No. 10 – Woden’s new spot for a worker’s weekday lunch

Number 10 is the new kid on the block in the Woden Departmental District and clearly very popular for pre-Christmas catch ups. It’s taken over from Smoque at the bottom of the Abode Hotel on Bowes Street.

It offers three great $15 lunch specials and I particularly like the look of the salad and the steak.

https://www.instagram.com/number10restaurantandbar/

In + Out Lunch $15

Skirt Steak – Chargrilled skirt steak with Café de Paris butter and fries

Fish + Chips- Beer battered fish and chips with No. 10 remoulade sauce and a cucumber and fennel slaw

Roast Pumpkin Salad – Salad of roast pumpkin, roast sweet potato, cos lettuce, pine nuts and fetta

However, on my first visit we were road testing the two salads listed under the small plates.

My Beet Salad was excellent! A perfect amount and full of tasty, well balanced flavored and textures. A great light lunch but some may want to order a side of bread.

Beet Salad – Pickled beetroots with goats curd, candied and pickled walnuts, radish, celery hearts, honey vinaigrette $17 ($24 main size)

My dining partner tried the Calamari Salad – also a good choice.

Calamari – Flashed fried squid with citrus salt, caramelised pineapple, coriander, cucumber, mint and orange syrup $18

Also, very popular for lunch is the Chicken and Waffles – Buttermilk & Bourbon fried chicken with waffles, maple aioli, cress and lemon $21.

https://www.instagram.com/number10restaurantandbar/

But I do think I’d have to have the Beet Salad again next time I’m back, it was so very good!

Trying Daana’s Thali

Daana is well setttled and busy in their new Curtin home.

There’s plenty of room and a warm welcome for larger groups.

An easy way to order and enjoy a range of tastes is the Thali.

It’s also a good way to cater for different appetites. Refills are plentiful and the food is unlimited, in the style of true South Indian hospitality.

On the evening we visited the Thali included:

Gobi Kempu Bezule (Cauliflower), Koshambir Salad, Vegetable Saagu, Chicken Korma, Potato Khana Curry, Tomato Rasam, Sambar, Poori, Rice, Papad

It also finisihed with a lovely dessert of Phirmi ( a dish from Kashmir).

The Thali dinner costs $25 per person for just vegetarian curries and $30 if you’d like to include non-vegetarian curries.

Another way to order for a group is to design your own shared menu.

My $25 per person suggestions for a group would include:

Entrée:

1 Dal Vada ($12 for 4) per 4 people ($3pp)

1 Paneer Kathi Roll per 4 people (cut into 4 pieces –they are large) $12 ($3pp)

1 serve idil ($12 for 4) per 4 people ($3pp)

Mains:

Choose three of the Vegetarian/Chicken/Lamb/Seafood curries per 4 people (they come with rice or bread so just get a mix of both (I think 1/2 Paratha and ½ steamed rice would be lovely) – around $16 per person.

Daana also offers BYO at $6 per bottle.

Space Kitchen, Woden – the new spring menu!

Space Kitchen has a new spring menu.

The Space Benedict is gone (sadly) from the all day breakfast menu, but in it’s place is a Pork Benedict $20 – Pork belly, poached eggs, seeded mustard hollandaise, roast pear, Parmesan almond crumb & sourdough.

And there’s a new Waffle Forest $18 that everyone’s talking about – Cherry waffle, chocolate granola, cherry blossom cream, boysenberry sorbet, green tea, toasted marshmallows, coconut & chocolate twigs.

Two new salad’s have appeared…
Smoked Chicken Salad $20 – Honey roasted pears, beetroot, Radicchio, goat’s curd, dukkah, beetroot dressing

…and a particularly lovely Haloumi Salad $20 – Grilled haloumi, spring greens, watermelon, hazelnuts, golden raisins, avocado, radish, orange, sumac and poppy seed dressing

Also on my wishlist is a very good looking Tart $18 – Roasted beetroots, beetroot custard, goat’s curd, rocket salad, harissa yoghurt, pepita granola…next time!

Wheat & Oats, Phillip – trying the brekkie menu!

Wheat & Oats is a long time favourite of mine for lunch but I’ve never been before for the all day brekkie.

Easy parking, great prices and friendly, relaxed service has long been a great draw card. So has the 25% discount with the Canberra Entertainment Book.

There’s some great options like the Herbivorous $15 with haloumi, rosemary mushrooms, eggs, avocado and sourdough

Breakfast salad $15 with kale, avocado, eggs, quinoa, beans, beetroot, pepoitas and citrus dressing

Kale Omelette $15

With indoor and outdoor seating it’s good in all weathers, open six days for breakfast and lunch (closed Sundays).

Daana – heading to Curtin, the start of an exciting new venture! @daana_canberra

Daana has gained a strong following of lovers of regional Indian cuisine since Sanjay and Sunita opened in Westside Acton late last year. Serving great street food from a both north (Sanjay) and south (Sunita) India, they’ve added comfortable wet weather seating for customer comfort.

But now it’s time to take their great street food from a both north (Sanjay) and south (Sunita) India, to a new home in Curtin.

Following in the footsteps of Binny’s Kathitto ( that recently made the move from their pop up in the Hamlet to a permanent home on Lonsdale Street), Daana is heading to a great stand alone venue previously occupied by Silver Fox and before that Delissio. It has in front free parking very easy a access for Woden workers. The perfect spot for end of year lunches!

But Saturday was the time to celebrate this new venture with Sanjay and Sunita as they served Biriyani for the last time from Acton Park.

They were serving their famous Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani…

$8 for a half serve of Vegetable Biriyani….

$12 for a full serve….

$12 for a half serve of Chicken Biriyani ($18 full serve)

The raita that accompanied the Biriyani was amazing!

(The Malabar Paratha with Chicken Marsala $15 was so tempting…very hard to decide).

There was also Carrot Halwa for dessert $5 half serve $8 full serve.

Other delicious choices included the samosa $8 for two…

Dahl Vada $10 for 4

Idli with Sambar $10

I can’t wait to try the new venue when it opens in September, Tuesday – Sunday lunch and dinner.

Lunch @Space.Kitchen, Woden – such eating fun!

Eating at Space is just the greatest eating fun!

The dishes are such works of art – an instagrammers delight!

So what better place could there be for a Canberra Food Blogger lunch.

Two of us shared the SPACE BENEDICT Pulled pork croquettes, beetroot hollandaise, poached eggs, corn bread & pea puree $18.90…

…and the HOTCAKES Blueberry ricotta hotcakes, coconut ice cream, passion fruit & HOTCAKES Blueberry ricotta hotcakes, coconut ice cream, passion fruit & verbena custard, meringue 17.9, meringue $17.90…

These hotcakes are just so amazing! The passion fruit sauce and verbena custard is delicious along with the meringue and coconut ice-cream, nicely paced with the plainer but still yummy, hotcakes. They just look so different to the first time I had them about 10 months ago on the first day Space opened!

It’s just great that the favourites remain on the menu but keep reinventing themselves!

The other bloggers were also very pleased with their choice of CALAMARI Sumac spiced calamari, carrot hummus, quinoa tabouli & dill creme fraiche $19.90.

It’s great to see Space as popular as ever and even though I can’t get there as much these days, I love it when I do!

Space, Woden -the Breakfast Fritters are as good as ever!

Seems like such a long time since I last went to Space and I’ve missed it.

The menu has changed a little and now includes a new Warm Lamb Salad $19.90…

…as well as a Thai Chicken Salad.

But the favourites are still there including the Breakfast Fritters which are as good as ever $19.90.

Fine Eating’s Top Canberra Restaurant for 2015, Space, Woden – an illustrated menu!

When Space opened on 8 October 2015, it was Fine Eating’s most popular post for the year.

Woden CBD had been longing for a new eatery – stylish, creative, exciting!

Space is all that and so much more. Each dish is both a work of art, and full of surprising but wonderful flavours and textures – both beautiful and delicious!

The all day breakfast dishes and the gourmet salads are still the highlights of the menu with great coffee and good wine by the glass to back it up. (And yes wine goes very well with these breakfast dishes).

And then the very famous desserts arrived….

An illustrated menu…. ( with many thanks to all the friends who shared the meals, lovely 2015 memories!)

All day breakfast

Full service $21.90

Minor service $ 16.90

Space Benedict $18.90

Hot Cakes $17.90

Smoked Salmon Breakfast $18.90

Polenta Waffles $18.90

Breakfast Fritters $18.90

Muesli $15.90

Egg& Bacon Roll $11.90

Space Jam $6.90

Salad Bar & Gourmet Sandwiches

Roast Chicken Sandwich $14.90

Pulled Pork Roll $14.90

Mushroom Sandwich $14.90

Chicken Peach Salad $18.90

Pulled Pork Salad $18.90

Smoked Trout Salad $18.90

Roast Vegetable Salad $18.90

Lunch

Chicken Burger $16.90

Pulled Pork Sliders $16.90

Wagyu Cheese Burger $16.90

Fish and Chips $19.90

Calamari $19.90

Asian noodle House

The Asian Noodle House in Woden often gets booked out at weekday lunchtimes.

Part of it’s appeal is the wide range of options for all tastes and appetites, from very light Wonton Soup $7.50….

…fairly light Hainam Chicken $15.50 – a poached chicken breast with green vegetables, tasty rice and ginger and chilli sauce that comes with a chicken broth.