Urban Pantry, the Lawns, Manuka – gorgeous spot on a warm summer evening

Warmer days in Canberra mean wonderful opportunities to dine outdoors in the evening and it’s hard to beat Urban Pantry Manuka, for an excellent mid-range spot.

Ask to sit outside at one of the tables overlooking the lawns and if you’re lucky there may even be some great live music that completes the relaxed, romantic mood.

Offering BYO wine at $5.50 per person and 2 meals for the price of 1, for Canberra Entertainment Book holders, it’s very good value.

There’s a new menu that’s well worth a look.

The dishes on offer are interesting, a little different, beautifully presented and delicious.

The Grilled Haloumi with smoked tomatoes, pickled zucchini, wild roquette, chickpea puree, Labneh and zaster $21, looks like a good choice if you’d like a light meal or are getting a few dishes to share.

For something more substantial the Pan Fried John Dory $34 with baby clams. white wine, cauliflower 3 ways (steamed, roasted and pureed), salsa verde, roasted hazelnuts – is really very good. The combination of different textures and flavours is well chosen. The crisp fish and the hazelnuts are especially good, as is the cauliflower puree.

For a more traditional choice the Steak Frites $34, with grained eye fillet, broccolini, cultured herb butter, roasted organic garlic, and french fries is also good. There’s a choice of two sauces, but the pepper sauce is excellent!

Open 7 days it’s a very useful spot to keep in mind.

Mon – Tue 7.00am – 6.00pm
Wed – Fri 7am – late
Sat 7.30am – late
Sun 7:30am – 4pm

Roti House Malaysian Restaurant, Canberra City

The Roti House at the bottom of the Ernst and Young building on Marcus Clarke Street in the City, has really great flaky roti. Once you try it, you will just have to go back for more.

Roti is available with some dahl and chicken curry for $12 per plate….

…but it may be better to order the single roti for $6.50 and team it up with the very delicious Beef Rendang $16.80 – beef curry slowly stewed in coconut milk and secret spices.

….and some tasty Belacan Kangkung $14.80 for variety.

Another popular option is the Murtabak Chicken Roti for $12.50 – roti stuffed with minced chicken, eggs and onion filling $12.50.

The Chicken Satay is tempting at $13.00 for six or $19.50 for nine, but the chicken thigh pieces are fairly fatty.

It’s also worth budgeting some room to share a Roti dessert. Warm sweet Roti goes well with ice-cream and condensed milk, like the Roti Kaya with Ice-cream $8.50 (Roti filled with sweet pandas coconut jam).

Or an alternative to a Roti dessert would be the Sago Gula Melaka – tapioca pearls in palm sugar syrup and coconut milk $7.50 …

…or one of the famous Malaysian shaved ice desserts like Chendol $7.50 or Ice Kacang $8.

Desserts are large and easily shared.

A good menu for four people would be…

1 Beef Rendang $16.80
1 Belcan Kangkung $14.80
2 Roti Canai ($6.50 per serve)
2 rice ($2.80 per serve)

1 Roti Kaya with Ice-cream $8.50
or 1 Roti Pisang (bananas) with ice-cream and coconut jam $11

Approx $15 per person.

BYO wine corkage is $6 and one Canberra Entertainment Book 25% voucher is allowed per table.

Open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-2:30pm; 5pm-10pm.

The decor is plain, service efficient, and it can be chilly in winter when the door opens, but the Roti is amazing!

The menu is on the restaurant website but there are also blackboard specials and some banquet options.

Wheat and Oats, Phillip

Wheat and Oats is thriving, and it’s easy to see why.

It’s close to the Woden CBD, has easy parking, offered an all day breakfast menu….

….as well as a good lunch menu…

…daily ready made specials…..

…blackboard specials….

….a good range of sweet treats…

…a casual and inviting atmosphere…

…true hospitality, quick service and a readiness to be flexible with orders..

…great prices and an extra 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders.

The blackboard specials are always good…and the current Chicken Korma with rice $12 is light, flavoursome and full of chicken – delicious!

It pairs well with a side salad if you are sharing between two.

A garden salad is $5, but for $7 the tandoori chicken salad is well worth the extra.

Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch, it’s good for a quick weekday lunch or a leisurely weekend brunch.

Lava Expresso Bar, Phillip

Lava is a handy spot within walking distance of the Woden CBD that offers a relaxed casual atmosphere, friendly staff, great coffee and light tasty sandwiches.

Both toasted and fresh options are available including a good chorizo, chilli jam, Swiss cheese and basil sandwich $11.

The avocado and Persian feta on sourdough also sounds tempting for $9 ($3 extra for an egg) or sourdough fruit toast for even something lighter at $4.50.
Customers who hold the Canberra Entertainment Book can also get two coffees for the price of one.

Well worth checking out!

Bollywood Dimensions, Braddon – a good shared menu for under $15 with corkage)

The plan to share dishes at Bollywood Dimensions works.

The two dals are full flavoured and rival the chicken and lamb dishes. Ordered in generous side sizes ($8.90) they add variety to the meal without increasing the price.

The Kheema (lamb stuffed) Naan is better than the Paneer Naan and one serve of rice is plenty for two people.

Do ask for mild spice level to cater for different tastes as even this is quite spicy.

There’s a 25% Entertainment Book discount of the food and corkage ($5 per bottle) and more than one voucher can be used (although there’s certain conditions).

The restaurant is very flexible and is happy to work with the shared menu.

While the decor is mid range when dining with a group the atmosphere can be quite festive.

A recommended menu for groups of four people under $15 per person with the discount ($20 without) is….

2 serves steamed basmati rice $3 per serve.

1 serve Awesome Butter Chicken (Mild) $18.50 Boneless Chicken pieces cooked in Tandoor and finished in a creamy butter and tomato sauce. A creamy and fairly mild dish.

1 serve Marvelous Lamb Pasanda – a chef’s special $18.90 lamb marinated overnight to ensure that the meat is tender and full of flavour.

1 serve Mesquite Dal Makhani $8.90

A rich, creamy dal preparation with lentils and red kidney beans cooked with an aromatic combination of spices.

1 serve Yellow Dal Tadka $8.90

2 x Kheema Naan $4.50 (cut into 1/4)

About $19 per person (or $14 with a Canberra Entertainment Book discount) including BYO Corkage $5 per bottle

Cafe Arirang, Canberra City – road testing a group menu

Cafe Arirang must be one of Canberra’s best value spots with great food. This makes it an excellent choice for a group on a budget.

Serve sizes are generous and can be shared easily between 4-5 people. ( Even more can share the seafood and green onion pancake).

The restaurant happily applies a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book Holders, and corkage is $4 per bottle.

Rice is included with most meals at not extra cost.

Kim chi is also a complimentary side dish.

If sharing and using the discount, the bill may well only be $10 per person including the corkage.
Order two meals for every 4-5 people and the seafood and green onion pancake $16, can be shared between up to 8 people.
While it’s tempting to try the BBQ Beef and Squid in special sauce….

….or the Bimbimbob…….

….the best dishes are still the BBQ beef in soy sauce ( Beef Bulgogi $17)…

….the seafood pancake $16…

…and the Chicken Katchu Set $17

( or Pork Katchu Set if the chicken is not available).

Wilbur’s Cafe, Hackett – a real suburban treasure!

Canberra is famous for the suburban gems located at its local shops. Wilbur’s is truly one of these.

Well love and well supported by locals, it is also a well kept secret that it has terrific food!

Serving breakfast ( for extended hours), lunch and dinner and offering plenty of great specials it also generously offers a two for one option for Canberra Entertainment Book holders.

A new menu is to be launched soon, but some of the current good picks are….

The Cozza Burger $18.90 – marinated portobello mushroom, slow roasted tomato, caramelised onion and Camembert on toasted Ciabatta with chips, is very good.

As are the Lemon Pepper Squid Salad, perfect with mango, coriander and a great aioli $17.90 from the specials board…

…and the Angel Hair Pasta $24.90 full of garlic prawns, bacon, roast capsicum, roquette in a white wine, basil butter sauce finished with Parmesan and lemon is surprisingly delicious and light.

The coffee is excellent and wine by the glass or bottle, very reasonable.

A dessert case of cakes is also tempting.

It’s impossible not to relax and enjoy the friendly atmosphere, welcoming staff and wonderful food.

It would be perfect on a Sunday evening for the happy hour 4-6pm and $10 dine in pizza, but a weekend brunch or lunch is also not to be missed.

Belluci’s, Woden – update on the lunch specials

Belluci’s Restaurant in Woden, still offers their popular lunch specials menu on weekdays. $19.90 (or $15 with the Canberra Entertainment Card) gets you a choice of rissotto, pasta, salad, pizza, or the newly added burger, fish and chips or chimmichanga along with a glass of wine, beer or softdrink.

The chicken caesar salad is still a good lighter choice…

…as is the Verdure Salad with roasted root vegetables and goats cheese.

The risottos and pastas are heavier, but tasty picks (especially the Fettucinne Carbonara).

The Vedura and Belluci’s Special Pizzas as still good as are the risottos.

But the chicken breast burgers and the Chimmichanga are well worth a try as they look delicious.

Cafe Arirang, Hobart Place, City – great value delicious Korean

Cafe Arirang, hidden away in Hobart Place Canberra City is one of Canberra’s little known, best value gems.

Serving delicious Korean food at great value prices in generous portions it’s one of the very best spots for cheap and cheerful.

Not upmarket, but friendly and popular, the setting is fairly plain.

But it’s BYO with cheap corkage ($4 per bottle) and offers a 25% discount to Canberra Entertainment Book holders. As three dishes is plenty for four people, it’s a true bargain at around $10.50 per person including the corkage.

Three great dishes to try that offer a range of textures and flavours are the….

Chicken or Pork Katchu Set $17 that comes with great Kimchi and rice.

The seafood pancake $16 is fantastic too and stuffed full of seafood with a nice dipping sauce.

The Beef Bulgogi (BBQ beef in marinated in soy sauce) $17 is also excellent and includes rice. ( number 19. BBQ pork and squid in special sauce $17, is also very popular).

If there are six in a group ordering one seafood pancake and 2 chicken/pork Katchu ( or one of each ) and one Beef Bulgogi, and one BBQ pork and squid in special sauce would be perfect!

Open weekdays for lunch and six nights ( closed Sunday) for dinner, parking. At night is easy on London Circuit near the Supreme Court.

A definite must try!

Cream, Canberra City – breakfast!

Cream, on the lower ground corner of the Canberra Centre near Gus’ is a great all-rounder at any time.

With stylish decor and excellent service, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. It has a good range of interesting dishes on the menu and easy parking in the Canberra Centre nearby (great for the middle of winter).