LOCATIONOn the corner of O’Connell Street and Roneo Place.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIABeyond The Red is a relaxed place to sit down for a wallet-friendly feed. Weekday lunch specials, available from 11.30am, serve well for worker and shopper bees buzzing around the retail and business hive of North Adelaide. Early dinners can be grabbed from 4.30pm, perfect for those catching a movie at the iconic Piccadilly Cinema nearby. The dining room is an open space with polished cement floors and the occasional palm. Floor-to-ceiling windows run around its corner location and there are plenty of outdoor tables too. Inside, the cafe-style design has light timber chairs which are built for speed, not comfort. Set with drink card promotions, paper napkins and spoons and forks, it’s nice to assume if chopsticks are preferred they are not too far away.
Chinese cuisine is well represented with Vietnamese and Thai plates balancing the oriental mix. Japanese influences also appear in tempura prawns, udon noodles (with Korean kim chi) and sizzling crispy chicken teriyaki. Owner and chef Hung D Voung is a young, personable guy with an enthusiastic knowledge of the dishes and the specific flavours he wants them to deliver. He has dedicated sections to spicy squid mains, Moreton Bay bugs, whole fish and perch fillets. Finned friends are prepared in both Vietnamese and Hong Kong styles, and Peking roast duck and Vietnamese salted pork chops stand out along with an array of crocodile dishes. Sizzling e-shan crocodile, for example, comes with Chinese ginger sauce. A hotpot combination of duck and croc (quack and snap?) is deservedly popular and intrigues with “char-grilled” rice. Vietnamese pancakes tempt for dessert – enjoy them with young coconut juice for an even sweeter ending.
Roz Taylor