The Hungry Buddha – a first look at the new Belconnen restaurant @HungryBuddhaCBR

The Hungry Buddha is taking their excellent Nepalese food to North Canberra and they’ve chosen the perfect spot for group summer dining.

Up on the first floor above Taj Agra, the large windows create a light and open space.
Lachhu and the team have given the previous Phnom Penh Cambodian Restaurant a face lift with thoughtful decoration and light.
It’s a relaxed but stylish atmosphere and the service is professional yet warm and welcoming.
Even though the floor is wood, the sound absorption is good for groups as there’s plenty of space between tables.
And then there are those iconic Nepalese dishes that the Hungry Buddha is famous for in it’s original Curtin location – like the momos and goat curry! Hungry Buddha fans will find the much loved menu in the new location too.

I always enjoy the goat curry $20 but the corn kernels $8.50 sauteed in nepalese syle with onion, ginger, garlic, herbs and spices have been on my wishlist. And I was not disappointed. They are a perfect side to the goat curry with rice and naan.

The nepalese kheer rice pudding $6.50 is not a dish I would normally choose, but it was fabulous. The almonds and cardamom are delicious with the creamy sweet texture.

With great chai it was the perfect finish to the meal.

BYO wine is $6 corkage per bottle and wine by the glass starts at $7.50.
Budget for around $25-30 per person.
My thanks to Lachhu and the team for hosting my first visit to the new restaurant.

Turkish Pide House, Jamison – old fashioned charm

When I stepped inside the Turkish pide house in Jamison it was a little like stepping back in time. It had an has a unexpected old fashioned charm that’s very endearing.

The menu is similar to many other Turkish mid range restaurants, and as we were a group of 14, we chose a banquet.

While we only ordered 10 banquets, it was still way more than we could eat. 8-9 would have been a better fit.

We also went for the $33 banquet which was like the $30 banquet but had doner meat and a small piece of Turkish delight/baklava ( very small) with tea/coffee (tricky to share).

I really did enjoy the six types of dip with warm bread and zucchini puffs that started us off. My favorite part of the meal.

Then we progressed to kebabs, kofta, potatoes, doner meat, pide and a nice salad and rice with almonds.

Corkage was very reasonable, around $5 per bottle.

Overall a good spot for a large group on a budget but perhaps go for the $30 banquet, two between three people.

Ethiopia Down Under, Pearce – lovely and family run

Ethiopia Down Under is another gorgeous family run suburban restaurant – welcoming, casual and committed to bringing this lesser known cuisine to Canberrans.

There’s a variety of combination meals available or put together your own meal that may include:
Samosas (2 for $6.90)
ETHIOPIAN BEEF SAMOSAS – spicy beef samosas

ETHIOPIAN CHEESE SAMOSAS – fetta cheese samosas

Mains
ALIT’CHA DORO $19.90 ( my favourite dish)

Strips of chicken breast pieces cooked with carrot, green chilli & onion

ASAR TIBBS $20.90

Nile Perch fish fillet pan-fried fresh with burbere spices, capsicum, onion & tomato

ALIT’CHA “YAYESH” WAT $17.90

Chef’s special beef and coconut cream in mild Ethiopian spices

DUBOU WAT $15.90

Spiced pumpkin cooked in a berbere sauce

RICE/INJERA – served with mains

HOMEMADE ICE CREAMS, GELATO & SORBETS ( thanks to an Italian colonial heritage)

$8.90 No mixed servings available

Ginger, Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Shards

( my favourite although, I do generally like my icecream sweeter and creamier)

Turkish Delight

Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee & Roasted Hazelnut

It’s also great value as there’s a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders and….

Free corkage!
Open for dinner every night except Mondays, you’ll find Ethiopia Down Under at the Pearce Shops.

It is in good company with Rama’s and the Pearce Vietnamese nearby, all facing into a courtyard that’s lovely on summer and evenings and great for kids.

Bellucis’s Manuka lunch special- an update on the salads

The $20 weekday lunch special at Bellucis in Manuka is as good as ever.

The two salads on offer as light and fresh, perfect with the glass of wine that’s included.

25% off for Canberra Entertainment Book Holders

INSALATA DI SALMONE – beetroot cured salmon w/ watercress, shaved baby fennel, baby carrots, pickled golden beetroots & chard

INSALATA DI POLLO – poached chicken, baby cos, asparagus, grilled marinated peppers, ‘san daniele’ prosciutto & caraway aioli

Maple & Clove, Barton – lunch update

Maple & Clove in the Realm Precinct is still lovely for lunch.

In the spring weather it’s good to sit outside…

and enjoy the most delicious lunch dishes which were the ….

GRILLED BARRAMUNDI SALAD $24.5 – Roasted pumpkin, fetta, spinach, rocket, broccoli, asparagus, celery, tomatoes + pepitas…

The broccoli and pepitas added crunch and flavour to the leaves and supported the pumpkin, feta and barramundi as the feature ingredients.

Also looking lovely was the Seared Ocean Trout Salad at the next table with chat potatoes, free range eggs, green beans, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, olives + salad leaves $24.50

The was also the breadless PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGER – With tomato, avocado, roasted beetroot and creamy cucumber yoghurt with a side of sweet potato wedges $16.

A good choice, especially for brunch, but also availalbe for lunch, is the SAVOURY SPELT WAFFLE – Wholemeal spelt, zucchini + sweet corn waffles served with smoked salmon, smashed avocado, and slow cooked eggs $20

For something a bit simpler there’s EGGS ON TOAST
Poached, scrambled or fried on your choice of seeded rye or white sourdough $13.50

Or design your own meal, with gluten free bread.

Pei Modern – a quick brekkie stop

It’s easy to overlook the hatted restaurants when you’re just looking for toast and coffee to start the morning.

But somewhere like Pei Modern, is open early for the guests staying at the gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel.

The breakfast buffet is $48, but a couple of pieces of housemade toast us just $6.

The spelt fruit toast was a good choice.

Wifi is good and free so it’s also a good spot to check emails. Just need to push back on some over attentive service.

Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks

Down at the rocks in Sydney is the Harbour View Hotel, a laid back, unpretentious place for a friendly, casual and good value meal with a heritage feel.

Parking is not too hard and it’s easy to book a table.

Wine by the glass starts at $7.50 and the Harvey River Shiraz is a generous pour and a good choice.

The kangaroo salad is one of the best picks.

Kangaroo salad- $22 with zucchini, pumpkin, red onion, macadamia, coriander & mint in a dukkah lemon dressing

The fish and chips are excellent too.

Beer battered market fresh fish & chips $20 with mesclun & tartare sauce

Other choices include the club sandwich…

Chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, baby cos lettuce & aoili, with fries $16…

..Lamb shanks braised in red wine & mirepoix vegetables $26 Served with green beans, roasted tomato & creamy mash potato ( quite good)

The hamburger was voted by our group as the least of the options $16 – 100% wagyu beef patty, pickles, cheese, lettuce, tomato relish, onion ring and fries

A good choice would also be the Mezze dips and breads for two $24.

It’s close walking down to the Sydney Theatre Company at Walsh Bay, but there’s also Fratelli Fresh down there for an equally good experience.

Mie Kocok Bandung, Maroubra – great value Indonesian dishes

Having a sudden opportunity for lunch in Maroubra, the Good Food Guide App pointed me to Mie Kocok Bandung, suggesting that I would find:

…food adventures galore, friendly staff and an intriguing regional menu being enjoyed by packed in Indonesian families…

It is all true! And more! Not only were the staff friendly but the other families dining were terrifically helpful with ordering, sharing their a suggestions and tips like free green tea.

Sticking with the Good Food Guide, we went with their recommendations of…

Mie Panorama $11 at Mie Kocok Bandung Maroubra thanks #@goodfoodau

Gudeg Komplit $11 jackfruit and tofu with egg cooked in coconut cream excellent Indonesian dishes at great friendliness at Mie Kochi Bandung Maroubra # thanks again #goodfoodguide @goodfoodau

However, the Bandeng Presto – deep-fried soft bone milk fish was sold out so we chose a Mie Kocok Campur combination $11 ( a soup).

It was all great! Tasty, great value and great fun!

And if we’d been organised with wine it would have only been $2 corkage! (Good to know for next time!)

Hartsyard, Enmore Road, Newtown

Hartsyard is just one of the hatted restaurants on Enmore Road (and very helpfully just across the road from the Urban Hotel).

Focusing on American style dishes, it’s famous for it’s fried chicken and biscuit and the soft serve desssert of the week!

Especially good choices for sharing were the….

Smoked Trout with onion dip, golden beet, trout roe, bagel chips $29

….the signature dish Fried Chicken with buttermilk biscuit, low country sausage gravy $33

A generous serve with four pieces to share and two delicious pieces of soft buttery biscuit.

Perfect with the hot sauce.

Hartsyard soft serve of the day- this time banana with rich caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, shaved chocolate and whipped cream – must be shared! $20

But other excellent choices are the cauliflower dish and the mushroom dish, next time!

The Cook’s Garden

The Cook’s Garden was another Good Food Guide recommendation that proved to be an excellent spot for brunch in North Turramurra.

The garden setting is lovely and there’s plenty of space.

Breakfast is served until 11am and I loved the Vanilla bean yoghurt panna cotta, organic granola, blackberry compote $12

The sourdough fruit and nut toast with cured butter and jams was good…..

Toast served with choice of spreads, ‘Drunken Sailor’ jams and preserves $6

Breads
Classic sourdough / farmhouse wholemeal / sourdough fruit and nut / banana bread

……but the fritters just needed a bit of bread in the side as it only comes with one egg.

Sweet potato and zucchini fritters, goat’s cheese, tomato chutney, soft poached egg, watercress salad $18

Fine Eating

Hints Hacks and Highlights

Author: Food and Travel Secrets

The Hungry Buddha – a first look at the new Belconnen restaurant @HungryBuddhaCBR

Turkish Pide House, Jamison – old fashioned charm

Ethiopia Down Under, Pearce – lovely and family run

Bellucis’s Manuka lunch special- an update on the salads

Maple & Clove, Barton – lunch update

Pei Modern – a quick brekkie stop

Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks

Mie Kocok Bandung, Maroubra – great value Indonesian dishes

Hartsyard, Enmore Road, Newtown

The Cook’s Garden

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