On Friday Adelaide Food Central was invited for lunch to try the new menu at Hotel Longtime. We had heard some great reviews about this relatively new restaurant, so we were excited to see what they had on offer. Not only did the menu present a wide range of dishes but also the cocktail menu was just as spectacular, including a fairy floss drink. Hotel Longtime also has a stunning and funky outlay and coming there to experience that is something you should do in itself.

We started off with the Banh Mi Sliders with roast pork, cha lot, pickles and herbs. I think many of us are fans of bahn mi rolls, the delicious and easy snack you would get from your local deli. These sliders were pretty much that but replaced with small, soft and gentle burger buns. The roast pork was tender with a crunchy skin and the addition of the pickles, cha lot and herbs worked well also.

The second dish was the Chargrilled Porterhouse with chilli and tamarind dressing, toasted rice powder, fragrant herbs, salad and puffed noodles. I would probably say this dish is more of a salad than a steak, but what a delicious meal it was. The porterhouse had been cooked perfectly, slightly pink in the middle, which made it juicy. The added chilli and tamarind sauce gave the meat that extra bit of authentic flavour. The fresh and crunchy salad that was placed on top of the porterhouse was somewhat the star of the show. The puffed noodles helped to give the salad a little bit of difference and complimented the steak with its crunchy texture.

Up next we had the Sake Cured Salmon with avocado, smokey miso and nori. Think, deconstructed sushi roll, this is exactly what his dish reminded me of. The salmon itself was similar to something that you would find in a poke bowl, the miso being a highlight as it gave the dish that extra burst of flavour. The nori paper was fresh and wrapped around the delicious salmon to make it into a mini sushi hand roll.

Fourthly we moved onto the Beef Tartare with fragrant herbs, noac cham and rice paper. When beef tartare is made well, nothing beats it. I was incredibly impressed with the excellence of this dish and the love that had been put into it. The beef was very good quality and had so much flavour and authenticity. I enjoyed the addition of the crispy, puffed rice paper, we spooned the tartare into this, which then created a crunchy element.

Then we tried another awesome dish the Prawn and Chicken Dumplings with spiced vinegar. Dumplings are absolutely delicious and when they are made right they become a party in your mouth. These dumplings were cooked perfectly with a substantial filling, but light and authentic at the same time. I loved the addition of coriander sprinkled on top, as it helped to give that dumpling that extra bit of flavour. The spiced vinegar complimented the dumplings and worked well with the prawn and chicken filling.

Next up we had the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls; yes you heard right and that is exactly what they tasted like. I was actually quite shocked at how the chef could have made this taste identical to the real deal. This was probably one of my favourite dishes of the day as not only were they delicious but the outer roll was fried to perfection.

Then onto the Fried Eggplant with sticky Szechuan sauce, herbs and chilli. This dish was another highlight of the evening. I know some people are not really interested in having a completely vegetarian dish, but this eggplant was to die for. The eggplant itself had been fried which meant it had a crispy and crunchy outer. The Szechuan sauce was extremely sticky and flavoursome and covered majority of the eggplant.

Nearly finishing our feast we tried the Royal Cheese Bao (only served on Tuesday nights). Oh my gosh! This bao tasted exactly like a big mac and I believe they may have even stolen the big mac sauce as it tasted indistinguishable. The ingredients used inside the bao were fresh, which probably also makes these bad boys a lot healthier than your typical burger. I loved that the bao’s were black which usually means squid ink has been used to turn them this colour.

The last dish we sampled was the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings with tamarind hot sauce and kaffir lime. These chicken wings were another amazing and delicious addition to their awesome menu. The wings were lightly battered not to draw away from the chicken itself and coated with a hot tamarind sauce. Tamarind can sometimes be fairly over bearing but there was just enough sauce for them not to be drenched but to also appreciate the flavours. The kaffir lime helped to give the wings a little extra flavour.

Thank you so much to Alex and the staff at Hotel Longtime for introducing us to their new menu. We were highly impressed with everything that you had on offer and we will be back for sure. We recommend heading down and checking them out on Grote Street even if it is just for a drink on a Friday or Saturday night.

Words by Tomika Salerno

WHERE: 110 Grote St, Adelaide