Ideas for larger groups

Dinner at CIT Reid Hospitality training restaurant – the April-May menu

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Booking a table at the CIT Reid campus restaurant for lunch on Tuesday or Friday, or dinner on Thursday, is an excellent way to share a fine dining restaurant experience with friends, at mid-range restaurant prices.

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At the same time, you will be supporting a great concept, creating a real-life environment for students to practice and hone their hospitality skills.

The seasonal menu, offering two courses for $20 or three courses for $25, changes every few months and is linked  to on the CIT website. Each course offers three choices including a vegetarian option and plenty of gluten free options.

Entrees
Salmon carpaccio (GF) – Sliced Salmon with ginger, coriander, chilli, mint and apple vinegar dressing (GF) ( a favourite)

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Seven spice smoked marinated duck – Seven spice smoked marinated duck breast with green apple salad in a plum sauce (GF)

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Eggplant & smoked goat cheese – Baked eggplants with soy miso dressing served with smoked goat cheese (V,GF)

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Mains
Coq au vin – Braised chicken with dry-cured, smoked back bacon, mushroom, eschallots in red wine and brandy sauce served with mash potato (GF)

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Steamed Barramundi – Barramundi with ginger and soy broth with seasonal vegetables and soba noodles (GF) (a favourite)

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Mushroom and Capsicum Couscous (V) – Mushrooms, capsicum and chickpea stew with couscous and tomato basil

Desserts
Self-saucing Chocolate pudding – Baked chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and pistachio nuts

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Gula Melaka – Sago pudding with fresh berries and coconut palm sugar (GF) (recommended by other diners)

Cream Brulee- Lime and ginger cream brulee served with fresh berries (GF) ( a favourite)

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Bookings of more than ten people are requested to pre-order to ensure everyone’s choice is available.

Three courses can be too much to be comfortable, but if you’d still like to try all the courses, why not share and entree and a dessert with a friend and both get main courses (i.e. two courses each at $20, but an experience of all three courses).

Drinks (including wine by the glass at $5) are available from the fully licensed bar.

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The soft furnishings and patiently paced service are ideal for a leisurely, rich conversation, accompanied by beautifully presented and prepared food.

CIT restaurant on Urbanspoon

Taste of Bangladesh and India, trying a few new dishes

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The Taste of Bangladesh and India has great food and hospitality and is excellent value.

The menu includes a wide range of less common dishes and Bangladeshi favourites which are well worth a try.

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Kacchi Biriyani $15.50 – is a rice dish with marinated goat meat cooked with spices, very flavoursome, especially the meat and one of the most famous flavoured rice recipes from Bangladesh.

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Mirji Handi $14.00 – seasonal vegetables cooked with crumbled paneer and tomato and cashew gravy, is tasty but quite rich and cheesy.

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Dum Murgh $15.50 (is still the most amazing dish, and the top pick)

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Garlic naan $3 each and plain naan $2.50, rice (which is definitely not necessary if having the Biriyani) and Raita $5 (nice, but not absolutely necessary with the meal)

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Two dishes and a Biriyani (with naan) can be more than enough for three appetites. However staff are more than happy to package up any that’s left to take home to enjoy later.

The private area is very good for a larger group and provides good privacy and a very quiet area for conversations. However, a couple or a small group may be better to choose a table closer to the kitchen as the more private area can feel a little too quiet.

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Good for a large group – Bentham Street Bar ‘n Pizza, Yarralumla

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Bentham Street Bar ‘n Pizza in Yarralumla is a great spot for a large group get together.
Sisters Carol and Sandra are very helpful, accommodating and flexible.

While indoor seating is limited, in good weather, up to 40 can be accommodated outdoors in a lovely shady setting on a quiet leafy corner.

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BYO is offered at $5 per bottle and you can bring along your own dessert to keep costs down, for $2 cakeage per person.

When designing an interesting, good value ordering plan consider ordering the equivalent of ½ pizza per person and 1/3 of a salad, if also bringing dessert.

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This will cost approximately $19-20 per person including corkage and cakeage.

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Choose 4 types of pizza and ask for pizzas to be cut into 8 so that everyone is able to try a range of (if not all) choices.
Some popular choices are
Four cheese (vegetarian option) $21

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Gourmet vegetarian (vegetarian option) $21

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Spanish Chorizo $21

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Smoked salmon with onion, crème fraiche, spinach, capers, wasabi mayo $22

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The pizza oven can only cook seven pizzas at once, but this is not a problem as it means, hot pizzas keep coming. Gluten free bases are also available, which along with at least two very good vegetarian options, makes to easier to cater for special dietary requirements.

For Salads it is easiest and best value just to order the very good Mesculin, rocket, fetta, olives, tomato and capsicum $12.50, in which case three people share each salad.

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If opting for more variety also consider the Smoked salmon, capers, onion, with wasabi mayonnaise $16.50 if which case six people would share two different salads.

2013 August 202

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