My Adelaide favourites

While I've been on bedrest here in Adelaide after my surgery, I've been getting really excited about getting out and visiting my old favourites when I'm more mobile. I thought I'd write up a quick summary of my unmissables for anyone that might be planning a trip to Adelaide.

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Vego & Love'n It >>>> I've been going here for almost 10 years and I was introduced to it by my dad. It's an institution. So cheap, so healthy & so delicious. Get the Thai Burger, and unless you're a big eater, get the half size. The Mango Smoothie is also delish. You won't regret it. (Warning - half the reason I love the Thai Burger is because of the copious amounts of sweet chilli sauce, coriander, avocado, tomato and shredded carrot that adorn it. If you don't like those delicious things, you probably won't like the Thai Burger.)

Goodlife Modern Organic Pizza >>>> Their Free Range Chicken Pizza with organic baby potatoes, garlic, rosemary and mild parmesan is to die for. So too is their Free Range Duck Pizza which I tried for the first time last night. All I can say is that I had their Free Range Chicken Pizza for the first time in three and a half years the other day and it was even better than my memories. SO GOOD. They do gluten free bases too. You can find them on O'Connell St in North Adelaide, Hutt St in the city and down by the beach at Glenelg. I love the earthy decor in the restaurants, or you can get take away (as you can see above.)

E for Ethel >>>> This gem is a relative newbie on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide. It is run by a couple who combine a  handmade shop with a cafe. I had a gluten free pumpkin wrap there for the first time last year and I was blown away by the fact that the gluten free wrap was actually tasty and malleable! After I finished it, the woman came to my table and apologised at how small the serving had been for the price, she said that they were new wraps that they weren't used to yet and she then gave me a discount on the wrap (she may have even given it to me for free, I can't remember), even though I had thoroughly enjoyed it, not complained and thought it was good value for money! They also allow you to have your tea or coffee with dairy, soy or almond milk, which was great for me last year when I was trying dairy and soy free. I won a $25 gift voucher in their lucky business card draw and I can't wait to use it later on during this trip when I am more mobile.

Le Carpe Diem Cafe Creperie >>>> Run by actual French people, this cafe seems to be always open and always delicious. They have savoury and sweet crepes, and the savoury crepes are made out of buckwheat, making them gluten free. You can request the sweet options on the buckwheat base, so after a year of not being able to order pancakes out, I can finally have them again!

The Central Markets >>>> Do not miss the Smelly Cheese Shop, Mushroom Man's Mushroom Shop, or Something Wild (if you like your meats of the more unusual variety). Also drop in at the T Bar - my favourite tea shop before I discovered Adore Tea in Canberra. The Asian food court is also full of cheap, yummy, meals.

Pub-wise I loved the University of Adelaide Unibar and the Exeter (in the city) as a student, and now, in an odd twist of events, my brother and sister work there. However, if you are not a student, and don't have the nostalgic love for them that I have, you'll probably find them rather grotty.

Musings {9-01-13}

It's hot around these parts. Apparently, the last time Canberra had this many days in a row over 35 was before I was born. I'm personally loving it, although we've had some pretty severe wind today which was similar to conditions that were around when we had some massive fires ten years ago. So far it looks like everything will be ok, hopefully it continues that way. I'm grateful for all the volunteer firefighters who risk their lives and for our excellent bushfire warning system in Canberra. Even though I have lived more than half my life in Australia, I have managed to avoid having to worry about bushfires until now. (Canberra's not called the "bush capital" for nothing.) So I'm glad that the ESA is around to keep me informed.

Current obsession: Salted Caramel Icecream             

I have fallen in love with Maggie Beer's Chocolate & Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Connoisseur's Murray River Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

I'm planning on trying out this recipe, which claims to be the best salted caramel ice cream recipe ever. If anyone has any good salted caramel recipes please send them my way!

In case you missed it (since I forgot to put it up here) - my guest post on The Secret Life of Samara.

Couch to 5K update: I've been getting up at 5:30 to go running around the lake while it's cool due to this scorching weather. For a night owl, it's actually been kinda nice having that extra time in the morning.

I wrote to Cosmopolitan, Cleo & Madison magazines about having an article about endometriosis in their March issues... haven't heard back yet, here's hoping!

I had my Mirena removed on Friday. I'm currently writing up a diary of my experiences with that which I'll put up on here later.

This vlog series and this website that goes with it has made me a bigger fan of Amy Poehler than I was already. I didn't think that was possible. (I've also recently discovered a love for Parks & Rec).