succulent and juicy 'Jamaincan Jerk' Chicken Burger. I practically inhaled mine at record speed in pure enjoyment.


The Eatery by CK

Review: El Toro

El Toro
39 Semaphore Rd.
Semaphore SA 5019
(08) 8449 1949


There have been a few tapas style restaurants opening up around Adelaide and I am so happy to say that El Toro is most definitely one worth visiting.
Upon hearing a good review I took along one of my favourite foodies and made the journey down to Semaphore. I must admit when I first walked into the place I expected a little more ambiance, perhaps a little more Spain, a little less cafe, but that feeling was soon lost with the incredible aroma floating around the place......there was so much garlic being cooked in that kitchen and every ounce of it was delightfully oozing into the cafe. Cue, taste buds to start watering!

El Toro, spanish tapas cafe

The friendly wait staff were very helpful in assisting us with the choice of both the food and wine. There was a selection of tapas, in two sizes, as well as a selection of mains, sides, desserts etc.

Between two of us we shared five small tapas sized dishes, a main size of a roast vegetable dish, and A LOT of nice toasted bread to mop up all the juices. As one of the waiters explained, the bread dipped into some of the left over juices from the mussel dish was another delicious meal in itself. He was right.

We devoured some amazing mussels in white wine that were just damn good. The flavour of the garlic prawns was also fantastic but to be a little picky the prawns were slightly overcooked. I'm a massive fan of croquettes and the chicken ones we ate were incredibly moreish and up there with the best I have ever eaten. The mushrooms were great, again cooked in a lot of garlic and butter but the juice of the mushrooms themselves overpowered these flavours which was really nice. We shared a roast vegetable dish that was somewhat of a stack of pumpkin, eggplant, onion, fennel, and capsicum, tied in together with an incredibly rich tomato jam. All the veggies except the fennel, were roasted to a beautifully soft texture and the tomato jam had such a powerful flavour to it. The first couple of mouthfuls of this dish were amazing, however after a while I found it to be too rich and unless you were sharing it among quite a few people, I would have preferred it to come out in a small tapas size. It was a fabulous dish non the less. We also shared a braised squid dish and the small pieces of squid were so delicate and soft, my only criticism would be that it could have done with a hint of chilli or lemon to give the tomato base a bit of a kick.

A selection of tapas

El Toro is fantastic and a great representation of what Spanish tapas should be. The food was simple but so tasty and fragrant and it had a real warmth to it. There is a small selection of wine available including a couple of nice Spanish varieties. They also serve sangria which I unfortunately didn't get to try but was told that it is quite strong, i.e don't drive if you want more than one glass.

Our entire meal cost us $47 for 2 people and another $27 for a bottle of really nice Spanish tempranillo. So when the bill came and I had to forked out a mere $37 I was extremely satisfied. Most of the small sized tapas are in the $5-$7 range.

El Toro is certainly worth a visit and if I didn't live so far away I'd be back there in a heart beat. Great service, sensational food and a price to leave you with a smile.

The Eatery by CK

Roast vegatable stack with a rich tomato jam