9 Top Spots on Gouger Street, Adelaide

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Posted 2017-08-22 by Graeme Fanning ⇒ follow

In the continuing exploration of the CBD of Adelaide, if you like good food, beer and wine as well as a dose of multi-culturalism, then Gouger Street, Adelaide is the place to go.

Gouger Street, which runs in a west-easterly direction spans from West Terrace all the way to Victoria Square. Particularly in the segment between Morphett Street and Victoria Square, there are a highly concentrated blend of cafes and restaurants, which leave visitors spoilt for choice. These many cuisines range from Asian, to Italian, even to Argentinian. You will notice when you wander down the street, that during the weekdays the cafes and restaurants are full of office workers including those attached to the nearby law courts and lawyers and barristers offices.

On the weekend, the patronage changes to those people seeking some great choices in food and wine, including those who have been visiting the Central Market and are looking to re-fuel. The area is also popular with interstate and overseas visitors.

Gouger Street is named after South Australia's first Colonial Secretary, Robert Gouger and is one of the wider east-west cross streets in the city.

Here are some places which are worthy of consideration along the street to visit, eat, drink and simply admire.

1. Gauchos Restaurant

Gauchos has been around for over 25 years and is one of the more iconic and well-patronised restaurants in this part of the city, specialising in Argentinian meats, particularly beef.

It is not only the type of food on offer but also the way in which it is prepared, with a focus on char-grilled meats. The specialties are all sourced locally, whether it be Wagyu Beef from Millicent in the South-East of South Australia, Adelaide Hills Lamb or seafood sourced from Spencer Gulf or Coffin Bay.

The beef on offer is hand selected, aged on the premises as well as butchered on-site. If you are looking for a cheap night out, then would suggest this is not the place for you, however if you appreciate fine food, it is well worth the experience.

To give you some idea, prices for main courses vary between $37 and $65, an example being a Parillada Mixta, which consists of a mixed grill of char-grilled chorizo, pork belly, morcilla (blood sausage), beef pinchitos (skewered kebabs), chicken and lamb for $38.90.

The $65 item on the menu per person, includes wine and is a traditional Paella. If you are selecting steak and want a bit of sauce to go with it, their various sauces will set you back $6 in addition.

Options are also available for Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-free meals. Gauchos are open for lunch 11.30 am until 3 pm Monday to Friday, and for dinner Monday to Sunday 5.30 pm until late. Since it is a popular dining spot, would suggest you book ahead. You can find them at 91 Gouger Street in the city.

2. Chinatown

Chinatowns across Australia developed as the result of a large influx of Asian immigrants, initially in the nineteenth century but of more recent times, during the 1970's and 1980's. This led to the growth of Asian food shops and cafes, which is evident today in Moonta Street, the home of Adelaide's Chinatown , which runs between Gouger and Grote Streets.

A great mix of Asian restaurants, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses operate within the precinct, which allows you to try authentic Asian cuisine or buy Asian groceries to prepare your own meals at home.

Paifang, which is a type of traditional Chinese archway are at each end of Moonta Street, acting as the gateways into the heavily concentrated Chinatown. The gateways are guarded by Chinese lions, which were donated both by the Adelaide City Council as well as the Chinese Government.

In February of each year, Chinatown hosts the Lunar New Year Celebrations which culminate in a big street party incorporating both Moonta and Gouger Streets. More than 200 performers participate in stage performances, lion dances and the traditional lighting of firecrackers. An event not to be missed!

3. St Louis Ice Creamery

St Louis Icecreamery was established as the result of an experience the owner had on a visit to Paris, where he and his wife came across a quaint ice creamery and fell in love with the concept.

The company specialises in using local products, but also have a great healthy conscious menu, including dairy free sorbets which are 100% fat-free. They also have low-fat yoghurts and even fair trade organic coffee beans.

Regular ice-cream cones will cost you from $5 for a single scoop right up to $7.50 for three scoops and an abundant range of flavours are on offer.

if you fancy a Churro, you can get a serve of 6 for two people for $16, served with a choice of dark, milk or white chocolate dipping sauces. St Louis also offer a great choice of waffles, including a Chocolate Noir and Salted Caramel one for $15.90.

Whether it be a dessert crepe or even breakfast, St Louis have interesting menu choices. They are open Monday to Thursday 7.30 am to 11 pm, Fridays 7.30 am until midnight, Saturdays 9 am until midnight and Sundays 9 am until 11 pm. You can find them at 19 Gouger Street but as a franchise they are also located around other parts of Adelaide including Glenelg, Tea Tree Plaza, North Adelaide and Norwood.

4. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Gouger Street faces Victoria Square, a section of the city housing most of the law courts and legal offices. Even before South Australia was colonised by white settlers in 1836, a Judge was appointed to be in charge of the Supreme Court, a man by the name of Sir John Jeffcott. Jeffcott was the first of many Supreme Court judges appointed over the years.

The court itself is ornate in its architecture, having been built of Tea Tree Gully sandstone in 1869. At that time the building was used for the Magistrates Court and later for the Local and Insolvency Courts.

Prior to the 1870's the Supreme Court was located at the site where the current Magistrates Court is today, and in 1873 moved to its current position.

Today the Supreme Court deals with the more important civil cases and the most serious criminal matters. Their role is to review decisions previously made by other courts and to interpret and expound the law for the guidance of these other courts. It comprises a Chief Justice and 12 Judges.

The building these days comprises judge's chambers, the Court Library service, the Probate Registry and various civil courtrooms. The courts are located at 1 Gouger Street.

5. Jeffcott Chambers

Jeffcott Chambers is the home of 12 barristers who accept briefs in various different areas of practice. The building was once used as the Supreme Court Hotel from 1875 right up until 1970, when it finally closed its doors. The chambers were re-developed and opened in 1982.

The architecture fits in well with the adjacent Supreme Court and provides easy access to nearby courts including the Magistrates Court and Sir Samuel Way Law Courts.

6. Sir Samuel Way Law Courts

Some great examples of heritage buildings being reinvented for modern purposes abound in Adelaide and one of these is the current Sir Samuel Way Law Courts building which once breathed life as a department store, Moores.

Charles Moore, a draper and merchant who arrived in South Australia in 1881 took a huge gamble and had his flagship department store built in an area of the city far removed from the retail shopping strip of Rundle Street. His store opened in 1916. Despite a major fire in 1948, with major refurbishment required, the iconic marble staircase survived, and the store continued to operate until the late 1970s when due to commercial down-turn, it finally closed.

Being an ideal location for another court facility, the building was renovated and in some parts built onto in the early 1980's, to re-invent itself as the current law courts, named after Sir Samuel Way, a Chief Justice, Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a Lieutenant-Governor.

The original marble staircase from the department store days can still be viewed as you enter the court building.

7. Passatempo

If Italian cuisine floats your boat, then Passatempo has some great menu options for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

To start off the day, breakfast will set you back between $12 and $19, dependent upon your choice. The full breakfast for example, which consists of bacon, eggs (poached, fried or scrambled), tomatoes, mushroom and toast will cost you around $16.90.

For lunch or dinner, prices for mains vary between $25 and $32, however should you opt for a pasta, costs are less, $21 to $30.

Menu delights include Calzone, Pizza, Risotto and Scaloppine Funghi, which is mouth-watering pan-fried veal with mushroom flamed in white wine and creamy sauce, served with vegetables for $26.90.

The place is family-friendly and caters for a range of dietary options. Passatempo is open 7 days a week and they can be found at 53 Gouger Street.

8. Ding Hao Yum Cha

Yum Cha has a dedicated band of devotees who love the authentic nature of the Chinese traditional food experience. Yum Cha, in the Cantonese language translates to "drink tea" as its origins relate back to the ancient ceremony of tea-drinking. Later the term was interchanged with Dim Sum, although Dim Sum normally refers to the individual smaller dishes presented, whereas Yum Cha refers to the entire meal.

The types of dishes usually involve small portions of steamed, pan-fried and deep-fried dim sum dishes served in bamboo steamers.

Ding Hao Yum Cha has a casual type of atmosphere and the prices are quite good - ie. good quality food for the cost. Some of the interesting dishes are traditional hot and sour soup for $ 5.50, Flaming Satay Chicken for $14.80 and Sizzling Black Pepper Fillet Steak for $18.80.

Ding Hao Yum Cha also have a range of Kangaroo dishes including Stir Fry Lemongrass Kangaroo Fillet for $16.80. Banquets for two will set you back around $32 per person and will include 2 types of entrees, 3 types of main course and dessert together with a glass of wine. Real value for money!

One of the more exotic dishes is Stir Fry Crocodile and Snow Pea with a special sauce for $20.80. Ding Hao Yum Cha is open 7 days a week for lunch from 11 am until 3 pm and Sundays to Thursdays for dinner from 5 pm until 10 pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm until 11 pm. They can be found at 26 Gouger Street.

9. Star of Siam Restaurant

For the whole Thai experience, you can't go past the Star of Siam which has been an institution in Gouger Street for many years now.

The restaurant boasts 15 different rice dishes for lunch as well as 8 diverse noodle dishes with prices around $14.50/$15.50. Whether it be seafood, beef, pork, chicken, curry or vegetarian, Star of Siam has a great range available on their extensive menu.

An example, if you like seafood is Kao Pad Prik Seafood, which is spicy fried rice with prawn, squid, egg, chilli and fresh basil. Perhaps you might prefer a stirfry dish of either pork, beef or chicken served with ginger, mushroom, onion, capsicum and an oyster sauce.

For dinner, the menu is even more varied, with some interesting choices including Drunken Noodle, which is stir-fried hokkien noodles Thai style with chicken, vegetable, chilli and basil for $16.80. Main courses for dinner vary from $17 to $35 and vegetarian options $18 to $20.

The Star of Siam is open for lunch Monday to Friday from 12 Midday until 2.30 pm and dinner from Monday to Thursday from 5.30 pm until 9.30 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5.30 pm until 10.00 pm. You can locate them at 67 Gouger Street.