Vietnam House on the restaurant strip of the Westfield Mall in Woden is very popular for lunch on weekdays.
Most diners are ordering noodle soups which are a great choice for a cold day.
Pho Tai – rare beef noodle soup $12.50 small ($13.50) comes with accompaniments
Pho Ga – Chicken noodle soup $13.50 small ($14.30 large) is an alternative
Serves are large but sharing is not really an option as there is a minimum charge of $10 per person.
The cafe at the museum has a great lake view, good coffee and delicious, well-priced slices and cakes, making it a good spot to meet for coffee in the good weather.
The cafe also offers a wide range of options for brunch and lunch.
Taj Agra Indian Restaurant in Belconnen is a great spot for a group meal when you want easy parking and a pleasant, quiet place to chat over a good shared meal.
Soft frunishings and thick carpet, make talking very easy.
Service is friendly and efficient and mid-week the restaurant is quiet and provides a lovely private feel.
The Taj Agra Banquet is $32.50 and includes:
Pappadoms and raita
Entrees
Aloo Tikka – potato patties with mint sauce
Chicken Malai Kebab (very good) boneless chiciken matrinated in cream cheese, fresh chilli and mint and cooked in a clay oven with tamarind sauce
Mains:
Butter Chicken (really very good)
Lamb Rogan Josh
Vegetable Korma
Naan and Rice
Dessert
Gulab Jaman and Icecream
Corkage is $5 per bottle and the restaurant offers a 25% discount for Entertainment Card holders making the Taj Agra banquet aroudn $24 per person.
It can also work well to design your own banquet and order fewer serves of your preferred dishes to share. This can be a more comfortable amount of food and more budget friendly. It also ensures you get the dishes that you like best.
The mains with an extra dish not usually included in this banquet Alu Palak – potato and spinach curry with spices
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Vegetable in oyster sauce $8.80
Steamed BBQ pork bun $4.80
Coconut Jelly $6.30
Mango Pudding $7.30
Sesame Ball ( with red bean) $6.30
While it’s always fun to bring people together over good food, it’s also good to know places to head if you need a quick meal on our own where you can order a meal but still leave feeling comfortable.
Meccabah in Manuka, offering Middle Eastern & North African cuisine, is such a spot.
Staff are very helpful and accommodating. They are quick to offer a container to take with you what you would enjoy more later, so it’s easy to order what you’d love to try.
The Harira Soup with lamb, chickpeas and vegetables $16 is steaming, comfort food full of flavour and comes quickly to your table. It is also huge!!! and could easily be enough for two people if you ask for some small bowls for sharing.
It’s a good idea to accept the take-away container so that you can also enjoy a scoop of the delicious ice-cream, especially the Halva, Date and Vanilla or Turkish Delight ($4 a scoop).
Staff happily offer a 25% discount for holders of the Canbera Entertainment Book.
No BYO but wine by the glass starts at $8.
If you do head there with a group try a shared tasting menu for each 4 people with modest appetites of:
The Metro in the Central Plaza in Woden, has a key location for lunch for workers in nearby buildings.
The menu offers a wide range of dishes including Malaysian, gourmet burgers, fish and chips, salads, soups, and specials.
Prices are reasonable for large serves which could easily be shared.
Possibly the gourmet burgers are the best choices.
Vegetable Laksa $11.80
Chicken Laksa $11.80
Nasi Lemak with Chicken Sambal $12.80
Thai fish cakes with salad $11.20
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If you are planning a Christmas Party for a large group (like a work team or Branch) but need to stick to a budget so that everyone can afford to come, then a $20 three course Bangladeshi Banquet including corkage, may be your answer.
Taste of Bangladesh offers food that is a hit with everyone who visits. It’s great value with large sharable serves, there’s no corkage charge on beer or wine and Shafique, your host is very keen to be flexible to meet your needs.
Special dietary requirements can be met easily. Most options are gluten free, some also dairy free and the spiciness of dishes can be easily varied.
A $20 per person plan could include:
Complimentary pappadoms to start
Entree:
1 onion Bhaji per person $1.75 (4 pieces for $7 and $1.75 each for extras) with tamarind chutney and mint chutney
Mains:
1/2 Cheese and spinach naan per person ($1.75)
4 Dishes per 5 people $12.30 per person
Good choices are:
Dum Murgh (chicken)
Fish Bengali
Palak Paneer (vegetarian)
Chicken Biriyani
2 serves plain rice per 6 people (this enough if also getting a Biriyani) $1 each
1 Raita per 7 people $0.50 each
Dessert
1 serve Gulab Jaman (halved pieces) and 1 serve Mango Kulfi per four people ($2.25 per person)
Free corkage on wine and beer
And for those who would prefer something different, there’s also a range of good pizza for $12 like the Tikka Pizza (may also be an alternate entree).
Cream in the centre of the Canberra City restaurant strip on Bunda street has a great location for a weekend brunch if you’re shopping. It gets busy so you may need to book. It also gets noisy.
Service is attentive and efficient.
Breakfast options start at 7:30 and run until 2:30pm on the weekend. (Mon – Fri: 7.00am to 11.30am).
A good option is the Big breakfast $20 -free range eggs poached, scrambled or fried on toast w/ bacon, chorizo, button mushrooms, oven roasted tomato & chat potato
From 11:30am salads, burgers, pastas and mains are also available.
The Pulled pork Burger served with chips is a good pick $19 – sticky bbq pulled pork w/ chimichurri, seeded mustard slaw, spiced crispy onions (usually served with a brioche bun, but here the bun is swapped for Turkish bread, a good choice, and sourdough is another possible swap).
No BYO, but it is licensed with a good selection of wines.
Canberra Entertainment Card Holders are offered a complimentary main when two are ordered.
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Urban Bean , Scarborough House has a very convenient location for many Woden office workers and can be a great choice for lunch weekdays.
Menu options are interesting, well priced and generously sized for sharing.
The Warm Chicken Salad $14.90 is a good light option..
or with extra bread on the side could easily be shared.
…and the Char-grilled Lamb Wrap $13.90 also excellent…and shareable.
Take with you containers are cheerfully provided.
CBR.foodie’s recent post is a good reminder just how good Plumb on Tennant is.
Despite the industrial area location the decor is pleasant, service is great, food is excellent and good value.
Open 7:30 – 3 weekdays, breakfast ends at 11:30am. (Also open Saturdays).
The lunch menu includes plenty of favourites, like gourmet burgers, focaccia, pasta and salads but also some more unusual dishes like zucchini feta dumplings. Serves are generous and great for sharing.
Wagyu Beef Burger $17.50
But on weekends breakfast runs from 8:00am until Plumb closes at 1:00pm which adds to the lunch options.
Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon $19.50 ( butter and sauce on the side)
Plumb Big Breakfast $19.90
Takeaway is a great option too, and prices are even less.
Wagyu beef burger (takeaway) $9.50
Plumb offers holders of Canberra Entertainment Card two meals for the price of one.
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