Advertisement

Lunch review: Penny University

Jun 27, 2014
The salad bar at Penny University. Photo: Nat Rogers / InDaily

The salad bar at Penny University. Photo: Nat Rogers / InDaily

This rustic little hole-in-the wall café in the East End takes its name from the 18th-century coffee houses in London where people paid a penny to enter and enjoy coffee, company and the latest news or gossip.

The idea struck a chord with Adelaide Penny University owner Foti Likouras, who has sought to re-create a similar scene at his premises opposite Burger Theory in Union Street.

Likouras says the café was designed so people could see all the food being made, to help create a bond between the customers and staff. And he wanted the fare to be “easy, healthy, fresh and, above all, tasty”.

Breakfast or brunch is a specialty at Penny University, but it’s the salads and soups that have really won us over. Despite the burgeoning café hub around the East End’s Ebenezer Place, the one thing it lacked until this newcomer arrived a few months ago was somewhere offering a wide selection of affordable and interesting takeaway salads.

Favourite menu items:

Penny-University-4

Salads: The glass display cabinet is full of bowls of colourful salads, ranging from the traditional (Greek, potato, pasta) to more creative options incorporating ingredients such as quinoa and soybeans. Standouts include the beetroot, baby spinach, lentil, walnut and feta; pear, rocket and parmesan; and soy bean, feta and pea. The only minor whinge is that some of the dressings lack zing and the leafy options would perhaps be best left undressed until serving.

For $4, $8 or $11, staff will fill a small, medium or large takeaway container to bursting point (it’s easier to eat if you tip it onto a plate). If you’re extra-hungry, you can add some tasty, Portuguese-style grilled chicken to go with it.

Penny-University-2

Soups: Every day sees a fresh soup on the menu at Penny University, all for $9 (including a large bread roll and butter) and able to be served for takeaway. Yesterday we tried the Moroccan lentil – hearty with well-balanced flavours, it was seriously delicious. On any other day you will find options such as Southern-style corn chowder with peppers; Fasolada (traditional Greek bean soup); or potato, leek and roasted red bell pepper.

Other options: For lunch, there’s a range of wraps, rolls, ciabattas and filo pastries. And if you want to breakfast like a king or queen, the menu includes “Shakshuka” (one pan with sausage, hot green peppers, tomatoes and baked eggs served with Turkish toast, $17); French toast, corn fritters with bacon, avocado and dill mayo ($15), and French toast with rhubarb compote, maple syrup and strawberries ($15).

Penny-University-3

Something sweet: We’ve so far resisted temptation, but the offerings include Portuguese apple and carrot cakes, banana bread served with ricotta and rhubarb, and Portuguese custard tarts.

Penny University
1/7 Union St, Adelaide
Phone 8227 2772

More lunch reviews:

United Latino Cocina
Munooshi Café
Nano

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.