Love Travel Guides truly are beautiful and it is like being shown around by a good friend who introduces you to all the best spots.
However, while all inclusions are high quality experiences, some can be quite expensive, so it’s good for the travel toolkit, but best used in conjunction with other guides and tips.
Sharrell Cook does a good job of describing and appreciating the Love Travel guides. In fact her GoIndia website is very useful in lots of ways.
The annual Festival Indonesia is another of the many interesting Canberra spring opportunities to explore other cultures through food.
Sticky rice and pandanas pudding, Vegetarian snack foods and non-veg spring rolls
Durian Icecream Steamed chicken bun
Go early to make the most of the food stalls that run out later in the day and spend time chatting about the regional cuisine with locals who prepare and sell Indonesian favourites.
While the foods are fun to explore, there is also other entertainment and cultural exhibitions to enjoy.
iPho is has a central location in the city and is helpfully open late and 7 days. It’s a great spot to get a Vietnamese street food ‘fix’ if you’re missing Vietnamese style coffee with condensed milk, Vietnamese rolls or pho.
Corkage is only $3 per bottle, there’s indoor and outdoor seating (cosy with gas burners in the cold weather).
Chicken & prawn fresh spring rolls (the best pick) Vegetarian spring rolls ( second best pick)
Staff are very relaxed and obliging, making it a great spot to start a city street food progressive meal with an entree of fresh spring rolls with a glass or two of BYO wine.
Two large fresh spring rolls are $5 with a very tasty satay style dipping sauce. The chicken and prawn rolls are the best, followed by the vegetarian rolls and lastly the pork and prawn rolls.
If what you need isn’t ready to go, it can be quickly created in a few minutes.
A Tale of Samurai Cooking – A True Love Story, was a fitting finale to Canberra’s Japanese Film Festival, 15-19 October 2014.
Set in feudal Japan, the attention and appreciation of beautiful food is matched by the exquisite costuming, the delicate and gracious interactions and movement, the engaging characters and story and the mountain back drop.
Well worth watching if you have the opportunity.
Penny University on Kennedy St Kingston is hugely popular and buzzing with life and style. A great spot for coffee with generous breakfast servings of interesting dishes that can easily be shared for breakfast or brunch.
Intrepid are running a one off, comfort (top) level Real food adventure to Burma next February 2015.
Approximately $3000 for 11 days, includes breakfast and around half the lunches and dinners.
A good opportunity to explore the food of Burma (but not necessarily the best), even the promotional material makes interesting reading.
Diwali, the festival of lights held each October/November is such a special time to be in India.
Lights are strung up across streets, traditional Indian sweets are everywhere, families visit and exchange gifts, new clothes are worn and there are plenty of fireworks!!
So it’s a great annual spring opportunity to join with the local Canberra Indian community to help capture a little of the excitement.
And what better way to share celebrations across cultures and engage in warm conversations, than through food.
At the Albert Hall last Sunday there was a full program that included a cooking competition, a concert of dance, fashion, music and a quiz and some enticing food stalls.
Samosas Marsala Dosa
Cooking competition
Burfi Rasa malai
Carrot Halwa Vegetarian biryani
Double ka Meetha Dessert
Beautifully dressed families enjoyed the fair like atmosphere and the joy of celebrating their shared heritage together. It’s a pleasure to be included and to experience a little of India right on our door step.
Food Stalls
I Love Thai in Manuka specialises in takeaway Thai food. However, it frequently offers special deals and has a small indoor seating area, if you’d like to eat in.
Service is friendly and helpful, and corkage is free, but still, there definitely is a ‘takeaway’ feel to the ambiance.
Chicken Meang entree $7.50 Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream $7.50
However, the Chicken Meang entree is delicious and good value at $7.50 for two large serves. Likewise the Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream is a delicious and generous dessert at the other end of the meal.
Stir fry Chicken in Peanut Sauce ($15.50)
Stir fry Chicken with Cashew Nuts ($15.50)
In between, the Stir fry Chicken in Peanut Sauce ($15.50) has a nice flavour and is a better pick than the Stir fry Chicken with Cashew Nuts ($15.50).
Thai Coconut Gelati $7.50 (not as good as the Black Sticky Rice)
Noodle and Fried Rice dishes, like Stir fries, are $15.50, but other dishes like Thai salads, Seafood, Curries and Chef’s Specials range from $17.50 to $19.50 making them similarly priced to other Thai restaurants better designed for ‘eating in’.
And I Love Thai is happy for any extra to be taken home to enjoy later.
If you have early evening tickets to a movie at the Palace Cinemas in New Acton, Canberra it’s worth thinking about arriving early to share a platter and wine in the attractive bar area.
There’s no problem with taking it into the theatre if the movie starts, but it’s better to leave enough time to savour the flavours and enjoy the delicacies while you can see them.
It can be tricky to balance the board on your knees and fumble in the dark for a caper to go on your smoked salmon.
Aperitivo Board $20 – Tasmanian smoked salmon, artisan cheese, cornichons, spiced hommus, fire-roasted capsicum, turkish bread (and water crackers).
Wine starts at $9 a glass.
Some foodie travel experiences are more obvious – restaurants, cooking lessons and food tours.
But don’t miss other windows of opportunity that can be equally rewarding and easy if you are looking out for them.
They can come at any time and are often free and flexible. A great idea for a break in the itinerary or for a rainy day.
You often come across more opportunistic experiences if you know a bit about what you’re looking for. A resource like The Penguin Food Guide to India is a great tool for developing a ‘short list’ of regional dishes and foods that you can highlight and flag in the handy electronic version, great for your phone.
Then just keep an eye out for those more surprising opportunities to ‘taste’ through the list including…..
Breakfasts…often include regional dishes and buffets mean you can try a little of many different flavours. Don’t be limited…. if there’s sweets to try, or chaat snacks…why not!
Thalis….lots of small dishes and accompaniments
Watching your guesthouse meal being prepared
Supermarkets…especially good for learning more about the ingredients in a food or to buy some to try (terrific for gifts to take home too)
Chattting to locals about their meal…(everyone loves talking about food)
Local food markets
Local food magazines
Popular snack bars on the street or in stations (look for busy spots where the food is quickly prepared and sold)
On the train
Food shops….
Fine Eating 