Beach Burrito Company

Holy guacamole, do I love Mexican food! I have long lamented the lack of decent Mexican food in Canberra - and while we still have yet to get a proper Mexican restaurant (Elk & Pea is probably the closest, although it is quite ambiguous about what type of cuisine it serves), the past couple of years has seen the rise of a Mexican fast food tidal wave.

So, upon returning to Canberra after a sojourn around South America, I was excited to hear that a new Mexicana restaurant had opened up in Garema Place, The Beach Burrito Company. Originally from Bondi, Sydney the chain has since sprouted a few franchises around the place.

My brother and I decided to hit up Beach Burrito Company one Wednesday evening before a movie at Dendy. We arrived about 5:15pm to a deserted restaurant. The interior of Beach Burrito is florescent, bold and interesting. There are a lot of sugar skulls, including an awesome chandelier made with skull skateboard. Despite the odd bright light, the space is dimly lit (hence the crappy photos). I actually really liked it, but it might be a bit too “lary” for some of the more laid back people I know. The music, crappy techno, is also up really loud.

We had to change seats because their booths are made for skinny peoples, which I am not. I actually saw a few parties move out of the booths to the normal tables for the same reason – uncool.

The menu is large and comprehensive, although not as adventurous as I was hoping. You take a seat and order at the counter, where you’re given a table number. We ordered Jalapeno Poppers for entrée and a mix of Tacos for mains. We ordered the tacos as two of the 3 x Tacos for (can’t remember) special, but we ended up deciding on the same fillings.


The Jalapeno Poppers come in a plastic basket, and they’re big and there’s a few of them – good for sharing. Sadly they are practically tasteless, with not even a hint of heat. It’s pretty much just a tasteless jalapeno that’s been cleaned out, stuffed with sour cream and then coated in bread crumbs. It’s served with a sour cream/tomato concoction which gives it a little more flavour, but still no heat. Booo. I like my chillies hot, mamasita!

The tacos came out in three separate baskets –two tacos of the same filling to a basket. We ordered the Pibli Pork (Pibli pork with frijoles, shredded cabbage, chipotle mayonnaise, chilli salt and coriander), Chipotle Chicken (Char grilled Chicken, frijoles, pico de gallo, blended cheese, smokey salsa, guacamole, sour cream, chilli salt and coriander) and the Pulled Seasoned Beef (slow roasted beef, frijoles, lettuce, blended cheese, green onion, smokey salsa, guacamole, sour cream, chilli salt). As you can see, the tacos are pretty hard to share, especially when they don’t give you plates or anything other than the baskets. Even harder to share when the tacos go so soggy they break apart at the bottom and half the ingredients fall back in to the basket. I ended up with food all over me.

I gotta say, I was not impressed with these tacos. The tortillas were floury (despite being gluten free) and had no taste. And not only were they so full that you couldn’t fit them in your mouth (and so full they fell apart) - I don’t understand how something with so many ingredients can taste so boring and bland. In hindsight, I should have put some of the habanero sauce provided on the table, on all of them…but you shouldn’t have to do that… The beef taco just tasted like lettuce and soggy beef (with no spices or flavour), and I couldn’t even tell which one was chicken and which one was pork – the flavours were not strong enough. The chicken one did have some pico de gallo on it, which meant it had a little bit more flavour than the other two, but I was still missing any kind of heat (isn’t pico supposed to have chilli in it?).

We were going to get Churros for dessert, because I am a churro fiend – but we were so disappointed with our meals that we just walked out.

There’s no service to speak of at Beach Burrito, you order at the bar and they bring you your food with no fuss. It’s not bad service, it’s more of a “what it says on the box” type service.

Verdict: If you like your Mexican food bland and unspicy – then you’ll probably like this place. I, however, wish we’d gone to Guzman y Gomez.

Jamie's Italian

Jamie’s Italian opened in the Canberra Centre while I was overseas on holidays. Upon my return 6/10 people asked me whether I’d tried Jamie’s new restaurant…and not about my 2 month trip around South America. Priorities, people!

I did visit Jamie’s Italian a week after my return, as a friend (who used to live in Canberra) was in town and wanted to try something new. I suggested that we rock up to Civic and try and find somewhere that could fit us in, where ever we ended up, that’s where we were supposed to be.

Jamie’s Italian is situated on the corner entrance of the Canberra Centre’s North Quarter, opposite Babars and underneath Dendy cinemas. It’s the newest edition to the ‘eat street’ which includes Koko Black, Waggamama, Sammy’s and Cream – if you can’t find something to eat here, you’re pretty bloody picky. We turned up at 7pm, and – unsurprisingly – the place was packed. Oh, Canberrans. You do go mental for anything trendy and new.

We enquired about a table for two with the hostess, who informed us it would be an hour wait. Now, thankfully I’d done my research – normally I would have been all “f*ck that!”…but I’d heard some people had been told 2 hours, and then called back after 40 minutes. I indicated to J that we should take our chances, maybe go and get a quick drink while we waited…and low and behold another server turned up and said that, actually, there was a table available. Hey presto, right place right time! Turns out someone hadn’t come back for their table, so it was ours. Sucks to be the couple who walked in just before us, who were also told it would be an hour. If you’re planning on going to Jamie’s without a booking (which seems to be impossible to do for parties under 9 people) – you’ve really got to be lucky.

We were sat near the window, at a wooden table with funky pink metal seat (seriously, I want them!). The décor at Jamie’s Italian is modern, fresh and not too pretentious – it’s quite cool. You can almost feel Jamie Oliver’s influence in the setting, lots of wood and clean lines…and wow, would you look at that, Jamie Oliver merchandise scattered throughout the store. Subtle. The doors to the restaurant are open, but it’s a 33 degree day and there doesn’t seem to be any air-conditioning (it’s faint if it’s there at all). The room is crowded, frantic servers run all over the place nearly crashing in to each other. The space is loud and, even though large, feels a little claustrophobic – a table outside might be your best bet on a busy hot summer night.

The menu has a good variety of options, no matter what you like. There are starter/sharing platters, pastas, and a good mix of main options – with quite a few good options for vegetarians.

We ordered the “Crispy Squid” to share as an entrée and it was…tiny. So tiny. And hard to share, even though they gave us separate plates I ended up dropping aioli all over the table. The squid was light but a little removed of flavour. There were chillies and fried garlic in the basket, but the squid itself could have used something more in the batter.

For mains, J ordered the Mortadella and Ricotta Panzerotti (pasta filled with mortadella and chicken, coated in a blue cheese sauce – topped with toasted, spiced nuts and an apple, lemon and parsley salad).

This was the “large serve”. Laaaarge. I can’t even imagine how ridiculous the smaller server must have been. J said it was nice, although the blue cheese sauce was faint and quite creamy.

I decided to order the Truffled Turkey Milanese (Turkey stuffed with fontina and prosciutto, topped with a fried-free range egg and truffles) with a side of Apple slaw.

In contrast to J’s meal – mine was HUGE! I gotta say, I was whelmed by my meal – not over whelmed, not under whelmed. The egg was well cooked, oozing out yummy yellow yolk. The couple of truffle shavings gave the egg a subtle earthy flavour that worked well with the turkey and cheese – but that only covered a small area of the massive lump of meat, that meant that the rest of the piece of turkey was thin and not overly flavourful, despite being covered in cheese. I’m pretty sure there was no prosciutto on the plate anywhere. The apple slaw was really tasty though, really fresh and tangy – perfect for a warm summer’s eve.

We saw the dessert menu when we first sat down and had already made up our minds that we would be having dessert, no matter how full we were at the end of our mains. I was full but unsatisfied, and J was still hungry – so we ordered desserts. Dessert turned out to be the best part of the whole night. J ordered the Tutti Fruitti Lemon Meringue Pie.

The pie was deeeeeelicious. A strong, tart, lemon base with gooey meringue on top = perfection. I decided on the trifle.

The trifle was creamy and sweet, but got quite rich after a while – I couldn’t finish it. The itlian meringue on top left a delightful after taste and fruitiness of the jam worked wonders with the custard. Beautiful. I’ll be back for dessert for sure.

The service at Jamie's Italian was friendly and fast - I cannot fault it. We were close to the kitchen though, so there was a lot of movement, lots of servers rushing back and forth...they certainly don't slack off!

Verdict: Try Jamie’s Italian, if only to say you have. The food is on the better side of average, but certainly not mind blowing. The atmosphere might not be for everyone, certainly not those looking for an intimate dinner for two – but if you’re after a fun, laid back space then this place is great. Try Jamie’s Italian, and then next time you feel like Italian go to Italian and Sons, Mezalira or one of the many fantastic places in Kingston.

Me and Mrs Jones

Name: Me & Mrs Jones
Type: Café/Restaurant
Location: Kingston shops
Meal: Late breakfast/early lunch
Food et: Steak burger

My sister and I decided to hit up Me & Mrs Jones for breakfast one Sunday morning. Apparently my sister knows friends of friends of the owners or something and wanted to try it out so she could report back that she had been there or something…I dunno, I was tired hungry and just went where I was led. This may have had something to do with the night before and because of said night before; we actually ended up getting to the joint at about midday, closer to lunch than breakfast.

The indoor seating area was packed, which was a shame because it’s a pretty cool space. It reminded me of a London train station, or somewhere in old America (Boston maybe?), with brick lined walls and industrial furniture. However, despite the industrial feel, it’s quite a warm and welcoming space. It reminded me of something you would find in a trendy Melbourne suburb, a welcome change to a somewhat stiff Kingston. The atmosphere inside was buzzing, with everyone seemingly happy to be there.

We ended up yoinking the last table available in their small outdoor seating area, which is enclosed (thankfully) and a little away from the main restaurant, to allow for street traffic in between.

I ordered a decaf flat white and a Cirtus Crush frappe – both of which came out promptly. The flat white was really tasty – something that is hard to achieve when decaf is involved (I’m allergic to caffeine, leave me alone coffee snobs!). The frappe was cold and refreshing, giving me the vitamin hit I sorely needed.

As it was nearer to lunch time and I decided that I needed something with salty, greasy chips, I ordered the steak sandwich. The steak sandwich includes steak (duh!), blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and aoli. Served with chips – huzzah!

Gotta say, this wasn’t the greatest steak sandwich of all time. The bread was crunchy, the meat was tender and the blue cheese wasn’t too strong (which can overpower dishes easily) – but there just wasn’t a whole lot of flavour. I think a tomato chutney or chilli jam would have really capped it off. The chips were crunchy and salty and everything I wanted, although they were a little bit oilier than I would have liked. (edit: I just checked the menu online and it said it has a “pinot noir jam” – but I don’t remember it, so it wasn’t a lot or it wasn’t very strong). The cute little jar of aoli for dipping was a nice touch, and the chips were delicious dunked in.

But then, mid bite in to my burger, I found this amongst the layers:

It was rolled up originally, so we figured it was a piece of glad wrap that had been covering salad leaves and had accidentally fallen in to the mix. Thankfully I found it before it went in my mouth, because that would have been an especially chewy mouthful. I informed the waitress about it and she was extremely apologetic and ran off to let the kitchen know to look out for any further pieces that may have escaped to green leafy freedom.

Apart from the plastic and the general lack of flavour, in the end I was full and happy – and wanted a nap.

K ordered the Smashing Avocado, which consisted of smashed avocado, Persian fetta, pine nuts and poached eggs on a soy and linseed bread.

As soon as this was put down in front of K, I automatically wished I’d ordered it too. It’s a simple idea that looks fantastic, is a perfect size and is a healthy but tasty option. K said that it was awesome and that she wanted to try her own variations at home.

The service at Me & Mrs Jones was great. The waitress who was running the outdoor area was polite, friendly and attentive. It took us a while to get glasses for the water on our table, but that was the only issue (and I’d ordered other drinks so I wasn’t desperate). All the staff I spoke to where really remorseful and concerned about the plastic I’d found and handled the situation well (short of comping my meal – but that would have made me feel guilty anyway).

Verdict: I really enjoyed my experience at Me & Mrs Jones. It’s a cool place, trendy but welcoming. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is pleasant and the food is interesting but dependable. I've been back for dinner twice since I wrote this review and it's been great - try the Brulee. Try. The. Brulee.

My only gripe about this place is the price. It's quite pricey for a "everyday meal", and I think it's quite pricey for what you get - you pay for the trendiness. I would consider this place good for people who like food and are willing to spend a few extra dollars, but might be more suited to a date night or a special occasion for most.

Rating: 4 /*****

Peppercress

Name: Peppercress

Type Restaurant

Location: Southern Cross Club, Tuggeranong

Meal: Dinner

Food et: Slow roasted pork belly, Balinese style duck, Turkish and rose water mousse.

Let me start off by saying, my Dad is from the country. He lived there growing up, and moved back there last year. Dad’s idea of dinner out is a chicken schnitzel at the Peak Hill Bowling Club, of which he is a board member. Peak Hill is situated on the Bogan River – need I say more?

So, when Dad suggested that he wanted to go to the Southern Cross Club in Tuggeranong for his birthday dinner, I wasn’t surprised.

The Tuggeranong Southern Cross Club has a bistro downstairs, and I think that is what everyone pictures when they think of sports clubs and the like. Steak and chips, cutlets and vegies – that sort of thing. However, Peppercress is different.

We arrived on a Thursday night at 7pm, to find the restaurant, located on the top floor of the club, deserted. For the entire two hours we were there, only two other tables were filled. The waiter did say that they were busy the night before, and I hope for their sake it’s true. The space is large and elegantly decorated with lots of lush fabrics. The tables are spaced quite a distance away from each other, which is a marvellous idea for intimate dinners.

In edition to the décor not being what you expect, the food is an even bigger surprise. Modern, imaginative and so, so, different from your usual club fair of bangers and mash! Since it was Dad’s birthday, and since Dad was paying, we decided to go all out and get ridiculous amounts of wine to compliment our ridiculous amounts of food. The wine menu was a little more expensive than I would have liked, if I was paying myself. But I’m a cheap drunk. Literally. $5 for a bottle and I’m set.

The food however, is really well priced for what you get.

For entrée I got the Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Chardonnay poached apple, seeded mustard vinaigrette, herb salad – minus the mustard vinaigrette, because I am allergic to vinegar.

This was awesome. Really salty and a little fatty, just how I like my pork belly. I was extremely happy with this dish. It was the perfect size, so as to not fill you up for the main. Everyone else in my family was on the same wave length and ordered the Calamari and Chorizo salad, with pan-fried haloumi, and an orange dressing. They all loved it, and my Dad, who had never tried haloumi before, is now obsessed with squeaky cheese.

For the main course I ordered the Balinese Style Duck Breast with peanut and potato hash, and orange and chilli glaze (on the side).


The dish was good, but not amazing. I feel like there could have been, should have been, more flavour. The duck was cooked perfectly and had a light coating, but there was a bit too much fat for my liking. The potato and peanut hash was awesome and tasted fantastic with the orange and chilli glaze drizzled over it. All in all I enjoyed it, but felt it was missing something.

My brother, A, and his boyfriend, C, both got the Pappardelle Pasta with Lamb Ragu and Ricotta, which consisted of thick ribbon pasta, tossed with lamb ragu, Sicilian olives, fresh mint and ricotta cheese. I tried it, and it was deliciously rich and smooth and the olives gave it a salt hit that was just fantastic. The mint was great edition too, giving the dish a fresh taste. I preferred this over my own dish, actually.


My sister K, got the Couscous Strudel, which was a filo pasty parcel filled with couscous (obviously), chick peas, fetta, bell peppers and eggplant. This was a great dish, lots of flavour and character - and it’s a good vegetarian alternative to the usual ‘pasty’ type meal.


Dad got the Moroccan Lamb Rump, which was slow cooked and served with rosemary rosti, madeira jus and some vegetables. They call this one the ‘house specialty’ and I can see why. This was a perfect dish. The lamb was cooked to perfection, tender and coated in a mild spice that really complimented the flavours of the meat. One thing I would add, is some kind of yoghurt mint/cucumber sauce, as I always feel that goes well with spiced lamb.

For dessert, I couldn’t go past the Turkish and Rose Water flavoured mousse, which came with Persian floss and strawberries.


This was phenomenal. The mousse was creamy and smooth, the flavours really shining through but not over powering. The floss was a fun edition and was oh so pretty and tasty.

A got the house speciality of Soft centred warm Chocolate Pudding with vanilla bean ice cream rolled in crushed pistachio. The pudding was rich and chocolaty, a bit much for myself but my brother liked it. The stand out of the dish, though, was the ice cream. The crushed pistachio casing really gave a new dimension to the ice cream and just really worked.



K ordered the Apple and Rhubarb crumble, served with vanilla bean ice cream. This was a pretty standard, but tasty, crumble. The topping, which I always fail tremendously when I try to make myself, was crunchy and sweet. The filling was sweet without being sickly – it all came together for a hearty, soul cheering dessert.



The service at Peppercress was top notch, more what you would expect from some of Canberra’s fine dining institutions, than ‘the club’. We were shown to our table by a really nice waiter, who stayed with us most of the night and was just brilliant. Dad had been drinking and the waiter handled him perfectly, giving as good as he got – I think Dad thought they were best mates by the end of the night. And I think the waiter was glad to be entertained on a quiet night.


Verdict: It makes me sad that this place was deserted. It was brilliant. As soon as I left I said that I would write this blog post in the hope of boosting their attendance, because they deserve it. And Tuggeranong deserves a fine dining option, damn it!. Take your partner here on a date, go there with a group of friends, or take the whole family for a special celebration. Just do it!

Cream

Name: Cream Café and Bar
Type: Restaurant, café, bar
Location: Civic
Meal: Before-hours dinner
Food et: Calamari (tapas) and steak sandwich

My brother (A) and I decided to hit up Cream for a quick bite to eat before an early movie session. Seriously, who starts a movie at 6pm – that’s too early for dinner, and then it’s too late for dinner afterwards (or if you’re like me, you’ve eaten every piece of popcorn in the vicinity and are too full for dinner).

There doesn’t seem to be many quick pre-dinner dinner options around the area, Babars is open with a limited menu (pizza) and Kingsley’s Steakhouse is not the kind of place you go to scoff a meal down. Usually Sammy’s or Wagamama’s would have sufficed, but we’d both OD’d on Asian food in recent times and wanted to try something tasty, but a bit more laid back.

Cream is nestled on the corner of Bunda and Genge streets, pretty much directly under the Dendy wing of the Canberra Centre. The café is modern in it’s lay out, with bar like benches and stools mixed in with the more traditional café setting. There is a coffee bar in the middle, underneath a beautiful feature light. The space is bright and trendy, but not too pompous.

Cream does good coffee and drinks, but I am partial to their cold drinks – specifically their fruit frappes. Tonight I decided on the “Passion Paradise” which is a blend of lychees, pineapple, passion fruit and lychee juice. I liked it, it’s really cold and refreshing, but it was a little sweet for my usual tastes.

Cream does a limited menu before 6pm, consisting of tapas and burgers. I’ve previously come here before an early movie, and a friend and I had shared the tapas tasting plate – something I highly recommend – but tonight A and I decided to get the burgers.

I ordered the steak sandwich, which has a tender sirloin, lettuce, tomato, free range egg, aioli, caramelised onions and is served with shoestring fries – however I opted to omit the egg. Seriously, Australia …


I used the word ‘tasty’ a lot when we were there and I’ll continue that trend in this post – this sandwich is tasty! The steak was tender and not too tough, which you see a lot on steak based burger/sandwiches. The onion was caramelised well, nice and soft, and had a nice flavour. The salad was crisp and plentiful – I hate it when you get one piece of lettuce! The bread holding the whole thing together was toasted Turkish bread that was fresh and hot, soaking up the juices from the flavoursome insides.

Shoe string fries are my very most favourite type of fries, so I was pretty much in chippy heaven! They were done perfectly - crispy, but not burnt, and with the perfect amount of saltiness. One thing my brother did suggest, and I agree, is that the chips be served with an aioli or some kind of dipping sauce – there are a whole lot of chips on that plate, and eating them plain can get a bit tiresome.

A ordered the Chicken Burger which has a free range breast with lettuce, tomato, bacon, pineapple relish, paprika aioli and is also served with shoestring fries.


A was really happy with his burger, and said “there was the right amount of sauces on the burger and it wasn’t too sloppy”.

We decided to get the calamari as a side, because when I’d had it in on the tasting plate previously, it stayed with me and I wanted to try it again. The calamari is dusted in spices and served with a mango lime relish.


The calamari was well cooked (not too rubbery) and the spices really gave it another dimension. The mango lime relish is a fantastic accompaniment to the dish, and is tangy and sweet. It can be quite strong, so don’t dunk your whole calamari piece in it. I think it would have worked better as an aioli than a relish/chutney.

The service at Cream is good, but not great. The staff are young and always seem to be busy, but after they seat you and take your order, that’s the last you’ll see of them - you pay at a counter and you’re on your way. The food was served quickly and, in fact, our entire meal took a total of 30 minutes from sitting down to walking out the door. Perfect for the pre-movie rush!

Verdict: I was really happy with our visit to Cream, the food was tasty and fresh, the menu was hip and inventive, and the place has a trendy, but welcoming atmosphere. I’ve heard some people call Cream “pretentious”, but I’ve never encountered an ounce of that. Hell, I was wearing thongs and I felt at home!

Rating: 3/*****

Smoque

Name: Smoque
Type: Fast Food/Restaurant
Location: Canberra City
Meal: Dinner
Food et: Turkey Burger and Buffalo Wings

Apparently this is the post everyone's been waiting for. 10's of people have asked me when I would be blogging about Smoque. And here it is, fine readers - Canberra's newest and coolest place to eat: Smoque

I've actually had the fortune of eating at Smoque a few times, and had been so happy with each visit that I've actually not known how to blog about it. A rare conundrum. I've been there for birthdays mainly, but I never feel like going out for someone's birthday is a true representation of a typical meal. Staff are always usually awesome for birthdays, because they know you'll "tell your friends". So, I've decided to blog about my last dinner there, which is more of a typical "Smoquesque" meal.

A friend and I hit up Smoque on a Friday evening, before an early movie. We turned up at 5:30pm and were shocked to see that there weren't many people in there - but that changed soon after, as the "after work crowd" started to rock up.

I do recommend you go early. Smoque only takes reservations for groups of six or more - so if you're under the limit, you're considered a walk-in and, in busier times, may be left waiting quite some time for a table (usually at the bar - which isn't so bad). The last time I had come on a Friday evening (around 6pm) it was packed to the rafters. Literally. They have a couple of tables upstairs...

Smoque is the brain child of Grant Kells, famous around the Canberra scene for his now-burnt-down, Flint (formerly housed in the Diamont Hotel). It is in the spot where Antigo's used to live (RIP), or at least when I say that to people it seems to be the only way they can grasp the location. The new restaurant is lively and decorated in sporadic splashes of Americana. A long bar takes up most of the space, surrounded by tables. It has a really welcoming atmosphere and when full of people, a lively feel.

Customer's order around the corner, get a table number and before you know it, you're surrounded by food (because you can't just order one thing - it's statistically impossible). It's like fast food, only it's decent fast food that you don't feel (as) guilty about consuming. And eating with your hands is a must - it's how you do barbeque, fool! The food is American inspired smoqued meats and southern fair. A smoquer works all day, preparing the meats - so the food is served quick, but made with time.

I ordered the Original Burger with Turkey and Coleslaw.

The meat was slow cooked and smoked to perfect, and really tender - blissful. The coleslaw was not over dressed and it still nice and crunchy. And the bun was toasted and buttered. All in all - a tasty mouthful.

I also decided to order some Buffalo wings - cos you know, when in (an Italian themed restaurant in Canberra) Rome...

The wings were spicy and well cooked, literally falling off the bone. Yum. Yum. Yum. Sadly, they defeated me - I did eat a whole burger before though. I can't imagine how the two lonely winners of the Wing Challenge (who have their on the wall) ended up after gobbling down 50 wings in 30 minutes!

My friend, J, ordered the Sloppy Joe with fries.

I've had the Sloppy Joe before and I can tell you that it's a meat lovers dream come true. Chili and brisket, with cheese, literally slopped on to a toasted bun. The meat is slow cooked tender goodness. The fries are crispy and hand made, with a delish seasoning.

We washed it all down by sharing a piece of Pumpkin Pie - which was creamy and spicy and (even though I was extremely full) I wanted to lick the plate.

The service at Smoque is top notch. I honestly couldn't name a better place in Canberra as far as service goes - which is amazing, considering they've only been open two months. They must not have gotten to the bitter "I hate customers" point yet. The staff are attentive, friendly and pretty hilarious. They have looked after us without fault, each time I've been.

Verdict: Smoque is exactly what Canberra needed - something to get people excited about food. Food that you can afford and delight in, food that will leave you feeling satisfied and put a smile on your face. I honestly could not not rave about this place - but I've been there so much in the last few months that it might be time for a break. For my arteries' sake.

Rating: 4/*****

Urban Pantry

Name: Urban Pantry
Type: Cafe/Restaurant
Location: Manuka
Meal: Brunch
Food et: Pancakes with banana, honey and ricotta

Keeping up with my urban theme (see last post) - some friends and I decided to meet up at Urban Pantry in Manuka for a late Brunch/extremely early lunch on a sunny Sunday morning.

The whole "Manuka Green" area was buzzing and everyone was out enjoying the fresh air. Thankfully, I'd had the hindsight to book beforehand - cos the place was packed.

Urban Pantry is nestled on the corner of the green, close to Bougainville Street, and has a good mixture of indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant is simple and elegant, with a large bar/coffee counter the centre of the action.

We took our seats and ordered drinks (tea for me, thank you very much) and perused the menu while discussing some future holiday plans. It took us a long time to actually focus and read the menu, and the staff were quite obliging of our lack of concentration and came back a few times until we were ready to order.

I chose the Cinnamon toast with whipped coconut butter & maple syrup. However, having recently been diagnosed with a sulphur allergy (boo! hiss!), I had to ask the waitress if she knew whether they used real maple syrup, or "maple flavoured syrup" - she didn't know, but ran off to the kitchen to find out for me. Apparently they use the fake stuff, or as I like to call it - the rubbish stuff (it's full of preservatives - unlike real maple syrup, which only has the one ingredient).

I had to change my order and went for the Pancakes with banana, honey and ricotta.

The pancakes were light and fluffy, almost undercooked (you know when they go a little gooey) - but they were tasty. The bananas probably could have been cooked a little longer, to make them a little mushier - but that's a personal preference. The ricotta went well and cut through the sweetness. I was a little disappointed in the amount of honey on the pancakes, though, there really wasn't much. And I like to slop my pancakes in syrup, so I was even more depressed.

M ordered plain old eggs and toast and got...plain old eggs and toast. Although, the toast was a yummy sourdough - and I rate that.

J ordered Sweet corn & zucchini fritters with rocket, avocado, tomato salsa and sour cream. Definitely the best looking dish of the meal.

The service at Urban Pantry is good, the staff were very helpful and attentive - but not pushy or annoying. The atmosphere of the place is great, very chilled out and trendy.

Verdict: Reliable and good, but not amazing....which is some times all you need and some times all you want.

Rating: 3.5/*****

Pulp Kitchen

Name: Pulp Kitchen
Type: Restaurant
Location: Ainslie Shops
Meal: Dinner
Food et: Oven baked camembert, sourdough toast, radish and watercress salad. Side of fries with saffron aioli.

I'd walked past Pulp Kitchen, located around the corner out the back of the ever-trendy Ainslie Shops, a few times and thought "what a brilliant name, must give that a try". Luckily, I managed to lure a friend in to coming along with me to check out the restaurant, our decision cemented by the promise of an Earl Grey Crème Brulee, listed on their online menu.

Touted as a "European Brasserie", the restaurant is simply laid out with a modern, classic feel. Tables near the wall length window are set for parties of two, with the chairs facing outwards towards the street. Sadly the view is of the side walk, tables outside and some poor random persons front yard. But it's great for people watching...well, watching people get their groceries.

Special mention about the music, which was awesome swing and jazz music that you can't help but sign along to.

The fair at Pulp Kitchen is indicative of the name, everyday food. It's the same kind of food you'd find in a bistro, but a posh bistro.

The menu we were presented (both on paper and on the giant blackboards adorning each end of the restaurant) was, sadly, not the one up on their website and the meals I had already decided I wanted were not on this new list - including the main attraction, the Earl Grey Crème Brulee.

After lamenting the loss of such an amazing sounding dessert, I cried in to my lemonade for a bit and then decided on something simple for my main - ovenbaked camembert with sourdough toast and a radish and watercress salad. And a side of fries with saffron aioli - because I love me some fatty potato.

It's pretty much a melted cheese toasty - but with class. The camembert was baked to a gooey perfection, easily spread on the toast. Toasted sourdough was lovely and crunchy. Salad was not much to speak of, since there was only about three bites worth on the plate, but it did a nice job of balancing the strength of the cheese.

My friend J, went for the classic french steak and pommes - beef tenderloin medallions and shoe string fries, served with a mustard béarnaise.

J was really happy with her meal, and said that the meat was of good quality and well cooked. She also made special mention of the béarnaise sauce, which she like a lot.

As I'd set my heart on the crème brulee, so I enquired about the "chef's choice crème brulee" for the night, which was apparently white chocolate. I don't have a photo of the dessert - there isn't much other than candle light and I hate taking photos with a flash...

I was quite disappointed with my dessert, it tasted like the custard-powder-custard my Mum makes - although the toffee top was perfectly crunchy.

J had the Dark chocolate mousse with pear sorbet and ricotta doughnuts - which she said was amazing.

We had our dessert with Earl Grey tea, cos if we weren't gonna get it in a brulee, we still were gonna get it! The tea was actually really nice, and tasted like it was a decent loose leaf.

Service at Pulp Kitchen was a bit all over the shop. Very attentive to start with, but after they delivered the dessert and tea - not a peep. We ended up having to go over to the register and pay on our own, after sitting at our table for over 30 minutes after we finished.

Verdict: Essentially, Pulp Kitchen serves good quality traditional meals, without the wank and pompous of some other establishments.

Rating: 4.5/*****

Digress

Name: Digress
Type: Restaurant. Bar. Lounge. Indian. Italian. Fusion.
Location: City
Meal: Dinner
Food et: Garlic Naan, Tandoori Chicken Pizza
Cost: $16.00

Indian. My favourite cuisine. Italian. Classic food that I’ve grown up with. Put them together and you have Digress – Canberra’s first Indian/Italian fusion restaurant.

The day they opened Digress, I got an excitable email from one of my fellow foodie friends exclaiming that “we must try this!!!”. The idea of Indian and Italian food together got us both pretty excited. I think what got us even more excited was the fact that it was something truly new.

So many restaurants open in Canberra these days that are all the same. Cafes are a big thing in Canberra, as are cuisine focused restaurants (ones that do just Thai or just Japanese etc). And Mod Oz high end restaurants, especially, are popping up here like weeds. Tasty. Tasty. Weeds. And as much as I appreciate that kind of dining, it’s nice to see someone have the guts to try something new and completely different.

It took us a while to get ourselves organised, but when we headed to Digress on a cold August night the excitement had built quite high. So had the expectations.

The entrance to Digress is somewhat deceiving. Hidden between the ticketek office and a framing store, you can’t see directly in to the restaurant, so make sure you keep an eye out for the sign above the door and the two friendly dog/dragon statues out the front. They look like they should be out the front of a Chinese restaurant, actually…

Once we entered, we made the journey downstairs in to the lounge and bar area. The area is spacious and trendy – but glaringly empty on this particular Saturday night. Not a good sign…later in the night I theorised this emptiness was due to the ridiculous cocktail prices.

The restaurant area is off to the side of the lounge and is also modernly decorated. I’m going to go out on a limb, but I’m pretty sure purple is the owners favourite colour, it’s everywhere! I personally think that the dining area of any good Indian restaurant is not complete without a TV showing Bollywood movies, and luckily for me Digress did not disappoint. My poor friend K had to spend most of the meal watching me talk to her while watching the TV over her shoulder. It’s mesmerising.

Strangely, you can’t hear the Bollywood music from the TVs…stranger still is that, what music you can hear, is coming from the lounge and seem to consist of bad Blue Light discotheque music. ABBA, The BeeGees, Spice Girls. Utter. Gold. I actually really loved it. It was weird, but fantastic at the same time.

We started off our meal with some naan, as you do. K got the sundried tomato naan and I got the garlic naan. For me the garlic naan was somewhat bland, but I do like them nice and garlicky (like, “kill vampires garlicky”). K said her naan was delicious, though.

For the mains, we decided to try and get our best fusion for our buck – tandoori chicken pasta and tandoori chicken pizza. Staple Indian with staple Italian.

K got the Tandoori chicken pasta (penne), which was creamy and delicious. The tandoori tasted very authentic and like it was made with fresh ingredients.

I got myself the Tandoori chicken pizza and holy crap, I did not regret that decision. This has to go down as probably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Ever. The dough was soft, the toppings were a-plenty, the ingredients were fresh and the size was more then filling. I actually felt like I was going to vomit, from being so full – but I just could not stop eating it!!!

The pizza consists of charcoal cooked tandoori chicken; sun dried tomatoes & green chillies garnished with yoghurt and a papadum. Everything tasted amazing. I’m actually drooling thinking about it.

I got my pizza with “medium” spice and that did quite nicely. Bit of a zing, but not “get me a lassi, my mouth is burning” hot. K found it quite spicey, but I have a pretty good constitution for chilli.

I was too full for dessert, but Kristie decided to get the Punjabi Kulfi, a homemade ice cream made with pistachios and cardoman. I convinced her to give me a taste and holy crap it was good. Creamy, with a mild spice - almost reminded me of a chai latte (but with pistachios). Our waitress told me that her Mum makes the Kulfis at home and then she bring them in to the restaurant. Home made, or what? Nom. Nom. If only I wasn't so full!

One weird thing about the Kulfi, though, was the shape in which it came. Looks amazing, great presentation - almost impossible to eat!!! Do you eat it like an ice block, or use a spoon or what? We went for both options. I guess it all looks the same in your mouth.

The service at Digress is fantastic. Our waitress was polite and extremely attentive. It was driving me crazy all night, but I knew that I recognised her from somewhere! I could have sworn that she was the waitress from my favourite Indian restaurant, Indian Affair in Philip…and I was right! Indian Affair is a family run business, and I found out later that that their daughter started her own restaurant, Digress, and swindled her younger sister (our waitress) away from her parent's business. I think that just made me love this place even more!!!

Verdict: In a few words: It’s like a dream come true. Yum. I highly recommend. I hope they get more business, because it would be a shame for their out of the way location to stop people from trying this amazing food. Go. Now.

Gus'

Name: Gus’ Cafe
Type: Café. Modern Australian
Location: Civic
Meal: Dinner
Food et: Grilled chicken breast sandwich
Cost: $10.50

Established in 1967, by Augustin ‘Gus’ Petersilka, Gus’ Café has become a Canberran landmark and a legend.

Gus came from Vienna, Austria, which is evident in the basic wood lined, continental-style interior of the café. It’s a simple décor, harping back to a simpler time.

Now famous for it’s out-door dining, Gus actually had to fight an epic battle with local bureaucrats and council officials (including a petition to the Queen) to be Canberra’s first open-air, late night café. Thankfully for us all he won his battle and from 1968 the café extended out on to the street – and other Canberra restaurants followed suit. Canberra now has a bustling out-door dining scene, and we have Gus to thank for that!

With this in mind, a friend and I decided that Gus’ was the perfect place to grab a quick bite to eat before an early movie. The weather was decent so we grabbed a table in their outdoor area. Being that it is still winter in Canberra, the heaters were on and the plastic shielding was up. It was actually nice and cosy, like being inside the restaurant – but with the added bonus of people watching from the street.

Gus’ menu consists of basic café food, quick bites, pastas, risottos and my very most favourite thing ever – all day breakfast. They have a really great coffee menu too, if you are so inclined (but I’m a tea drinker, bitches).

As we didn’t have much time, we both grabbed a small meal that we knew wouldn’t take too long to prepare. I chose the Grilled chicken breast sandwich (without chips, as I’d had an afternoon tea at work) and J chose the nachos with chicken.

The meals come out about 10 minutes later, smelling and looking delicious. The grilled chicken sandwich was served on toasted bread which had been coated in a garlic butter (drool!). The sandwich was built with sliced grilled chicken, cheese, roquette and a sun dried tomato mayo. It was very tasty, the mayo giving off a nice saltiness to off set the blander chick and roquette. The sandwich was quite sizeable, definitely a two hand effort.

J told me that she was very impressed with the nachos, especially the amount of topping. J liked that they had more of the sour cream/guacamole/salsa then most nachos you get out at restaurants – which is never enough! She was a little wary about adding the chicken, because she’d never had chicken with her nachos – but she was very impressed and liked it a lot.

Service at Gus’ is efficient and polite. The girl who served us was fine, she got our order right, but she was neither happy nor overly attentive. The guy behind the counter when we went in to pay was quite chatty and put a smile on our faces as we left.

Verdict: I think Gus’ is a good “go to” place. In all honesty, the food is nothing to write home about, but it’s quick and basic – which is sometimes all you need! The greatest thing about Gus’, though, is the atmosphere, the location and the legend.

Streets of Asia

Edit Feb 2013: a few people have mentioned to me lately about a decline in this restaurants quality - and I am inclined to agree. I have since been back to this restaurant and while I didn't have to wait long and the food tasted fine, I was left wondering about the hygiene standards and the quality of the food being served. A friend of mine became very ill after eating the soft shell crab here. Sad. But Asian Noodlehouse is up the street!

Name: Streets of Asia
Type: Restaurant and Take-away. Asian. Noodles.
Location: Tuggeranong
Meal: Lunch
Food et: Lemongrass Squid, Deep fried duck with chilli and basil
Cost: My friend paid - but it was roughly $15-20 a dish

To celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday, a friend took us all out for lunch and a “girls afternoon” (massages etc). The birthday gal is a fan of Asian food so we decided to try Streets of Asia in Tuggeranong.

Streets of Asia used to be housed up the back of the Hyperdome, near the Good Guys, but recently moved down to what they call “Southlife”, a row of cafes and restaurants out the front of the Hyperdome along Anketell Street. Since the move, the restaurant has expanded in size and decor. Giant black and white photos of notable Asian stereotypes (rice, an old man wearing a bamboo hat etc) line the walls. The decor is modern and fresh, without being too trendy or pretentious.

I am a Public Servant who works in the Tuggeranong area, and for years I have been hearing how good Streets of Asia is. My allegiance to Asian Noodlehouse, just up the street, had stopped me from trying them before this. Not sure why that is. To be honest, now that I have tried them both - they’re actually quite different.

We decided on three dishes, to try a few different things, and a big serve of rice. One of the girls is a “vegetarian” who only eats seafood, so we got a squid dish, a fish dish (heh) and a duck dish.

The squid was cooked in a chilli and lemongrass sauce, with lots of fresh vegies. Yum! It was one of those sauces that are so delicious; you just want to push everything else on the plate to the side and spoon the sauce in to your mouth. The squid was cooked well and was not too chewy (a pet hate of mine!).

The second dish was fish, which I don’t like, so I can’t comment on how the fish was cooked. The other two seemed to enjoy it though. The sauce was really nice - a sweet chilli, garlic and basil concoction. Perfect drizzled over rice.

However! The bestest dish of the day was the duck. A crispy skinned deep fried plate of heaven. Well cooked duck with a crunchy outside, covered in an ah-mazing chilli and basil sauce, served with a good helping of fresh vegies. The sauce was strong and flavourful, bursting with life. Very moreish. Just brilliant. I was fighting my non-“vegetarian” friend off for this one. After I ate most of the duck, I then proceeded to eat bowl after bowl of rice with the chilli and basil sauce. I was so full by this stage, but I kept on eating!

I was devastated to find out that they don’t do the duck dish as take-away. In fact, most of the non-noodle dishes are eat-in only. This is not so great when I want to grab dinner for myself (being a single gal) on the way home from work. I’m not really a fan of sitting in restaurants by myself, but the duck makes me think it might be worth grabbing my book and heading down for a weekend lunch or weekday dinner by myself.

The service was good, but not exceptional. They're really fast at ordering and then bringing the food out but there are no pleasantries. They don't speak great English, but that always heartens me - because it means you're gonna get authentic food from people who really know how to make it!

Verdict: While I am still a loyal Noodlehouser for Noodles and takeaway, I think Streets of Asia could very easily become a new favourite for sit down dinners with friends before a movie or as somewhere close to just go have a catch up. And, boy! That duck dish is probably one of the best Asian dishes I’ve ever had.

Asian Noodle House

Name: Asian Noodle House
Type: Restaurant and Take-away. Asian. Noodles.
Location: Tuggeranong (and there is one in Dickson too)
Meal: Lunch
Food et: Half-sized Combination Egg Noodle Soup
Cost: $11.00

Asian Noodle House is mine, and pretty much everyone I knows, favourite "go-to" restaurant and take-away. To say I am biased...is entirely fair. The food is delicious, fresh and quickly prepared. You can always get a good, decent sized, meal for a good price.

As a Mother's Day treat, I took Mum out to Noodle House for lunch and then to see a movie at Limelight (Cinema Plug: my sister works there). Sadly, Dad had cooked a gigantic breakfast for Mum and all us kids, so neither Mum or I were particularly hungry by the time we arrived at Noodle House.

Usually I will get the Chicken Pad Thai or a Laksa, because both are totally amazing, but today my stomach just couldn't take it. Mum ended up just getting a serve of 4 spring rolls (which are delicious, by the way). I decided to go for something a little lighter, the 1/2 sized Combination Egg Noodle Soup.

The soup was nice, but not overly flavoursome. Which, strangely enough, was perfect. I didn't want anything that would assault my senses and make me sick. Egg noodles, duck, bbq pork, chicken and bok choy in a chicken broth with some fried onions and shallots. It was nice hearty meal, which I devoured in no time at all - even though I was full before I started. I think I really like chilli in Asian food, so that is probably what I found was missing.

The great thing about Noodle House is that you really can get anything you feel like. They have rice dishes, curries and many, many noodle dishes from around Asia. There is a section for Chinese foods, Loa dishes and Thai ones. There are also a few other random Asian specialities thrown in. A few people I know really, really love their Singapore noodles - although I am not a huge fan of those in general, so I can't comment.

The menu offer numerous vegetarian dishes and option - most of the noodle dishes come with a tofu/vegetable option as well as a seafood, beef, chicken, pork and duck option. The kids are covered too, with a children's menu offering smaller sizes and blander food for the youngsters - something you don't see often at Asian places.

My friend J constantly rave about how they have the best Pad Siew and the best Laksa he has ever tasted. The Cha Kway Teow is also a winner.

The service is okay, nothing spectacular, but I've never had a mix up with orders or the bill and I've never had to wait very long for my food - even when they are busy. I guess you can't really ask for more (perhaps a smile...?).

The restaurant is small and modestly designed, it's quite popular but you can generally find a seat. Unless Roller Derby is on around the corner...

Verdict: I love this place. I used to eat here at least one a week, sometimes more...until I moved around the corner from it. Strange, I know. I do make sure I have it at least once a month, though. I seriously cannot fault this place, food wise. I've tried so many dishes from this menu and they've all been amazing. Highly recommend.

XY Dim Sim Dumpling House

Name: XY Dim Sum Dumpling House
Type: Restaurant. Yum Cha/Asian.
Location: Canberra Croatian/Soccer Club, Deakin
Meal: Lunch
Food et: Lots of little bits..lots...
Cost: $18.80 all you can eat!

If you're after a cheap, all you can eat Yum Cha, then the XY Dumpling House inside the Croatian Club of Canberra or Deakin Football Club (it seems to be both) is for you. What an Asian inspired restaurant is doing in a Croatian club, we'll never know...

Myself and four other friends had been to this all-the-time Yum Cha joint before a few months ago and as I was craving Asain food my friend suggested we try it again.

I arrived to find two of my friends on a giant table (I'd reserved for 6), with a lazy susan in the middle. Got to love a lazy susan! I sat down and watched as waiter after waiter walked straight past us. I'm pretty sure they knew that more people were coming because as soon as the other two arrived, it was plate after plate of little deep fried goodies!

The beauty of this place is that, because you are paying a set price and not by the plate, you can try a bit of everything without thinking you're wasting your money. This would be a great "first time" Yum Cha place - find out what Yum Cha dishes you like by having a go at everything.

For the more seasoned Yum Cha-er, the food at XY will probably not blow your socks off, it's all pretty standard stuff, but the taste is decent for the price you pay. Majority of the stuff is deep friend, with the except of the steamed pork buns (my favourite) and the green vegetables (chinese broccoli, yum!).

If you are a vegetarian, I'd probably try my best to avoid this place - even the spinach dumplings had prawn in them! Although, the deep friend eggplant was quite tasty!

I hate most seafood, so a lot of this stuff was off limits to me. There seemed to be a rather large amount of seafood dishes. I do like squid, however, and my friend demanded we get three plates of the squid - we ended up talking her in to two plates instead...thankfully. The squid was a bit tasteless - could have used much more salt. But I like things salty...which is why I loved their chicken wings!! These would be amazing if you were drunk. Only I wasn't and instead they made me feel sick. Worth. It.

Thankfully the next most common meat type, after Seafood, was pork. Love me some pork! Apart from the steamed pork bun, they offered a deep friend pork bun (which for some reason was freezing cold - more like it had been de-frosted then cooked...), diced pork (very fatty) and a rice noodle wrap with pork filling. I quite enjoyed the rice noodle wraps, much more then I liked their beef counterpart.

For dessert we had mango pudding and coconut jelly. These were delicious, and not too sweet - just the way I like. Although, I probably should have forgone these treats as it was the nail in my stomach coffin and I went from being full to being sick. The walk out of the restaurant and to the car park was hard. Very hard. It's two hours later and I still feel like I am going to vomit.

Definitely ate my money's worth...

Verdit: You get what you pay for. Most of the food is probably frozen stuff you could get at a supermarket, with a few exceptions - like the desserts, which I am sure are made there. But $18.80 to get together and stuff your faces is quite good value. And the food is edible, just not amazing. The service was quick and even though their English was not fantastic, they were quite sweet and if we had to flag them down for something extra, they would always quickly oblige.

The London

Name: The London: Burgers & Beer
Type: Restaurant. Burgers. Bar.
Location: Civic - 121 London Circuit
Meal: Dinner
Food et: Scotch fillet steak burger with bocconcini, tomato and basil salsa, garlic aioli, lettuce and onion


Like BrodBurger, The London has fast become one of Canberra's favourite mythical burger joints. Why we didn't have gourmet bruger-centric places before these two sprung up, I'll never know...seems like there is a market for it. As evident by the crowd gathered on a "quiet" Tuesday night, this place is filling a niche for inner city dining.

After driving around for half and hour to find a park (damn you, Civic!) my friends, M, E and I sat down at our reserved table to devour the extensive menu that The London offers. You really must book a table, by the way - I saw many people turned away.

The menu is really quite large, literally something for everyone. I was craving steak, so I went for the Scotch fillet steak burger with bocconcini, tomato and basil salsa, garlic aioli, lettuce and onion - without the onion. E and M both decided to give The London Lot a go - a beef patty with bacon, cheese, caramelised onion, egg, smokey bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion.

We ordered from a scary looking, but extremely nice guy from behind the bar, he gave us our drinks on the spot and then we sat down to wait...

Thankfully, the burgers came out of the kitchen nice and fast, and when they put them down the London Lots in front of E and M, I started to giggle. Have fun with that guys:

The London Lot

The London Lot seems to have become a legend in burger eating circles, similar to the BrodBurger, and is the primary menu item in The London's burger challenge - two London Lots, two serves of chips and a litre of beer. At the time we went, there was only one successful contestant with his (slightly sickly looking) photo up on the wall of honour.

It truely is an ultimate burger.

Inside The London Lot.

My burger was just lovely. Fresh bread, well cooked steak, crunchy lettuce. The bocconcini, tomato, basil salsa and garlic aoili all melded together to make a drippy mess - but what a beautiful mess it was. I rolled my chips around in the drippings. So. Good. The chips are thickly cut beer battered, and just divine. A perfect accompaniment to the burger. Nom. Nom.

The Steak Burger I devoured.


Verdit: All of us had trouble finishing our meals, in fact E and M didn't even get close, and the value for money is fantastic. Lots of yummy, satisfying, food for a reasonable price = yes, please!! Not much to say in the way of service, but it's not needed in this kind of dining situation. You order at the bar and get your food brought to you. They were happy to accomidate my fear of onions and were pleasant the whole time. Definitely worth a return visit.