Located in a prime position on the busy Semaphore Road cafe precinct is The Corner Store on Semaphore. The interior is very quirky, yet full of character. There’s a bike on a fridge, an an assortment of tables and chairs, and a feature wall that matches the coffee machine. It’s all quite unique with French and Australian influences. There are cheeses and meats on one side of the counter and cakes, biscuits and salads on the other. The menu is fairly simple with further options displayed on a chalkboard on the wall.

Today, I decided to order their Slow Cooked Pork Belly. I was told at ordering that the dish would take a good 20-25 minutes to be prepared, so there was no disappointment with the wait time. When it finally came out, I was quite impressed with the presentation. The variety of colour in the salad was definitely a highlight. There was a generous amount of pork provided, and for the most part, it was tender and succulent. The skin was a bit soggy and chewy, and the remnants of hair on the skin was very unappealing. The underside of the pork was also a bit stiff. I could hardly cut it with a knife.

The salad was fairly good. It was certainly an interesting combination using broccoli, Spanish onion, carrot, coriander, lettuce and traces of lemon rind. The salad was quite refreshing and the vegetables in it were well cooked. The combination of ingredients really worked well together.

My friend had the Hot Cakes. She said they were good as she proceeded to cleanup the plate.

The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the service was efficient. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing is below the $20 mark. The Slow Cooked Pork Belly was $18.50 which some might say is a bit pricey for lunch.

The Slow Cooked Pork Belly was a bit of a let down for me.

WHERE: 52 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore