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…

Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka – I still love it!

It’s been nearly 18 months since I discovered Taste of Bangladesh in Manuka and I still love it!

The prices are still absolutlely amazing – curries start at $14, rice and breads are about $3, entrees $7-9, sides $2-3, desserts $4.50 and BYO corkage for wine or beer is free!

Shafique has cooked at many Canberra restaurants and it’s easy to see his great passion for sharing his dishes.

..and Gary does a great job of looking after the floor and is just such a nice guy too…

I’ve got my favourites that are still hard to beat …but lately I’ve tried a few others.

Entrees:

I think my favourite is the samosas..two for $7…I love the crisp shell and the flavours and texture of the filling.

Next would be the Onion Bhaji (onion fritters) …four for $7…so great to share with a group of four or more (you can always ask Shafique to add extra for $1.75 each).

Then the Palak Papdi Chaat $9 – crispy spinach fritters on a potato salad with tamarind and yogurt

And then the chicken tikka $10 for four pieces

But I just love the Cheese and Spinach Naan $3.50 each…I always have to get that and it would make afine entree with some Raita $3.50 (yogurt and cucumber dip)

..I like it more than the Garlic Naan $3 (which is also pillowy soft if your prefer a plainer bread)..

Mains

I still love the Chicken Dum Murgh $15.50 and the Fish Bengali best $16.50…

…but I am also a fan of the Beef dishes like Handi Dum Beef or Bhoona Beef $15 and the Khadi Lamb $16 is great too…

The Coconut Prawn or Fish Curry $16.50 are good…

…and for variety the Palak Paneer $14 is great and the Dal Makani also good $14 and there’s the eggplant marsala $14 ( a bit like Fish Bengali but without the fish (which I prefer)..

…and rice $3 per serve

Sides are very inexpensive too like the kachumber $3 if you like a bit of salad with your meal.

And even if you can’t fit anything else in…a little Mango Kulfi $4.50 to share is a perfect way to end the evening.

Open every night for dinner, it’s upstairs in the Style Arcade Manuka.

(Lunch bookings also available).

Best spot for parking is the Medical Centre on Furneaux Street, then just walk down Palmerston Lane.

7 By The Lake, a Culinary Canberra Tour of 7 Indian regional cuisines

As Charmaine O’Brien writes in the Penguin Food Guide to India Indian cuisine is actully incredibly diverse, with the traditional food of each different region reflecting its history, culture, trading opportunities, climate, religion and economy.

This is exactly what Sushant wants to show Canberra and why his new restaurant 7 By The Lake at the Kingston Forshore is the stage for a feast of dishes from seven different parts of India.

Last week Sid from Movenpick introduced the Canberra Food Bloggers to his great friend Sushant who became our culinary guide for the evening.

Sushant is well known in Canberra for his catering business named after his mother Sarla. He is often asked to cook for Canberra’s embassies and temples and Travel & Beyond testify to Sushant’s amazing samosas that sell like hotcakes at Apna Bazaar in Belconnen.

Sushant offered us his delicious Mango Lassi $5.50
(Sweet and creamy yogurt drink made from mango pulp and flavoured with cardamom)…

….and wine by the glass (BYO also available).

We began our journey starting in Sushant’s hometown Mumbai, where the roads of regional tradional foods meet as people from all over India come to make it rich in the big city…

Chicken Lollypop $16.90
(Marinated chicken winglet in a lollipop appearance, deep fried and served hot with lip smacking Szechuan sauce)

This brought back fond memories of Mumbai’s Chowpatty Beach street food.

From Calcutta came our vegetrian entree Palak Papdi Chat $12.90, the finest I’ve tasted in Canberra, with lovely crisp spinach fritters.

(A unique and delicious ’street food’ dish made from a mix of potatoes, chaat masala, onions and roasted cumin topped with crispy and crunchy spinach fritters, fresh sweet yogurt, tangy tamarind chutney and spicy mint and coriander chutney.)

We then met Ramesh, head chef, from Hyderabad who is known for his amazing biriyanis (as is Hyderabad itself!).

Then we continued our journey through the mains with classics like…

Lamb laalmaas $25.90
(An aromatic and flavourful lamb curry prepared in a sauce of yogurt, garlic and variety of spices with a burst of red chillies is a very famous dish that comes from Rajasthan.)

This dish reminded me of Indique restaurant in Jodhpur.

Lal Maans is a dish developed by the Rajputs when out fighting that doesn’t need a frypan and just a few ingredients easily acquired from a nearby village.

The Goanese Fish ( fresh ling fillets cooked in coconut based curry, tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves) took me back to Casa Anjuna $29.90

…and Chicken Chettinad (A classic dish from Chettinad region of south India that gets it’s unique flavour from roasted dry coconut, combination of spices including star anise and fennel seeds) and reminded me of melas from the kitchens of Visalam and The Bengala.

Chettinad cuisine has benefited greatly from the Chettiars ambitious trading relationships with south east asia, the source of distinct flavours like the star anise. $23.90

From the North came Murgh Makhani (creamy textured curry made from smoky flavoured tandoori chicken tikka simmered in tomato and cashew based gravy, also known as Butter Chicken.) $23.90

From Maharashtra (home state to Mumbai) came Kolhapuri Chicken ( boneless chicken pieces cooked in flavourful Kolhapuri style masala) $24.90

From Gujarat, the Indian state with the highest population of vegetarians came our vegetarian main – Lasooni Palak Paneer (Cubes of fried cottage cheese cooked with spinach, green chillies, a special blend of spices and a touch of garlic which gives a unique taste and enhances the flavour of the curry) $23.90

From Bengal we had Bengali Chicken Curry (Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices cooked in mustard oil on slow fire) $23.90

This was accompanied by…

Basmati Jeera Rice $5
(Steamed Basmati rice flavoured with cumin seeds)

Raita (Yogurt mixed with grated cucumber and flavoured with roasted cumin seeds $5.50

And some lovely breads…

Garlic Naan (Fermented plain flour bread cooked in a tandoor topped with minced garlic)…$4.50

Laccha Paratha (Crispy and layered whole meal flour bread cooked on a pan ) $5

Masala Kulcha (Fermented plain flour bread stuffed with a mix of spiced potatoes and herbs, sprinkled with onion seeds, chopped coriander and mint, cooked in a tandoor) $5

Puran Poli – 2 pcs $5.90
(Sweet bread made from plain flour stuffed with sweet mixture of gram daal and jaggery, infused with cardamom and nutmeg, a Maharashtrian delicacy)

I’m a bit of a bread fan, but this Puran Poli that Sushant makes himself was my absolute favourite.

It was truly a very special night to be a Canberra Food Blogger and a guest of Sushant and his team.

Sushant is a great cook and storyteller and has some wonderful ideas that he has been trying out, and still plenty yet to test.

I can’t wait to see what Sushant’s new menu will look like in September.

7 By The Lake is open everyday for lunch and dinner.

It’s at the far end of the Kingston Foreshore that has lots of great newly opened eateries – well worth exploring!

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!

Second look at Polo Restaurant – Peirogi Specials night, Turner

Having enjoyed my first visit to Polo at the White Eagle Club in Turner, I was back this week again for the Wednesday night specials.

The menu was a little different this time and I think it keeps changing.

The Mushroom and Cabbage or Cheese and Potato Pierogi ($10 or $14 with a wine of beer) were still on…

….but there were also Koldunai – handmade Lithuanian dumplings – pan seared with bacon and camrmelised cabbage ($13 or $17 with a drink). These were offered in Beef with Horseradish and yogurt sauce….

…but my favourite were the pork and fennel with apple and fennel slaw.

The Veal Goulash $16 looked pretty good – wrapped in potato blintz with pickled fennel/kolrabi and sour cream.

There were also good looking ricotta fritters $10….

….Kodunai – handmade sweet cheese dumplings with chooclate custard $13…

…and another dessert….

…but I think liked the savoury dishes best.

There’s a nice choice of wine or beer to go with your special and wine pours are generous.

Opinions seem to be divided about this venue and not everyone agrees with me, but I love it here! It’s so relaxed and friendly and everyone is enjoying each other’s company as they share a simple meal and a drink.

…And it is noisey in some spots. But the library is a quiet spot (though it might be a bit too quiet for some) and surprisingly the main area (with carpet) is quieter than the room next door (with a wooden floor).

A couple of other things I learnt this time are…

Get there early and order quickly as the line gets long.
Book by texting 0422898617. It’s easy and you get a very quick, friendly and accomodating response.
Ask for the mainroom near the kitchen or the library if you need somewhere quiet.

I’m looking forward to another visit already!

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.

Bush Tucker – growing & cooking in #Canberra with @HeidiZajac Cooking Circles

Narelle Happ is a great fan of gardens that you can eat. As a horticulturalist and garden designer she loves teaching people to grow Australian natives that not only look good, but since pre-European history, have been adding unique flavours and textures to foods.

Narelle was the guest of Canberra’s Cooking Circles this week and she shared her impressive knowledge of easy to grow natives for Canberra gardens and treated us to a bush tucker afternoon tea, created in the excellent Foodish kitchen at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets. (What an amazing resource Foodish is!)

And, as always, the event provided a lovely opportunity to meet up with others who share a passion for good food and great company.

Narelle’s Bush Tucker Macadamia Nut Dukkah with hazelnuts, bush tomato, groud lemon myrtle, ground mountain pepper leaf and ground aniseed myrtle was excellent…..

as was the…

…Bush Tucker Tomato Chutney with eggplant and onion.

Accompanied by an exquisite Lemon myrtle tea made from the dried leaves of the plant, I think everyone decided that they needed a tree of their own. (Lemon myrtle is also great as a flavour for cheesecake, icecream and as we tasted, yogurt)….

Narelle brought along a trailer load of plants to show and tell (and sell!).

These included…

Native mint a very pretty plant when growing, and hardy.

Native cranberries, Native ginger, Edible tubers, Climbers, Wombat berry, Native sarsaparilla good for tea, Pepper bush (this would grow well in Canberra and you can use the dried berries like peppercorns or use leaves for tea).

We also sampled popcorn with lemon myrtle and macadamia and some with bush tomato native basil.

We know know that dried, ground leaves of saltbush are good for dukkah, in dishes like also frittata or saltbush lamb and is favoured by Kylie Kwong. Along with Lemon Myrtle, this sounded like a very useful plant to grow.