Quick Chop! The Garden and Barrio - street food heaven

In keeping with the Quick Chop theme for March, here are a few more items sampled as part of visits to the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Barrio!

Hazara Singapore Grill:  I enter the Garden of Unearthly Delights and make my way straight to the food.  Walking past Hazara (from the owners of Hazara at Norwood) the chalkboard and the words "Soft shell chilli crab" immediately catch my eye.

Soft shell chilli crab - $10

Overall, this dish is OK.  Their was a decent amount of crab meat present in the dish, which was great given that in many cases soft shell crab can lack crab meat and just be batter.  The crab was also spicy from the sauce that topped the dish.  Having said this, the sauce was heavy and made the crab soggy therefore lacking the crunch that one would expect from the crab.



From Hazara, I walk a little further and see the 'Pigs on Fire' stand.  Friends who had been to the Garden earlier had mentioned this to me so I had to give it a go.  Who wouldn't want to with a name like that?

Pig meat special:  BBQ pork, v.o.c sausage, pork belly, Amsterdam pickles and mayo - $19

Open fire used to cook the pork

The menu looked appealing, so rather than getting an individual dish, we went for the tasting platter to taste a bit of everything.  For $19 my friends and I expected a little bit more for our buck.  Overall, again...and I hate to say it, I was disappointed.  The pork was quite fatty and not seasoned (which may have been its intent given the open fire cooking).  For me, the sausage was the best part of the platter.

Friends of mine who tried the platter were also underwhelmed. 


Overall, my meals at the Garden were a little underwhelming.  Make the decision for yourself, but Mirko will be giving these a miss the next time he goes to the Garden.

From the Garden, onward to Barrio.  I have been waiting a year for Barrio to come back to grace Adelaide.  Last year I enjoyed many a night drinking, eating and listening to music Barrio on a the balmy March nights.  Opening night and I am in line with my offerings of spoons.  I enter to see what food options await me....I choose Neon Lobster.

Tacos (pork and kimchi) and Taquito (zucchini and mint) total: $24

I order two dishes for myself and a friend.  Overall, a little expensive, but enough for a snack.  The 'Tacos Cornitas' consisted of sticky 'korexican' pork with a kimchi slaw.  For some it may be an odd combination, but to me it was familiar and reminded me of the Kogi korean taco's I tried whilst in Los Angeles.  If you haven't already, give it a go!

The 'Taquito Calabaza' is a tortilla empanada (pasty) with a zucchini and mint filling.  A good vegetarian option.  The filling was flavoursome and creamy and paired with the charred corn aioli provided some extra zing to the dish.

Pair great food and drinks with a fun, eclectic atmosphere and you have yourself a winner.  I will be going back again to try and taste some more foodie treats!

Overall, Mirko's visit to Barrio beat that of the Garden.