A.Baker, New Acton – a first look at dinner

A. Baker has an enviable setting in the historic old Acton Hotel buildings, and opening onto established garden courtyards at both front and back.

Supporting local producers and even growing some produce themselves…

… A. Baker strives for excellence in it’s food and wine menus …

….and this is reflected in the pride, confidence and welcome if the service staff.

Especially delicious are the pork belly, prune and tarragon canapés….

….but the south coast oysters with cucumber and citrus…

And the charred cauliflower with sesame and ponzu are also good.

It’s a good idea to order as a group and share a range of share plates and dishes.

This gives great variety in styles, flavours and textures.

Good choices include….

Starters…

…shared cured meats with A. Baker bread and olive oil ($25 for three)….

…..Shaw River buffalo mozzarella, black garlic, smoked walnuts and quinoa…

…….Braised Octopus, skordalia, baked panchetta, blood orange and almond…

Mains

Baked local mushrooms, Dutch cream gnocchi, kale, local primo sale…

Charred lamb neck, Harissa, bean, radish and sumac salad, smoked whipped ricotta…

And a lovely dessert is the Black sesame bavarois, strawberries, pink peppercorn meringue and sorrel.

A good choice for a special dinner, brunch or a coffee.

Italiano Vero, Glebe Park, Canberra City

Italiano Vero is a new family venture for Marco, Daria ….and chef Antonio.

Serving authentic Italian cuisine, with true Italian hospitality, it’s a cute and convenient little spot at the bottom of the Glebe Apartments ( where there’s also some easy parking available).

Open for breakfast and lunch 7:00am- 2:30pm Monday to Friday and dinner 6pm – 8:30pm Thursday to Saturday, they are also trying an Aperitivo from 4pm Saturdays, when they offer free specialities with any drink.

There’s a regular lunch menu that includes a nice homemade ravioli with smoked salmon in a pink sauce $21…

….and a barley salad with red onion, capsicum, carrots, celery and pomegranate dressing $14….

….but perhaps the best lunch combination would be to share one of the delicious looking pizzas ($15-$24) and a side salad $8…

…..along with generously sized and well priced (from $7) glasses of wine.

Bread is complimentary.

There’s also a more extensive dinner menu, a specials board and some baked items to go with some good coffee.

But perhaps the very best reason to visit is for the friendliness of the most welcome hosts!

Muse, East Hotel, Kingston – Food, wine and books

Muse is new to Kingston and has much to offer.

Being part of the East Hotel, it is open early 7 days and most days closes late.

Being nestled in a book shop, it has a lovely relaxed, inviting atmosphere.

Being unique in menu, at lunch the menu includes two salads/sides for $16 or three for $20 (ideal for light eating or to share).

For larger appetites, a main at lunch with two salads/sides is $26 or with three is $28.

In fact the whole menu is very well priced.

Mains are $22-$28….

Desserts are $12…

Wine by the glass starts at $10….

Share plates start at $8 and range up to $28.

Breakfast includes two eggs with delicious sourdough for $10 (great for smaller appetites or light eating)…

…and the more substantial Weekender for $22 with thick full flavoured bacon and excellent Irish corn and potato farl (as well as eggs, Casalingo sausage, baby spinach, truss tomatoes and sourdough).

Juices are $6 and you can mix several together to your taste.

Service staff are charming, flexible and helpful!

There are lovely places to sit both indoors and outside.

With a similar feel as the popular eateries in Braddon and on the Kingston Foreshore, Muse is not as busy and a great spot to head for a drink and share plate after work, coffee and dessert, workday lunch or weekend brunch.

EAST HOTEL

69 Canberra Ave

Kingston ACT 2602

02 6178 0024

OPENING HOURS

Monday – Thursday 6.30am – 10pm

Friday 6.30am – midnight

Saturday 7am – midnight

Sundays & Public Holidays 7am – 6pm

A great Christmas Party idea – $20 for three courses with drinks at Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka

If you’re hosting a large party, but want to eat out, it can be hard to find a budget friendly venue that’s flexible and happy to work with you to create a great lunch or night out for your friends, family or work colleagues.

So Taste of Bangladesh upstairs in the Style Arcade in Manuka is a real gem.

Not only do they serve delicious, well priced dishes in generous serves for sharing but they charge no corkage and have plenty of room for a large group to relax.

For $20-$25 per person (depending on what you spend on the wine) you can enjoy three courses along with drinks.
And if you want to give people the opportunity to mingle and chat over a drink when they arrive, just ask for the private area and some entree fingers foods like onion bhaji with mint and tamarind chutneys ($7 for 4) and chicken tikka pizza $12 per pizza ( slice into 8-9 pieces) to be served as canapés.

Pappadoms are complimentary and another snack that’s good with a drink.

By ordering three dishes ($14 – $16.50), a raita ($3.50) two rice ($3 each) and two naan ($2.50 each) per 4-5 people, there’s a good range of flavours that’s perfect for sharing.

Fish Bengali…

Chicken Dum Murgh…

and Palak Paneer….

are always winners and the cheese and spinach naan is delicious!).

The Yellow dal is great too, especially if more people like vegetarian dishes.

Either share some gulab jaman and mango kulfi (both $4.50 each)…

….or bring along your own cake and cream ( or other dessert) to share for dessert.

Cakeage is $1 per person but it also means you can bring your own soft drinks, juice and decorations (it’s a ‘party charge’ actually).

Whatever you need just have a chat to Shafique and Fahana who just want to do whatever they can to make your lunch or dinner a success!

Monster Kitchen and Bar, New Acton – the best place for coffee or a drink after the movies

If you are seeing a movie at the very lovely Palace Cinemas, do consider also visiting Monster Kitchen and Bar at Hotel Hotel next door for a coffee or a drink.

There’s so many gorgeous places to sit, it’s hard to choose.

Wine by the glass, coffee and cakes, are priced competitively and similar to what you would pay in far plainer settings.

The Courgette Chocolate Cake $6 is large enough to share between two with coffees. It has a dry texture, that still works with coffee, but an excellent chocolate ganache.

There’s also a very good light lunch menu available 12-5pm that’s well priced and worth checking out.

One of the very best things about Monster is, that being part of a hotel, its open very early and closes very late, every day!

Well worth trying!

On Red, Red Hill – the best view in town!

On Red has the best dining views in Canberra!

It is blessed by it’s privileged location in Canberra’s 50 year old Red Hill Lookout buildings, that also enjoys at the door free parking.

The menu is conveniently designed so that you can choose 3-5 smaller dishes and build your own meal. This allows you to order to suit your appetite although it is priced to favour ‘upsizing’ at $70 for 3 courses, $82 for four courses and $94 for five courses.

There are plenty of beautifully presented and interesting dishes to choose from. However, some of the more impressive sounding dishes are actually outshone by some of those that sound inferior.

For example, for dessert, the strudel of apple & drunken sultana with honey & rosemary ice cream is absolutely delicious….

…and and even better pick than the
warm chocolate tart with berries & honeycomb.

Likewise the Moreton Bay Bug is not as good a choice as …

… the Caramelised Onion Tart that has an exceptional Baba Ghanoush.

So do take some risks and be pleasantly surprised.

Choices include, in order of recommendation:

John Dory with som tam salad & chilli jam

Shredded confit duck leg with beetroot, sweet potato & kale
Pork loin filled with chicken & pistachio with asparagus, apple & fondant potato

Zucchini & caramelised onion tart w baba ghanoush & balsamic

Lamb rump with quinoa, spiced carrot & herb jus

Hunter Valley grass fed eye fillet with eschalot, spinach & mustard aioli

Seared scallops with watermelon, bonito, kohlrabi cucumber and dashi

Moreton bay bug with veal sweetbread, crustacean bisque & green pea

The canapés are not as flavoursome as the dishes, but are well presented…

…and the bread is excellent!

But it’s the setting that really impresses!

Debacale, Braddon – two for one pizzas

Debacle in Braddon, is always busy and popular – offering good casual outdoor eating in the warm weather, a nice range of specials and two for one pizzas on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

It’s also very helpfully open all day and every day.

While it’s not BYO, the wine is well priced (about $38 for a bottle)and you can get a 25% discount if you own a Canberra Entertainment Book.

The pizzas are $14 for a small, $21 for a medium or $30 for a large.

For a group of four people two medium pizza is enough if you like to leave feeling comfortable (two large pizzas are just a bit too much).

You might also consider ordering a salad or two (and while there’s no discount for the Canberra Entertainment Book on the two for one pizza special, there is a discount for the salads or anything else you might order).

Do make sure you choose pizzas with plenty of tasty toppings.

The Mexicana…

and the similar Carnivore are good choices.

The Bombay Chicken isn’t quite as tasty.

If you have a large group, ask for the long table, especially in the cooler weather.

Lotus Bay Restaurant, Yarralumla

The very popular Lotus Bay Restaurant at the Canberra Southern Cross Club offers fine dining seafood dishes at mid range prices.

Chef Jojy prepares beautifully presented flavours. Joined by manager Simon, the team serves Snapper and the cruise boat as well as Lotus Bay.

Entrees include…

Pan seared scallops with black pudding and cauliflower espuma and salmon caviar (very good) $16

Freshly opened South Australian Black Mussels in Tomato and Basil soup $12

Baked Coffin bay oysters wrapped in proscuitto and BBQ sauce $16

Prawn and Crab Salad marinated in lemon with fresh herbs and citrus mayonnaise $19

Pesto Marinated cherry tomatoes and Bococcino Skewers with salad and grissini sticks $16

The Traditional sour dough roll with butter $2 is very good and well worth the low price.

Mains include…
Roasted Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Ravioli $24 – Alfredo sauce and wilted baby spinach

Pan- seared Tasmanian Ocean Trout $30 – Kumera fondant, crispy fennel and dill salad served with lemon jam

Five Spiced 16 Hours Cooked Barbeque Glazed Pork Belly $28
with Potato champ and Vichy carrots

Surf and Turf $34 – Grain fed beef tenderloin llet, herb & garlic marinated prawn, Parisian mash and tarragon avoured Béarnaise sauce

And then there is Chef Jojy’s signature dish, freshly cooked Atlantic Lobster served with lobster cream sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese and béarnaise sauce….

…. it comes with an entrée of Lobster bisque and bread roll for $42.90.

Only available on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

The desserts are well priced at $12.50 but not as good as the other courses.
The best is the black sesame seed icecream that comes with the mango mousse layered vanilla sponge and coconut espuma…

…The lemon and lime cheesecake is not quite sweet enough…

…The pistachio chocolate terrine is very, very rich.

..and there’s an Adffogato – Vanilla ice cream, shot of co ee, Tuaca liquor.

Perhaps the best choice for dessert would be the trio of house made ice-cream.

Wine by the glass starts at around $9..

…and there’s a bar menu.

The views of the lake are lovely in the day time…however generally the decor has a club feel as you would expect.

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

Fine Eating

Hints Hacks and Highlights

Reviews (Around Canbera)

A.Baker, New Acton – a first look at dinner

Italiano Vero, Glebe Park, Canberra City

Muse, East Hotel, Kingston – Food, wine and books

Monster Kitchen and Bar, New Acton – the best place for coffee or a drink after the movies

On Red, Red Hill – the best view in town!

Debacale, Braddon – two for one pizzas

Lotus Bay Restaurant, Yarralumla

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

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