A few weeks ago, a friend and I were looking for a light dinner before heading out dancing one night, and wandered over to Lonsdale Street in Braddon. We decided on The Elk & Pea and got a table outdoors on a rare night that it wasn’t raining. We were greeted warmly by our waiter who asked if this was our first time dining there for dinner. It was a first for dinner (for me anyway) so he proceeded to explain their menu and that most dishes are designed to be shared. He left us for a few minutes to decide on what to order. I couldn’t go past the manchego and chilli popcorn ($5) which was part of the ‘Nibbles’ menu. This was a larger bowl than expected. The popcorn is warm and smells amazing! I immediately taste a strong hit of cheese and chilli from the first small popcorn kernel I put in my mouth. The mix of manchego cheese and chilli is wonderful. The more you eat, the more the flavour intensifies. After a few bites, I had to take a break and drink some water. That chilli is very strong! I found the cheese started getting sickening half way through and I’m glad we shared this dish because there’s no way I could’ve finished it myself.
I wanted to try the zucchini flower ($7 each) stuffed with manchego and bomba rice, and some pumpkin foam. The batter was perfect – crispy and light.
I love the stuffing inside – the rice is mixed with a delicious tomato sauce with slivers of zucchini and roasted pumpkin. The manchego cheese had melted inside causing yummy cheese strings when pulled. The pumpkin foam was light and airy. I thought it went really well with the dish. The roasted sunflower seeds on top added another textural element as well as an extra flavour. Quite a filling little entree. I loved it!
I didn’t want to eat anything heavy before a night of dancing, so I stuck with a salad option. I chose the Peas and Q ($17) consisting of green peas, quinoa, semi-dried tomatoes, Persian fetta and rocket with a basil vinaigrette. This was one MASSIVE salad piled up high. I’d recommend sharing a salad than eating one by yourself. This was such a fresh and crispy salad. The peas were a magnificent bright green colour, sweet and had a nice crunch when you bit into them. Can’t get much fresher than that. I thoroughly enjoyed this salad but was only able to finish half. I got the rest in a take away bag for lunch the next day.
My friend ordered the warm spinach and cauliflower salad ($16) with avocado and walnut dressing.
I wouldn’t mind going back to try some more from the street food menu – the ceviche tostada and black mussels sound great.
I didn’t pick anything off the Meal to Share menu but I’m up for trying it out next time.
Great and friendly service from our waiter who smiled, took our drinks order straight away, explained the menu and didn’t hover. It was a nice night to sit outside with plenty of light shining down so we weren’t in complete darkness.
Overall a very pleasant experience and I’m looking forward to going back to try the other items on the menu.
Foodgasm 7/10
