Petra Palace, Phillip – a great menu for six

Petra Palace is another favourite of mine in Canberra.

I always love the dishes like the amazing Hummus $10 served with delicious breads…

..the Lamb Fatteh $25 – marinated lamb casserole, with crispy lebanese bread. spiced rice, garlic, mint, yogurt and tahini suace topped with pine nuts..

…or the similar Chicken Fatteh $25 (but the lamb is probably the best if you’re only choosing one).

I also really like the dry texture of the falafel $10 for 4 pieces served with tahini sauce, pickles and tomatoes.

If you need some salad then the Fattoush Salad is $15.

Choosing these dishes (with two hummus) is a good banquet for six.

It’s not BYO but the Willowglen Cabernet Merlot for $30 per bottle ($8 per glass) is a good choice.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 5-9pm it also offers two for one meals for holder of the Canberra Entertainment Book.

Malaysian Chapter, Belconnen – a great spot for a group dinner

Malaysian Chapter is still as good as ever!

It’s great food and great value (large dishes for sharing and 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book Holders as well as $5 per bottle corkage).

There’s also plenty of room for groups and it’s nicely carpeted and quiet for chatting.

My favourites dishes for sharing are:

Entree:

Roti Canai – Flaky bread, served with Lentil Curry $4

I just love the roti!

(one person person is perfect!)

Mains:

Nonya Prawn and Pineapple Curry $21.50

Rendeng Lamb Curry $21.50

Assam Fish $20.50

with the absolutely delcious coconut rice $3.50 per serve

Three mains and three rice was perfect for 5-6 people

There’s other dishes to try like the Crispy Chicken and Belacan Fry $18.50…..

….but I still go back to my favourites.

Taj Agra Dickson – still a good option for Indian food

The Taj Agra, in Dickson still offers good food at reasonable prices ($18.50-$19.50 for mains, rice $3, breads $3.50-$4.50) in a carpeted quiet setting.

It also offers Canberra Entertainment Card holers a 25% disount and corkage is well priced.

Copper Chimney, Canberra City – a great Palak Papdi Chat and Dal Makani

I really like Copper Chimney on West Row.

The service is very professional and friendly and the decor attractive with soft furnishings and carpet that make chatting easy.

And the food is great.

There’s also a very reasonable corkage of $6 per bottle and a cheerful 25% discount for holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book.

The last time I visited we enjoyed the Chicken Chettinad $18.90…

Saag Lamb $19.90…

…Goat Bhuna Masala $20.90…

with rice $4 per serve…

Kulcha Marsala $4.90…

and Aloo Paratha $4.90.

But the stand out dishes were defieitely the Palak Papdi Chaat starter $13.90…

…and the Dal Makani $17.

I’ll be back for more…

Baan Latsamy, Manuka a menu for 10

Baan Latsamy in Manuka is a good spot for a group dinner.

For ten people it works well to order:

5x Crunchy Eggplant with Chicken and Prawn for entree $12.90

2 x Duck Hotpot $24.90

2x a curry such as Beef or Chicken Mussaman Curry $19.90

2x Prawn stir fry with ginger and vegetables $22.90

and 4x coconut rice $3.50

With corkage for three bottles of wine $6 per botttle and the 25% discount with the Canberra Entertainment Book (up to three cards can be used for groups of six or more) it works out at around $17 per person. Great value and good flavours and servcie!

Me & Mrs Jones, Kingston, trying the burgers

The lunch menu at Me & Mrs Jones, includes a range of interesting burgers.

In order of preference they include:

THE KINGSTON BEEF 100% local beef pattie, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, egg, pickles, jack cheese, aioli and house relish on a brioche bun with fries $22

TEMPURA COCONUT CHICKEN Fragrant coconut chicken thigh, with tangy slaw, sriracha hot sauce and kewpie mayo on a brioche bun with fries $19.00

PORTABELLO MUSHROOM Polenta crusted mushroom, beetroot labneh, peperonata and baby leaves on a brioche bun with sweet potato chips $17.00

There’s also a range of interesting salads.

BYO available and two for one meals for holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book.

Open useful hours:

Monday – Friday 7.00am – late
Saturday 8.00am – late
Sunday 8.00am – 04.00pm

Mr Wei’s , Canberra City – good choices for a pre-theatre dinner

Mr Wei’s is conveniently close to the canberra Theatre making it a good spot to try for a pre-theatre dinner.

Prices are quite high, but it does offer 25% discount for the Canberra Entertaimnet Card and BYO wine at $10 per bottle.

It also has some very delicious choices that can be shared which makes the final price reasonable.

The steamed pork dumplings $13.50 for 12 are excellent and a perfect entree for sharing.

The Eggplant is well sized and looks great, but lacks flavoured without plenty of sauce and is not as good as the dumplings.

The Massaman Beef Cheek $26.50 has a great flavour and texture and could be shared between four….

But the Taro Duck $28.50 is a stand out, with a nice crisp batter and lean, soft duck breast.

The Hungry Buddha

The Hungry Buddha in Curtin is Canberra’s oldest Nepalese restaurant.

While the momos are quite pricey at $9 for 4 ….

One samosa is $6.50

…and the mains $19-22 are modest in size… the flavours are excellent.

The specials are good and include…

The Nepalese goat curry $20 is also very good – khasi ko masu –
exquisite village style curry of tender boneless goat enriched with the flavours of fenugreek, cinnamon, tomatoes, coriander, bay leaves, ginger & garlic – a famous specialty of nepal

Desserts are well priced at $7.50 for pistachio icecream and $6.50 for rice pudding.

Breads are $4-5 and a good way to balance the meal without needing extra courses. Serves of rice are $3.

BYO corkage is $6 per bottle of wine.

A 25% discount is also offered to holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book.

38 Expresso, Kingston Foreshore

38 Expresso on the Kingston Foreshore, offers Canberra Entertainment Book holders two meals for the price of one…

Like the….

Pastrami Pickle and Mustard Sub $12

Roast Beef and Gravy Roll $13

Regulars…

Specials…

Caphs, Manuka – trying the $15 lunch special

Caph’s, Manuka offers a $15 lunch special that includes a wine or beer, as well as a two for one deal (or half price meal for single diners) for Canberra Entertainment Book holders. This makes it excellent value for a tight budget.

The Lamb Burger is a good choice.