Adelaide for a weekend

 As a regular visitor to Adelaide, the city of Festivals, I can definitely say that its a great place to explore and that there is good food a plenty.

A really pleasant way to spend some time is at the Flinders Street market, open on Saturday and Sunday. Market info here  It's a mixture of handmade, second hand, some craft, coffee, cupcakes and more.

Ben Hauptmann, Ben Vanderwaal, Chris Hale and James Muller

Last weekend was the Adelaide Guitar Festival.  That in itself was a good reason to visit, with the range of guitar playing from classical, rock, flamenco to jazz and lots of workshops.

Review from this gig Adelaide Advertiser 

Flinders Street market

 The streets and parks around the city are also a good for walking.  Plus there is a row of galleries and museums on North Terrace.  Again some really great exhibitions to be had at various times of the year.

Taste on Rundle

Pizza from Est

Another great place to grab a snack is Taste on Rundle Street.  From the front it looks like a tiny shopfront with a few tables and chairs.  Out the back is a marginally bigger area.  They do great coffee, plus pastries and other savoury food.  The bacon and poached egg baguette with hollandaise sauce is delicious.

Its at 214 Rundle Street.  More info

Then my latest find was Est on East Terrace.  Tiny place, tiny menu, mainly pizza, but with some pasta.  My regret was that I was on my own and couldn't eat both pizza and pasta.  Oh, well, I'll just have to go back.  My pizza was yummy, prawns with rocket and truffle oil.  Light and crispy.  Staff were friendly and helpful.  Definitely on my list to revisit.  More info

If you like a larger menu, another favourite Italian restaurant is Amalfi on Frome Street. Definitely try the antipasti plate. More info

Cupcakes and coffee

For some reason, in Australia we have been overtaken by cupcake fever. Cupcake shops abound and these little morsels can be found everywhere. They are marching along, like Thai shops against the Chinese restaurant in every country city in Australia - it is now cup cakes versus muffins. Early days yet, but I feel a takeover coming on.

The beauty of the cupcakes is that they are light and come in so many variations from regular to lemon merengue to this profiterole concoction.

The Cupcake Bakery have more than one site and they do a special coffee and cupcake offer for $5. The outlet in the Queen Victoria building, Sydney does a decent cup of coffee, which does justice to these tempting morsels.

We also go to Cupcakes on Pitt, at 323 Pitt Street. Although it has had some adverse reviews, the cupcakes we have had there have always been fresh and tasty.

Joanne Kee

http://www.placesandspaces.com.au/

twitter@joannekee