Saigon Restaurant, Pearce

The Saigon Restaurant at the Pearce shops has long been a favourite with southside Canberra families. Along with Rama’s and Ethiopia Down Under, it’s one of the restaurants that spill out tables and diners onto an open paved area that’s lovely for casual dining in the warm evening weather.

Saigon is excellent value with corkage only 50 cents per person, four spring rolls for $4 that are delicious for entrée, rice for $2 per serve, desserts for $5 and a large range of dishes for $14.50 (vegetarian dishes start at $13).

The lemongrass and chilli options are very good as are the caramelised dishes. Chicken, pork and beef are all good options.

The ginger dishes and the curries with coconut cream and potatoes are worth considering too.

Up to six people can share one dish and about 2 dishes per three people with one rice per person is a good amount to order (along with a spring roll each).

If including one dessert per couple, the total bill including corkage is around $15 per person. (The mung bean cake with icecream /coconut cream looks inviting.)

Décor is basic but the atmosphere is pleasant (especially when filled with fellow happy diners) and service is friendly and efficient.

Vietnamese spring rolls (4 for $4) full of taste.

Chicken with lemongrass and chilli $14.50

Caramelised pork and prawns $18

Beef stirfry with fresh Vietnamese Mint and Peanuts $14.50 (not as good as the other two choices).

San Churro Chocolateria, Woden – great for coffee

San Churro Chocolateria in Woden is a great spot to go for coffee. It’s a fun décor and a special experience to be surrounded by so many delicious, beautiful chocolate options.

The coffee is good and includes some special options like Spanish latte and iced Spanish latte ( a little like the coffee you find in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos).

But one of the best things about San Churros is that you can choose as little or as much chocolate or dessert as you desire, to have with your coffee. The options range from the tiny chocolate taste that comes with your coffee to delicate individual chocolates for $2 each, up to large pieces of San Churro chocolate Cake $8.95.

And for something a little less chocolate, there’s a range of churros and also some very nice looking icecream.

Breakfast churro $4.95 Churro for one $8.95

Vietnam House, Westfield, Woden

Vietnam House on the restaurant strip of the Westfield Mall in Woden is very popular for lunch on weekdays.

Most diners are ordering noodle soups which are a great choice for a cold day.

Pho Tai – rare beef noodle soup $12.50 small ($13.50) comes with accompaniments

Pho Ga – Chicken noodle soup $13.50 small ($14.30 large) is an alternative

Serves are large but sharing is not really an option as there is a minimum charge of $10 per person.

Blu Ginger, Canberra City

Blu Ginger is a Canberran favourite for Indian cuisine.

Staff treat you like returning friends, BYO wine corkage is low ($2.50 per person), serve sizes are generous and holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book are offered a 25% discount.

It’s centrally located near the Canberra Centre, making parking easy in cold weather. It’s also open for lunch and dinner, 7 days!

Being so popular though, it gets busy, and noisy, so it can be tricky to chat.

One dish with one bread and rice is just right for two people.

The menu offers plenty of choice including:

Jahingiri Lamb/Beef/Chicken – A chefs special meat simmered in coconut milk, fresh and ground masala and finished in rich gravy of brown onion and fresh spinach $18.90

Keema Naan – Bread stuffed with grilled minced lamb $4.50

One serve Basmati rice $3

Other popular dishes include Palak Paneer $16.90, Malai Kofta $16.90and Butter Chicken $17.90.

Also worth trying is the cheese and spinach naan $5.

National Museum Cafe

The cafe at the museum has a great lake view, good coffee and delicious, well-priced slices and cakes, making it a good spot to meet for coffee in the good weather.

The cafe also offers a wide range of options for brunch and lunch.

Taj Agra Indian Restaurant, Belconnen

Taj Agra Indian Restaurant in Belconnen is a great spot for a group meal when you want easy parking and a pleasant, quiet place to chat over a good shared meal.

Soft frunishings and thick carpet, make talking very easy.

Service is friendly and efficient and mid-week the restaurant is quiet and provides a lovely private feel.

The Taj Agra Banquet is $32.50 and includes:

Pappadoms and raita

Entrees

Aloo Tikka – potato patties with mint sauce

Chicken Malai Kebab (very good) boneless chiciken matrinated in cream cheese, fresh chilli and mint and cooked in a clay oven with tamarind sauce

Mains:

Butter Chicken (really very good)

Lamb Rogan Josh

Vegetable Korma

Naan and Rice

Dessert

Gulab Jaman and Icecream

Corkage is $5 per bottle and the restaurant offers a 25% discount for Entertainment Card holders making the Taj Agra banquet aroudn $24 per person.

It can also work well to design your own banquet and order fewer serves of your preferred dishes to share. This can be a more comfortable amount of food and more budget friendly. It also ensures you get the dishes that you like best.

The mains with an extra dish not usually included in this banquet Alu Palak – potato and spinach curry with spices

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The Scholar, Yum Cha, Dickson

The Scholar, in Dickson is clearly very popular for Yum Cha which it offers daily Mon-Fri 11:45-3:00pm and Sat – Sun 10:30-3:00pm.

It’s a good idea to book a table. Nicest tables are near the window.

Dishes include:

Scallop dumpling $8.80

Steamed Prawn combo dumpling $7.30

Sui Mai (Pork dumpling) $6.30

Pan fried Chive dumpling $7.30

Combo dumpling $6.30

Vegetable in oyster sauce $8.80

Steamed BBQ pork bun $4.80

Coconut Jelly $6.30

Mango Pudding $7.30

Sesame Ball ( with red bean) $6.30

While all choices are good, they aren’t as good as Akiba’s Yum Cha, and the setting is not as nice. It can also be more expensive at the Scholar, as it’s hard to keep track of what dishes cost or how many you’ve had.

Lava Expresso Bar, a cozy spot in Phillip for coffee and light lunch

The Lava Expresso Bar, in Colbee Court Phillip and within walking distance of Woden is a cosy spot for coffee and a light lunch.

The coffee is good and it has a long sunny table at the front strewn with newspapers for relaxing and offers some interesting well priced, well sized toasties and fresh sandwiches (also good for sharing between two modest appetites).

Toasted options include sourdough fruit toast for $4.50, smashed avocado and Persian feta on sourdough $9….

…pulled pork burger (usually on a brioche) $11, but here on bread.

Fresh options include Tarragon chicken with mayo, semi dried tomatoes, cheddar and watercress $9 and vegetarian $8.50 with artichoke, roast capsicum, beetroot tzatziki and cheddar.

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Meccabah, Manuka – excellent for solo dining!

While it’s always fun to bring people together over good food, it’s also good to know places to head if you need a quick meal on our own where you can order a meal but still leave feeling comfortable.

Meccabah in Manuka, offering Middle Eastern & North African cuisine, is such a spot.

Staff are very helpful and accommodating. They are quick to offer a container to take with you what you would enjoy more later, so it’s easy to order what you’d love to try.

The Harira Soup with lamb, chickpeas and vegetables $16 is steaming, comfort food full of flavour and comes quickly to your table. It is also huge!!! and could easily be enough for two people if you ask for some small bowls for sharing.

It’s a good idea to accept the take-away container so that you can also enjoy a scoop of the delicious ice-cream, especially the Halva, Date and Vanilla or Turkish Delight ($4 a scoop).

Staff happily offer a 25% discount for holders of the Canbera Entertainment Book.

No BYO but wine by the glass starts at $8.

If you do head there with a group try a shared tasting menu for each 4 people with modest appetites of:

1x Harira Soup with lamb (by enough share as a small starter if you ask for extra bowls) (do ask for it to not be too oily) $16

1 x Pide – try a mix of lamb meatballs with egg and spicy tomato sauce $25 and Spiced chicken with mnt yogurt drizzle and snow pea shoot salad $24