Thai Chiang Rai, Woden Southern Cross Club – a first look at lunch off the main menu

Thai Chiang Rai, recently opened upstairs in the Woden Southern Cross Club, replacing my loved Chong Co.
While it serves some good Express Lunches, if there’s a few of you, it can be better for variety to share dishes from the main menu.

Two dishes with rice is enough for 4 modest appetites.

The $9.90 rice serve is very large and would serve 5 people.

For two people the $4.90 size would be plenty.

The Massaman Beef Curry $19.90 has a delicious sauce and is generous, but like the Express Lunch red beef curry, the beef is not so tender.

Perhaps a chicken curry is a better pick.

The Chicken Stirfry (also generous) with Dry Chilli and Cashews is good, but possibly there are better stirfry choices.

Well worth working through the menu though, as it’s such a nice place.

Pomegranate Restaurant Kingston – a nice sot for a special meal

Pomegranate opened last year in the site formerly occupied by The European and before it Art Expresso.

A stylish and welcoming décor, teamed with good food and efficient service make Pomegranate a nice spot for a special meal.

There’s a regular menu and changing entrée and main specials that include…

Entrees like…

Scallops, asparagus and seafood tortellini with a
pomegranate sauce $24

Entrée special – Prawns and Eggplant $24

Mains such as…

Baby Hiromasa Kingfish with braised leeks and carrot and Dijon mustard dressing $31 – very delicious (particularly the braised leeks and carrot that carry most of the flavour)

Main Special – Eggplant stuffed with slow cooked lamb and rice, with spices and yogurt dressing $29 ( not as good as other choices)

Other good choices for mains that have been recommended by other are the:
Spatchcock, marinated with mild chilli paste and spices served withbaby veg & cracked wheat pilaf $31
Chargrilled Cowra lamb cutlets, served with potato salad and cacik $30
Confit Duck leg with celeriac puree, sautéed spinach and
pomegranate sauce $32
Wagyu Striploin with mash potato, exotic mushrooms and beef jus $33
If you are planning to order a couple of courses, then it would be worth considering the $58 pp banquet to enjoy the experience of a number of dishes.

Banquet Menu
$58 pp
Entrees
MezzePlater Humus, chilli ,eggplant dips, pickle veg, with bread and assorted olives
Zucchini and Fetta Cheese Fritters with garlic yoghurt dressing
Smoked Rainbow Trout Croquette , garlic ,yoghurt mayo and Tabuli
Chargrilled QLD King Prawn with avocado relish, rocket and radicchio salad
Mains
Chicken breast, mildly spiced, sliced with Dijon lime mustard dressing
Chargrilled Cowra Lamb cutlet
Baby Hiromasa Kingfish with braised leeks and carrot
Leaf salad – Mix of Radicio, cos lettuce heart, Roquette & tomato slice, dressed with Dijon Mustard
Desserts
Sekerpare – Almond, Semolina pastry soaked with honey syrup, served with Tahini, Helva & Cardomon ice-cream

Corkage is $14 per bottle, and wine is $9 per glass, or starts at $38-$40 per bottle.

Pho Quoc, Dickson – a new venue, but as good as ever!

A Canberra favourite for Vietnamese, Pho Quoc has outgrown it’s original home and moved around the corner to 5 Badham St, Dickson (where El Dorado Steakhouse used to be).

Some lovely huge lanterns from Hoi An, are a lovely feature and it’s good to have the extra tables for booking but it still gets quite noisy.

The spring roll entree ($5.90 for 4)…

….Birdsnest Seafood $19.90 (excellent) (or chicken $16.90)…

….Caramelised Pork and Prawns (very good) $18.90….

…and Rare Beef Pho $12.90…

are as good as ever.

Two dishes and two rice is perfect for three people to share with a serve of spring rolls.

The corkage has increased to $5 per bottle, but glasses of wine are good value, starting at $5 (bottles start at $20).

There is also still a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders.

Thai Chiang Rai, now in the Woden Southern Cross Club

It was a sad day when Chong Co left the Woden Southern Cross Club. But very happily, Thai Chiang Rai (also in Kingston and Belconnen) is doing a great job of continuing the tradition of good Thai food….

……in a lovely setting…

….at a good price (particularly with the 10% CSCC members discount.)

Offering a good range of Express Lunches (and wine at $2.90!!)…

…like Green Curry with Chicken and rice $12.90, which is particularly good…

…Red Curry with Beef (not so tender, but good flavour) and rice $12.90…

…and plenty of other great sounding dishes and desserts..

it’s bound to be a favourite spot for lunch in Woden.

Petra Palace Lebanese Restaurant, Phillip – delicious food

Recently opened last year, Petra Palace is a relative new comer to Canberra world cuisine dining, but one well worth seeking out as the food is simply delicious!

Tucked away in Colbee Court Phillip, like many of Canberra’s suburban gems, it offers easy at the door parking and good value prices.

The decor is welcoming and attractive, with some cozy, colourful couches.

Great for groups who would like to share a few dishes, it can get a little noisy for the hard of hearing.

Some of the most delicious dishes include:

Hummus $10 (especially the Hummus Beirut with parsley and chilli) served with the most amazing Lebanese bread.

These are probably better picks than the (also nice) Baba Ganoush $10

Falafel (4 pieces) $10 with tahini sauce, pickles and tomatoes.

Lamb Fatteh $25, Chicken Fatteh $25 or Petra Fatteh $18 – casserole of marinated chicken/chargrilled eggplant, crispy Lebanese bread, spiced rice, garlic, mint, yogurt and tahini topped with pie nuts.

For variety you may want to add…

….a Fattoush Salad $15 cos lettuce, diced tomato, cucumber, capsicum, onion with a lemon and olive oil dressing topped with crispy Lebanese bread….

…or some kebabs $25 for 3 lamb, chicken or ground lamb and beef kebabs or $20 for vegetable kebabs, all served with rice/couscous/hot chips and a garnish of vegetables.

The Cheese Sambousek (4 pieces) $15 Handmade pastry filled with feta cheese is also very good.

For something sweet the Baklava is nicely portioned at $5 for two small pieces.

For a group of four people a lovely menu to share would be:

1x Hummus Beirut with Lebanese Bread $10

1x Falafel $10

1x Chicken Fatteh $25

1x Fattoush Salad $15

Total $60 ($15 per person)

Not BYO, but wine is available by the glass starting at $7.50 and bottles are reasonably priced at $28 -$35.

Canberra Entertainment Book Holders can also get two main meals for the price of one.

Timing a visit for the Belly dancing on Saturday nights would also be great fun.

Open for dinner Tuesday – Saturday 5-10pm

Tu Do Vietnamese Restaurant, O’Connor

Very popular with O’Connor locals, Tu Do is friendly and well priced.

Bowls of rare beef Pho $12 are generous and the beef is tender.

Fresh Rice Rolls (4 for $8) with Hoisin Sauce are also generous but also filled with a lot of rice noodles.

Plates of stir fried dishes for $13 (for vegetarian) up $18 (for seafood), offer a good opportunity to share a few options in a group.

Sate Lamb $16

Sate Beef $15

Peppercorn Beef $15

One dish with rice ($2.50 per person) can be shared between two people but there is enough for four people to share two dishes.

The Seafood Combination ($18) (seafood (plenty of prawns) and vegetables) looks especially worth trying.

BYO is offered and it is one for both lunch 10am to 3pm and dinner 5-10pm everyday except Mondays.

Not so great for groups as it can get quite noisy making conversation tricky.

Also not quite as good as Pho Quoc, it can however be a convenient and easy option.

Two for Joy, Kingston – plenty of variety for breakfast and lunch

Located in the popular Kingston area, Two for Joy can be a good option when some of the very popular spots are full on the weekend.

Offering both inside and outside seating, friendly efficient service, the great strength of Two for Joy is the large range of options on the menu.

There’s something simple like a generous serve of Raisin Toast $6….

…with good coffee…

…the regular offerings for breakfast…

….and lunch…

….and a changing list of specials.

The Spud Bar, Garema Place, City

The Spud Spot in Garema Place City, has plenty of potential for a quick casual lunch or dinner in the warmer weather when it’s nice to sit outside.

Offering large, very sharable serves of either white or sweet potato (or half and half) with a range of fresh and tasty toppings for $10-$13, it’s great value.

Choose between a suggested combination on the menu, or design your own from the hot and cold toppings available.

If you are wanting a lighter touch to your meal, choose more fresh ingredients and skip the hot options.

The vegetarian options also look very inviting.

Pulled Pork $12.90 – tender pulled pork with baby spinach, shredded cabbage, corn, peas and spring onions with light sour cream.

Half serves are also available ( at around $6.50 for one of the basic three options, with additional toppings for $1-$3) but these are limited and it’s better to share one with a friend if you can, or ask for a box and take some with you.

Closed Sundays, it also closes early, Monday to Wednesday.

Also good inspiration for easy quick meals at home….

Flavours of India, Woden – trying a few more dishes

Warm and cozy in the cold weather, with an attractive décor, Flavours of India is a great pick in the Woden CBD for a weekday lunch.

Sharing a couple of dishes, breads and rice works well, without being too filling. One of each between every two people works well (dishes are big enough for up to six to share, but double up when you need to).

Corkage is $8 per BYO bottle of wine and this can transform a routine lunch into a special event.

A 25% discount is offered for the Canberra Entertainment Book which makes it great value.

The Kadhai Lamb (Gosht) $17.95 is tender and lovely, a top pick.

The Kulcha Paneer with Onion and Marsala is a must have $4.50.

The Biryanis – e.g. the Chicken Biriyani for $19.95 is well sized and tasty, but can be fairly oily, so good to get some plain rice too.

Koko Black, Canberra Centre – a great way to finish the evening

Calling in at Koko Black for coffee is the perfect way to finish dinner. The coffee is great and a cappuccino ($3.90) comes with just the little bit of chocolate that would lovely when really don’t want dessert but something a little sweet would be lovely.