I was here a few nights ago for my first visit and my wife couldn't resist writing a review. I…read morecouldn't resist going back and now I can't resist sharing my views on Gin Long Canteen.
We arrived in time for an early dinner and had a bit of luck and got seats for three right away. Like my first visit, we were at counter seats, but this time at the back, overlooking the bar instead of the kitchen. I've always been a fan of casual restaurants where you can see "the whole show." Gin Long has nothing to hide and a lot to be proud of. It's a fun watch.
We started off with drinks. Like our previous visit, service was quite good, despite it being a very busy Friday. In fact, I am amazed by how popular this place has become in just a couple of months. And I am also amazed at how well they run the dining room. Greeted promptly-Check. Seated or guided to the waiting area like you're the centre of the universe-Check. Drink ordering promptly-Check. Food ordering promptly-Check. Add-ons, special requests cheerfully handled-Check. Get your tab quickly when you are ready to go-Check. Never feel rushed or pushed-Check. Take note Adelaide restauranteurs, Gin Long gives Master Classes in customer service.
But service alone can't get you 5 stars. We came to eat.
After perusing the menu and making a dent in our first round of drinks, we settled on: Smoked Trout Lettuce Cups and Sugar Cane Prawns (served moo shu style)--both were repeats from out first visit. We added crispy Nom Nom Barramundi and an order of Prawn Dumplings. Out of the blue, we we also given a complimentary serving of the Slow Cooked Thai Beef. Everything got split three ways, so two large serves and 3 small serves totally packed us out--not one of us could manage another bite.
The Nom Nom Barramundi is one of those dishes that's as fascinating to look at as it is to eat. Crispy, juicy pieces of crumbed and fried Barramundi are piled in a deep fried, curled and cleaned Barramundi. It's a beautiful presentation, worthy of how good the fish is to eat. The lime chilli garlic dipping sauce is divine and the perfect choice for this dish. Like all the sauces we've had here, it has a little bite to it.
The prawn dumplings were quite good--but the curry sauce they came with took them to the next level. It seems they have given great thought to matching all the components of each dish to maximum effect.
A surprise hit for all of us was the Slow Cooked Thai Beef serving they gave us. It was so tender and flavourful and it honestly almost melted in your mouth. It's definitely on the list for our next visit and I'd recommend it for your first visit--pretty much along with everything else.
I'd love to tell you about dessert, but it just wasn't possible. I tried to split one three ways, but my wife and our friend just said, "NO!"
Sitting in front of the bar, we got to watch them at work. They made a special effort to entertain us by making some of our drinks on top of, rather than behind, the bar. It was quite something to watch as they prepared Pandan shooters with two floats on top of the Pandan syrup. They said they'd done some serious work trying to come up with a good combination drink to introduce the Pandan flavour to their customers. I tested it several times--they succeeded with me.
Lastly, there's something unique about the atmosphere here. They call themselves a canteen and they carry the theme well with lots of casual counter seating and many big tables for large groups or several smaller groups at one table. It somehow feels like a big party at someone's house--it's all very comfortable and friendly. It's easy to catch the eye of a staff member and when they stop to see what you want, you seem to get 100% of their attention.
Adelaide offers lots of choices for dining out, but I've found few as unique and satisfying as the Gin Long Canteen. I'll definitely be back and I give this eatery my highest recommendation. I only hope that they don't get spoiled by too much success!
Eat, drink and be merry, but not too much! JD