East of Norman is a beautifully designed restaurant and bar that is located closer to the southwest end of the Adelaide CBD. Providing lunch and dinner services with a touch of class, this place offers a variety of options of meals and drinks that are well worth the money, given the high standard of the dishes.

The team at Adelaide Food Central was invited back to sample the items from their winter menu, where all food and drink was provided free of charge.

We tried the newest addition to the menu – the Tempura Salmon rolled in Nori and Wasabi with a Chinese “market” Salad. The salmon was well done and cooked in a wrap of seaweed. As one who normally likes (and has only tried) smoked or raw salmon, this was an interesting experience trying a newly formed cooked piece of salmon. The meat was garnished with spices. The Wasabi was not super-intense as one expects it to be, which further added to the subtleness that was this dish. The salad on the side with raw salmon and fresh greens was pleasing to enjoy as well.

Next up was the Wagyu Cheeseburger with chips, aioli, tomato chutney, pickles, and smoked cheddar. The meat patty was tender and presented with a juicy taste. The aioli, tomato chutney, pickles, and cheese complemented each other well to give this burger the “it” factor. Chips on the side of a burger are always an added bonus, and these chips were well seasoned with salt, without becoming too overpowering or resembling the fast food style fries.

The Crispy Skin Duck Breast with sweet potato puree, sautéed beetroot greens, merlot and fig jus was another hit dish in our books! The sweet potato puree sauce was exquisite and worked well with the juicy duck breast that was served on top of it. The meat was cooked well and had a tender texture to it on the inside, with a fantastic crispy layer on the outside. The greens were garnished in fig jus and merlot, which only made the salad a thoroughly appetizing side dish.

A classic favourite for us – we sampled the Triple Cooked Pork Belly with master stock caramel, chilli, ginger, and coriander. The pork belly had three layers to it and none without crackling, but that did not disappoint! The meat was so succulent that I could feel it melting in my mouth like perfection. It was well seasoned with the chilli, caramel, and ginger, which gave it the tangy taste.

The Vegan Charcuterie Plate is another new addition to the menu, which comes with pitted black olives, mini pickles, toasted rectangles of bread, two types of “meat” patties, savoury churros, and salsa. This is a great sharing palette that offers some seriously awesome vegan options to munch on, especially when there’s a group of two or more. Everything on this plate was fresh and some worked well in combinations with each other (example: the bread and/or churros with the salsa, or the pickles with the “meat” patty).

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at East of Norman (as always). The staff members are very friendly and accommodating, which is one of the most important factors that can either make or break your visit to any business. The price is decent for the dishes that are served and you can expect to spend anywhere between $10-$50, depending on the size of your group and the number of your portions. The quality of East of Norman has always lived up to the expectation and we can’t wait to see the options flowing out of their winter menu over the next upcoming weeks!

Words by Fatema Sitabkhan

WHERE: 44-48 Sturt St, Adelaide