Taste of Bangladesh and India, Manuka – perfect for a large group

Taste of Bangladesh, in the Style Arcade Manuka is a good spot for a larger group lunch or dinner, such as a work Christmas breakup.

The food is excellent, value is outstanding and the hosts Shafique and Fahana happily accommodating, as they just want you to enjoy their food and hospitality.

There are tables in a more private area, that is quiet, well carpeted and great for chatting. The lighting and music can be adjusted to suit you.

Suggested shared menu for a group of 20 ($20 per person including free corkage)

(Order medium spice level to cater for most people).

To start:

Pappadoms

Mains:

5 x Dum Murgh – boneless chicken marinated in special herbs and spices and cooked on a slow fire

5 x Fish Bengali – Snapper fillet cooked with eggplant in Bangladeshi spices

5 x Palak Paneer – Cubes of cottage cheese with spinach in a mildly-spiced curry

10 x Plain Naan

10 x Rice

Dessert:

Tasting plate of Mango Kulfi x 5 & Gulab Jaman x 10

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Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka – an excellent Chicken Biryani!

Just when you thought you’d had the very best at Taste of Bangladesh, something new makes it to the favourites list!!

Once you have the Chicken Biryani $15.50 it’s impossible to order just plain rice again.

And the Bhoona Beef $15 is tender and has a tasty sauce, good for a change but just misses the ‘favourites’.

Still on the favourites list though, is the Cheese and Spinach Naan $3.50. This is a must have, always.

Palak Panner $14 is popular with many and a good choice for variety.

2 mains dishes, a Biriyani and two naan are plenty for four people.

With complimentary pappadoms and no corkage, the value is very hard to beat.

Add a warm and cozy setting, home style hospitality, close and free at night parking in the Medical Centre on Furneaux Street and there is no better spot for a winter night out.

Favourites to date:

Entree

Onion Bhaji

Mains

Fish Bengali

Dum Murgh

Chicken Biriyani

Palak Paneer

Sides

Eggplant Bhorta

A close second:

Bhoona Beef

Goat Curry

CIT Restaurant – Reid, another look at dinner

The CIT Reid campus restaurant continues to offer excellent value for a two ($20) or three ($25) course lunch (Tuesday or Friday) or dinner (Thursday).

It’s a seasonal menu, that is the same in June as it was in April, with slightly different presentations and a new set of staff.

Entrees
The Salmon carpaccio remains the best entree….

…followed by the Seven spice smoked marinated duck…

and lastly the Eggplant & smoked goat cheese (not so good).

Mains
The Steamed Barramundi is still the top pick ….

….followed by Coq au vin..

…and then the Mushroom and Capsicum Couscous.

Desserts
It’s more difficult to pick the best dessert with the Self-saucing Chocolate pudding …

…an equally good choice as the Cream Brûlée.

Wine by the glass is $5and coffees are $2.50, both good value.

And maybe check out the CIT cafe open Wednesdays 11:30-2pm (and offering good $10 lunch specials) or the regional shop open Wednesdays and Thursdays 11-1pm.

Taste of Bangladesh – a perfect menu for 12

After much trialling of different dishes the very best combination at Taste of Bangladesh for a group of 12 just has to be:

Pappadoms to start (complimentary)

Entree:

3 serves Onion Bhaji (12 pieces) with tamarind chutney and mint yogurt ($7 each serve)

Mains:

3 serves Fish Bengali, medium spice level ($16.50 per serve)

3 serves Dum Murgh Chicken , medium spice level ($15.50 per serve)

3 serves Palak Paneer, medium spice level ($14 per serve)

4 serves rice ($3 per serve) (5 or 6 serves for larger appetites)

6 Cheese and Spinach Naan ($3.50 per serve)

3 serves Eggplant Bhorta ($5 per serve)

Dessert:

3 serves Gulab Jarman ($4.50 per serve)

3 serves Mango Kulfi ($4.50 per serve)

Total cost per person: $17.75

Free corkage for BYO wine

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Trying some entrees at Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka

Still a favourite, Taste of Bangladesh can’t be beaten for value and hospitality.

Shafique and Fahana always make sure you enjoy their food and prepare dishes freshly and with passion. Serves are generous and corkage and pappdoms are complimentary.

The Fish Bengali is still a top pick and Dum Murgh. Palak Paneer and Goat Curry are excellent too.

But the Fish Korma $16.50 is very delicious and I suspect the chicken, beef or lamb korma would also be very good. It’s also a milder dish for those who prefer less spicy dishes. Worthy to be added to the favourites list.

The Beef Vindaloo $15 is very tender and flavoursome, but quite spicy.

The cheese and spinach naan $3.50 is exceptional.

But don’t miss the wonderful Onion Bhaji (4 for $7) served with tamarind and mint chutney and mint yogurt. These are crisp and morish, a truly delightful surprise.

The Samosas are also good at $7 for two, but it’s hard to beat the Onion Bahji.

Perhaps the best shared menu for four includes:

Papadoms to start

Entree:

1x Onion Bhaji with tamarind and mint chutney and mint yogurt $7

Mains:

1x Fish Bengali $16.50

1x Dum Murgh $15.50

1x Palak Paneer $14 or Beef Korma $15

2x Cheese and spinach naan (2x $3.50) (quartered)

2 serves rice (2x $3)

Dessert:

1x Gulab Jaman $4.50 (halved)

1x Mango Kulfi $4.50

Total including free corkage: $76 ($19 per person)

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Farmhouse Resturant, Pialligo, Canberra

The newly opened Farmhouse Restaurant on Pialligo Estate is really something special.

It is uniquely offers the rare combination of fine dining and open yet cozy, luxurious spaces, very close to the centre of Canberra. It highlights exactly what Canberra does so well – the best of relaxed rural living paired with city sophistication.

You can’t help but relax in the engaging rural setting and let yourself be spoilt by the hospitality and generosity of the Pialligo Estate team whose passion for beautiful fine food and wines and and elegant service is evident everywhere.

The Farmhouse Restaurant is the latest addition to what has been a working farm for nearly 200 years. It adds to the existing orchard, vegetable and herb garden, vineyard …..

2009 Pialligo Estate Riesling

Olive grove….

Extra virgin cold press olive oil

and smokehouse……

Smoked salmon, Smokehouse short cut bacon…

….smoked salt

….. and uses many of the products for its regional and seasonal menu.

Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday 12-4pm ( last orders 2:30pm) there is a choice of two courses $65 per person, 3 courses $80 per person or the 6 course chef tasting plate $110 per person.

And dinner Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm ( last orders 9pm) there is a choice of 2 courses $85 per person, or the 6 course chef tasting plate $110 per person.

The 6 course chef tasting menu may include dishes such as:

Starter/snack

Sabayon of salmon – Atlantic salmon, smoked salmon ( produced at Pialligo Estate), orchard apples, Chive oil and seaweed powder

Sea-weed cured bonito, green tomato, crispy chicken, radish and Dashi of it’s own bones

….or an alternate course for vegetarians ( and mums to be) Jerusalem artichoke, black figs, hazelnut, rosemary and tomato delta

Delicious sourdough bread and house made miso butter (don’t miss this, they are wonderful!)

New season Cipollini Onions, Pialligo Farm Chorizo, Nashi Paear and Young Mustard

Madura Valley Egg, Veal Sweetbread, Celeriac, Brioche and Pine Mushroom ( a favourite course)

Muscovy Duck, Musquee de Provence Pumpkin, Red Onion, Chestnut and Licorice

Valrhona Jivara Chocolate, Buck wheat, Caramelised Banana and Malted Milk

Coffee and Mignardises (strawberry marshmallow, dark chocolate with truffle, salted caramel ( fantastic)

There is also the option of wine pairings such as…

Ravensworth 7 month White Blend 2014 ( a Bryan Martin creation and excellent)
Pialligo Estate Reisling 2009 ( very good too)
Henriques and Henriques 10 year old sercial Madeira
Rippon Gamay Noir 2013
Domaine des Bernardins Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2012

…the Farmhouse Restaurant also offers canapés for other occasions such as….
Potato baskets with truffle

Quail croquettes with bacon, garlic and Chive mayonnaise ( delicious, like tiny kievs)

Soon there will also be other dining options that will be well worth considering…
…a Farmhouse Marquee in front of the vineyard, for up to 200 people that would be perfect for a wedding celebration….

….and the near completion Farmhouse Pavillions that will hold 20-25 seated guests, or 30 for cocktails, and offer a more casual experience. The team at Pialligo are flexible about how these might be used, offering a range of service and menu options to fit the occasion and the price range.

The Farmhouse Restaurant is the perfect place to show visitors how special Canberra is, showcasing Canberra’s great views, local produce, relaxed living, city culinary sophistication and elegant hospitality.

(Don’t miss the amazing bathroom decor either!)

If you don’t have time for a meal with visitors, the local produce is ideal as a very Canberra gift.

Yarralumla Halal Pide House, Yarralumla – a great large group idea for an Anzac Day lunch

Ordering Turkish Banquets is an excellent idea for catering for a large group at home.

Adding a few extra touches and re-plating can give the meal a whole new look.

A Turkish lunch is particularly wonderful on Anzac Day to remember the special relationship between Turkey and Australia in the Great War. It’s a great way to get family or friends together after the formalities and share what is such an important time for so many.

Add a few special ANZAC traditions like vegemite on Turkish bread, a Gunfire breakfast (coffee with a shot of Bundaberg rum or condensed milk (whatever was available at the time)),Two Up, and of course ANZAC biscuits!

(Cinnamon Scrolls has a recipe for Anzac Biscuit Sandwiches with Coconut Butter Cream which sound very luxurious if you’re looking for something extraordinary to make dessert particularly special!)

There are several spots in Canberra to order from including the Yarralumla Turkish Halal Pide House who deliver free of charge within 15km – outside of that area a $25 surcharge applies.

Probably a good idea to give a minimum of 1 day’s notice if you will be ordering quite a number of banquets.

Yarralumla offers particularly nicely presented salads as well as the usual options included in most Turkish banquets.

Only order what you need. One banquet per three people may well be enough if you are adding your own dessert, extra vegetable crudités for the dips and perhaps adding a few extra garnishing ingredients to the salad.

Often the basic banquet is the best and most versatile.

For example, the Yarralumla Halal Pidehouse Banquet includes:

A selection of dips, pide bread , kabak, falafel, salad, rice, lamb skewers, chicken skewers and mixed pide – $40.00 for 2 banquets then $20.00 per extra banquet.

Cold starters:

Dips Humus • Beetroot • Carrot • Eggplant • Cucumber

with some extra Vine leaves stuffed with rice, onion, tomato and olive oil $1 each added for variety