Caffe Primo - Mawson Lakes, near Adeaide

Caffe Primo – at Mawson Lakes

There is a campus of the UniSA at Mawson Lakes along with a nearby light aircraft and training airfield and the area has a developing Business and Technology Park with quite a few medium sized developing businesses. Mawson Lakes has also been a site used as part of the Tour Down Under international cycle race in January each year – sometimes as a criterium or a start location. It has a fair share of business visitors, who now have a few locations to stay, rather than in Adelaide itself.

While there are some eateries along the Promenade and overlooking the lake that have been the main location to service these visitors, location does not always ensure decent service and food.

A recent extended stay for several weeks at Mawson Lakes recuperating after surgery has meant opportunities for a more than one visit assessment of some of the local eateries, and at different times of the day. One is a bit vunerable when unwell, and a bit rickety on the legs, a time to assess how staff operate with people not as vigorous as normal.

The best of the bunch award would have to go to the local Caffee Primo on Main Street. This is a combination of coffee shop, bar and restaurant, with the prominence of the component s of the mix varying over the day and week. Hard to miss, with a very large outdoor sign draped across the upper building levels [ also serves to stop the western afternoon sun].

Coffee shop in the morning can become a bar at night, yet the food service is generally pretty good at all times, with a decent weekend buffet breakfast on offer too, although not during the week – it is a cooked breakfast style “to order” then, and that is a reasonable price, a lot better than a motel “breakfast pack”.

They offer a modest range of well priced lunch meals [about $13] including pizzas and a range of pastas as well as a la carte meals. The chicken Caesar salad is particularly good value and very tasty, and has been my number one choice. Wine is available by the glass [reasonable range] and bottle as well as beers and spirits.

Dinner has essentially the same range as lunchtime plus a wider range of more expensive meals including steaks and there is a complimentary pancake and ice cream dessert too.

Meals are a good size, and the pasta range especially is very filling. The pasta is of good quality, obviously fresh and very tasty.

Staff have been exceptionally pleasant and helpful, and pull a decent coffee too. That alone is quite important for a coffee shop – both the staff and of course the good coffee! All the staff have been tremendous - without exception; a pleasant smile, a "hello" and that is seen when they deal with other customers too -it does bring out the pleasant side of your customers, almost always.

Tables are more bistro style, and they have some outside as well. Some of the original leather chairs are a bit run down, but are obviously being replaced, since most have already gone, with similar style wooden ones as replacements.

Observations over several weeks would indicate a steady stream of regular customers for both meals and coffees.

A recommended good value choice for meals and coffee in Mawson Lakes.

Mt Lofty House - Accomodation on High

Mt Lofty, the high point of the Adelaide Hills also has a great older converted house as up market accommodation, very close by.

Actually, on the east, below the edge of the hills, so you miss the westerlies, although when there are southerlies or sou' easterlies, well they do come up the valley.

It is a rebuilt old established estate house, originally built in the mid 1800s, but burnt down in bushfires a few years ago, and rebuilt and converted to accommodation.

Just up the freeway from the Cross and Portrush Roads / Glen Osmond Road intersection, and about 35mins to the airport. A great place for a weekend with some great views and options to do a few walks around the grounds or at the adjacent Botanical Gardens annex or even hit the bicycle [ for serious cyclists though- it is a bit hilly, so be prepared].

We have only been there in cooler months, and it can be cool,VERY cool at night during the winter.

It is well known as a restaurant for dinner, and even for breakfast they do a great muesli with yoghurt and fruit coulis [ I really like these - very addictive for a second one!]. Have not had dinner there but reputation is excellent.

They seem to have had a few specials on some of the accommodation web sites eg www.wotif.com over the past few months so check those for a good deal - and they have been!

Recommended, as something a little different. Their website is here - http://mtloftyhouse.com.au/ lots of photos

Italian Food in Adelaide

It has been cold in southern Australia. Good warm food and a nice red wine help warm the inner self.

For a reasonable feed of some decent Italian food, along with a very respectable coffee try a near city restaurant, not an upmarket expensive city eatery.

More than a trattoria, more than a coffee shop but not an exclusive restaurant the Caffee Buongiorno at 145 The Parade at Norwood offers both all day eating and coffee as well as decent wholesome Italian style evening meals in a friendly, sometimes a bit noisy atmosphere [hard surfaces do not help - eg tiled floors]. It has a good ambience. There is an alfresco dining area too, maybe nice for summer but definitely cool to cold over the past few weeks of June 2011 for sitting outside.

There is a reasonably quick lunch time menu - soups, pizzas, various pasta options for a filling lunch. We had the calzone pizza which came with a napolenta tomato sauce on top and was very tasty - enough for two at lunch time [ about $16]. Coffee was good too, and there were quite a few italians imbibing coffee - usually a good sign in these types of eateries.

Some days later after a pretty cold late afternoon we decided italian food was the go for dinner. Scoloppine and saltim boca were the dishes of choice and they did not disappoint either and prices were around the low $20 range. Wine available by the glass too. The night we were there, a family group of about ten including quite a few children were having a group meal - so it does cater for small groups too. Meals are available until later in the evening, which is something to remember as many places seem to stop food service around 8 or 830pm, often too early if you are travelling or working.

The tenor of the place fits between cheap eateries and the upper range with good, tasty wholesome Italian food as you would expect. The evening meals had a great range of vegetables included in the price - something not always the case. The veggies were a great addition to the evening meals, and welcome after short order food over a few days prior to that. You do not get much change from $10 even at fast food chains, so meals around $20+ is a reasonable option.

Somewhere to test drive if you are in Adelaide for a few days and think Italian food is your preferred option for that meal.

We would go again!

Adelaide

Adelaide is a well set out city.

The Bicentennial Conservatory in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens

South Australia was proclaimed in December 1836, and in 1837 Col Light in his plan of Adelaide showed an area set aside for a botanic garden. In April 1855, George Francis was appointed Superintendent, and the garden was opened to the public in 1857. In planning the layout, Francis is said to have been influenced by those at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in England and Versailles in France, together with certain German and Dutch stylistic influences. Even today, the Adelaide Botanic Garden has a northern European style, also reflected in its nineteenth century buildings.

Even in the present time of drought it is a 30-hectare garden oasis in the cosmopolitan heart of Adelaide city.

Built to celebrate Australia’s Bicentenary, in1988, is the largest single span conservatory in the southern hemisphere. Designed by South Australian architect Guy Maron, the building is curvilinear in shape, 100 metres long, 47 metres wide and 27 metres high. An elegant steel superstructure supports the 2434 square metres of toughened glass which forms the roof, walls and doors. Its glistening and distinctive shape is a landmark particularly for visitors flying into Adelaide.

It houses a display of lowland tropical rainforest plants from northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the nearby Pacific Islands. Many of these plants are at risk or endangered in their natural habitats.

A lower walkway winds across the undulating forest floor and an upper walkway takes visitors among the canopy of tropical trees and palms. Both walkways have full wheelchair access.

I have included some photos of the Bicentennial Conservatory.

If you visit Adelaide, try to make a visit.