The Legendary AB & An Old, but Always Amazing Favourite

So I reached 400 followers on Instagram last month and what better way to celebrate than eating one of Adelaide's most infamous food offerings? The one, the only... 'AB' aka the 'atomic bomb' the 'abortion' and the 'afterbirth' (seriously not making this up). A combination of chips, yiros meat, garlic sauce and either chilli, tomato or BBQ (or all three of that's your thing) it is an iconic late night indulgence often consumed when drunk... or hungover. Yet would you believe in my whole 16 years of living in this fine city I have never eaten one? Not at my heaviest, not at my drunkest, not even after those all night study sessions during my undergrad years. It only seemed appropriate I finally tick this off of my bucket list, however there was one issue... where. The AB and who invented it is a hotly debated topic... two small takeaway restaurants only a few door down from each other on O'Connell Street, the Blue and White cafe and the North Adelaide Burger Bar (aka the red and white) both claim to 1) be the home of the original AB and 2) claim to have the best AB. After much polling I discovered my friends and fellow foodies each had their own preference, and no real standout was evident... as such I let my husband who has experienced said AB decide and we ended up at..... The North Adelaide Burger Bar

When we ordered I informed the guy serving it was my first AB (enter all of the puns about being glad he was my first here) and I asked if it was possible to add cheese (because we all know cheese makes everything better). Not only was I able to add cheese... his recommendation was to add bacon as well... and who says no to bacon? Now I know some die hard AB fan will say I shouldn't go messing with the AB.. but whatever... if I can add bacon and cheese to something there is no way I'm refusing that business. And so without further rambling I present to you... the combination (chicken and lamb) AB  topped with garlic and tomato sauce plus added bacon and cheese.

I'd heard the horror descriptions..  the most epic of dirty hangover foods and was really prepared for the worse. So how was it? In reality freaking damn tasty! There was pretty much no grease, the meat (both the chicken and lamb) was juicy and tender, the chips were crispy and golden with no sogginess despite the toppings, the garlic sauce wasn't overpowering and the addition of cheese and crispy bacon just made it even more amazing :) I think the guy at the North Adelaide Burger bar may be a food genius in hiding. To be honest I think most of the 'dirtiest thing to eat in Adelaide' gossip is perpetuated by people who were 1) to drunk to really remember eating it 2) feel sick from being drunk rather than the AB 3) are suffering epically bad hangovers. I enjoyed losing my AB virginity, and would certainly eat this again. Not something I'd recommend eating everyday (yes still all about those macros) but as a wicked, 'junk food' late night meal out with friends, top notch choice.

Given it was a glorious summer day we decided that ice-cream at the beach was the most appropriate way to end the evening and it was a no brainer as to where, the always amazing has yet to let me down Royal Copenhagen. On this occasion we opted for the Semaphore store as it is now closer to our new home :) My choices for the night... a scoop of choc mint, a scoop of peanut butter Oreo caramel, whipped cream, choc fudge and of course sprinkles... because like cheese sprinkles make anything 100X better. As usual creamy, smooth rich ice-cream with the choc mint having plenty of huge chocolate chips and a refreshing mint flavour whilst the PB Oreo caramel is always a go to favourite, with generous swirls of peanut butter and tons of crunchy Oreo pieces it's all my favourites rolled into one delightful scoop of dairy heaven.

Ruby Red Flamingo

Okay, I am a terrible, terrible blogger. I apologise... but there is only so much time I want to spend in front of the computer and transcribing my interviews is taking up hours and hours. So time to play catch up with a few blog posts.

Late night decision to eat out and no booking meant me and my friend were struggling to get in anywhere we felt like eating... cue heading out to finally try the infamous Ruby Red Flamingo in North Adelaide. We were super, and I mean super lucky to nab a table. The restaurant was absolutely packed but we arrived as a couple left, if you don't like waiting I'd recommend getting here early because from what I know they don't take bookings.

If you're not familiar Ruby Red's is Italian cuisine, and the restaurant has an amazing old fashioned homely feel with mismatched serving ware, friendly and attentive staff and a traditional Italian ambiance. The concept here is based on sharing, so the menu is set up with small plates and large plates. The waitress was great, explaining how much would be a good amount for us to order, and was able to answer all of our questions about different dishes and the flavours that would complement each other whilst giving us a good range of things to try.

We were brought bread while we pondered the menu choices, it was very moreish. Warm with a well balanced olive oil for dipping it was that perfectly soft, chewy texture that I love in bread.

As well as having a regularly changing set menu based on seasonal produce there is a portable specials board. Too many choices, I struggled to pick because as the waitress described them they all sounded amazing! In the end based on her recommendations we went with two small plates and two larger plates to share. We were told that it would be a lot of food, but as you are all aware... this girl can eat. Drinkswise we ordered a rose for my friend and an alcohol free 'mocktail' type drink fro me. Called a refresher (a combo of lemon, elder flower, cranberry and lemonade) it was really nice, quite sweet but well balanced.

 The first dish to come out was the beef cannelloni. Filled with a chunky ragu and topped with plenty of gooey melted cheese this dish was hearty, well balanced and had a true homestyle flavour. The meat was juicy and tender and there were plenty of vegetables with a firm but not undercooked texture. It was like the filling had been slow cooked for hours on end and was amazing on its own, however combined with perfectly al dente pasta and a sharp, salty cheese it was divine.

Next up was a vegetarian dish, a mushroom polenta. Presented in a really unique way, the polenta was shaped into a hollow cylinder and then filled with creamy, cheesy mushrooms paired with a side of spinach. This dish was my favourite of the two smaller plates, the polenta was cooked just right... not rubbery or soggy. The mushrooms were jam packed full of flavour and had a great texture whilst the cheese sauce... my god that cheese sauce. Melty, creamy and thick it was strong but not overpowering and so perfect when paired with the other elements of the dish. The spinach is also worth noting, it's hard to get a basic spinach right, it often ends up soggy or bitter but the chef here nailed it, just the right amount of heat so that it was soft but still full of flavour and coated with that amazing sauce.

On to the larger plates... First up the 'venus rice'. When the waitress described this dish there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to try it. Black rice with a tomato based sauced, calamari and pumpkin (honestly there were other ingredients but I'm at a loss to remember what). This dish looked as stunning as it sounded and the photo doesn't do it justice, the dark black rice was such a contrast to the creamy white flesh of the calamari and the bright, fresh tomatoes. The serving size was huge and all elements were generously mixed throughout the dish, certainly no skimping on the key ingredients here! Flavour wise, to die for. Rich but well balanced tomato based sauce, tender calamari bursting with the kind of freshness that only the best seafood has and everything else so perfectly cooked, from the nutty black rice which was creamy yet still retained a good bite to the al dente pumpkin and sweet cherry tomatoes with their slightly charred in an amazing kind of way flavour. Such an amazing, unique dish, one of those 'I'm so glad I had a chance to eat this in my life' kind of meals.

The second large plate was the rabbit ragu with paperdelle. Rabbit, you either love it or hate it... me, I have to admit it is one of my favourites. I love the slight gamey taste but sadly it is often badly cooked turning many people off. As I eagerly dug into this meal I wasn't disappointed, the meat was tender, falling apart under my fork but still juicy and full of flavour. The sauce was well balanced, letting the rabbit shine through, and again this ragu had such an old style Italian taste and feel to it, totally the kind of recipe that is passed down from one generation to the next. The cheese was liberally sprinkled on top of and throughout the dish, but it didn't overpower the meal. Finally, the pasta. One would hope an Italian restaurant would be able to produce a pasta that is al dente, robust enough to hold up to a thick, robust ragu such as this whilst still being silky and soft. Ruby Red's nailed it, not only serving us pasta perfection but a huge serving of it! Sadly, on this occasion we couldn't finish all of the food! (insert look of horror here!)

I fell in love with this place, one of the best Italian's in Adelaide without a doubt and it is no surprise they usually have a line up for tables. It felt like I was eating at one of my friend's Nonna's houses from the welcoming, family feel amongst the staff to the delicious, quality soul warming, generously portioned food. Highly recommend if you love Italian or tapas style sharing venues, or for a lovely date with someone special.