Chong Co Thai, Woden Southern Cross Club – Woden’s best lunch spot

Woden Westfield Mall is not blessed with the same number of nice lunch spots as the city so Chong Co Thai restaurant in the Woden Canberra Southern Cross Club is a great find.

At lunchtime it is quiet and relaxed. Service is graceful and stylish, matching the more upmarket setting, but still efficient and timely.

The serve sizes and quality reflect that of Chong Co’s sister restaurant on the Kingston foreshore and newly opened Woden Westfield location.

Ordering one dish and one serve of rice from the dinner menu can be enough for two modest appetites at lunchtime. The food is so rich in flavour and texture, savouring it slowly is a treat.

Two dishes with two rice is plenty for four people.

Three dishes with three rice is a good amount for six people.

This pattern of ordering works out at around $11.50 per person which is excellent value for delicious food and a lovely seeting.

Alternatively, if you would prefer not to share, but don’t want the dinner menu serve sizes, there is also a lunch menu with a smaller range of dishes that is priced lower ($13-$16 including rice).

If the number in the group is uneven, it can work to order one main and rice per two people and the smaller serve of the Chicken Cashew Stir fry with rice from the lunch menu.

Wine is available by the glass, and starts from $5-6 if bought at the bar downstairs.

Access is open to the public not just for members and their guests.

Open daily for lunch 11am-2:30pm and dinner 5-10pm.

Both indoor and outdoor seating

Beef Massaman $20.90 (the best I’ve ever had) Chicken Laab $18.90 (Excellent)

Red duck curry $20.90 (very delicious) Rice is $3 for a generous serve

Vegetarian Massaman Curry (not as good as the beef) $16.90

Green chicken curry – excellent $18.90

Chicken and cashew nut stir fry $18.90 Chicken Penang Curry $18.90 (very good)

Chicken Pad Thai $16.90 (good) Saffron rice $4.50 per serve (a little sweet which is very nice for variety)

New menu starting November 2015 will see the Beef Massaman Curry served with roti. The roti is excellent making the Beef Massaman Curry even better as the top pick here.

Local Press Cafe, Kingston Foreshore – a quick look at brunch

Local Press was a good pick for breakfast on the Kingston Foreshore, inspired by Kate Freeman’s review of healthy Canberra cafes.

It’s full of energy and has a great atmosphere. It would be lovely in sunny weather as it’s nice to sit out alongside the lake…. and the coffee is good.

The Green Breaky Plate $18 (Za’atar coated hard-boiled eggs, kale, almonds, avocado, quinoa tablouleh, asparagus, dill yogurt and feta) had lovely flavours. It’s quite light so good for eating lean, but not so good for sharing.

The Green Pea Pancake or Poached Eggs on Rye (see Kate’s photos) would be better picks to share.

Open daily, except Mondays, breakfast is available until 12:30, when the lunch menu starts.

It’s very popular, so worth arriving early.

The Dumpling House -Woden

The Dumpling House – Woden

The new Dumpling House (Chinese Kitchen BBQ restaurant) is a fun and welcome addition to the Woden lunch options.

The decor sets the scene and staff wear traditional style uniforms adding an ‘authenticity’ to the atmosphere.

Dumplings are a specialty, but the other dishes are good too. The steamed prawn dumplings, combination dumplings, pan fried pork buns and eggplant hot pot are particularly good, followed by the ‘Mixture’ dumplings, then the steamed pork buns and lastly the pan fried pork dumplings.

Three dishes between four people is just right for lunch.

Pan fried pork dumplings- excellent Deep fried bean curd with spicy peppery salt $14.80 – good texture, but lacking flavour

Combination (Chicken, beef, veg) steamed dumplings $15.80 excellent Eggplant and chicken mince in X.O sauce $17.80 very good

Combination laksa $15.80 – large enough to share, flavour quite good

Vegetarian spring rolls $3.40 for 2

Kung Po Chicken $15.80 – good

Busy and buzzing, it pays to book a table.
Service is efficient and quick making it ideal for a workday catchup.

steamed prawn dumplings $12.80

Mixture’ dumplings $13.80

steamed pork buns $13.80

pan fried pork dumplings

Open 7 days for both lunch (11am – 3pm)and dinner (5-10pm)

Shop G93-94
Corinna Street
Woden Plaza, Phillip, ACT 2606

Phone: 62604888

Trilogy, Cafe Bar and Grill – a good Woden lunch spot

Trilogy, located next to the Hoyts movie theatre at Woden Westfield is a good option for a weekday group lunch in Woden. Serve sizes (including wine by the glass) are generous making sharing easy. Two dishes is plenty for four people. A salad and pizza work well together and pizzas can be ordered with two toppings. The pumpkin and cashew, tandoori and ham and pineapple pizzas are excellent as is the pumpkin and baby spinach salad.

Staff are also happy to offer containers to take extra servings away to enjoy again later.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays Pizzas are two for the price of one.

Greek salad $13.90 and two large pizzas is plenty for six people.

Prawn and Calamari Pizza is very good $29.90 for a large

The Canberra Entertainment book includes a voucher for two mains for the price of one.

A large Tandoori Pizza and Ham and Pineapple Pizza (1/2 and 1/2) $25

Taking some with you to enjoy again later is easy

‘A Bite to Eat’ Chifley, Canberra, good options for sharing

A Bite to Eat is one of my favourite southside lunch spots. I’ve also heard it’s good for breakfast and dinner.
Serves are generous and ideal for sharing dishes.
The decor is relaxed and casual with an eclectic collection of chairs and crockery.
It’s always full of people enjoying each other’s company, so it pays to book.
Service is friendly and the menu offers interesting options.

The Malabar – an Indian style pilaf with mixed veggies, coconut curry and beetroot raita $17.50 is visually beautiful and I’m told, also delicious.
One serve can be easily shared by two people.

Chiquita – mini slow smoked pork burrito serve with herbed tomato salsa had some very flavoursome pork and was one of my favourites. $13.50
It’s serve size was not mini at all, but possibly not quite enough for two.

The Mario – beef meat ball open sammich with boccocini, torn basil, olive and tomato sauce $14.50, is also a good choice, well complimented by the olives. This was also especially good.
One serve was enough for two medium appetites.

Holy, smoked mackerel cake with a dijon caper dressing, served with leaves, tomato salsa and a boiled egg $14

The Holy was good, especially the dill and caper dressing. $14.

Hit the Beet – Crisp rosemary and barley cakes serve with beetroot fetta salad and artichoke relish $17

Hit the Beet had a particularly nice relish. $17.

The soup of the day came in a large bowl with plenty of bread and again, is a dish that could be shared.

The Cupping Room – Canberra City

The Cupping Room on London Circuit is warm, stylish and busy with couples and groups enjoying a range of interesting dishes. It is particularly good for brunch, with one dish enough to share between two.

The coffee is exceptional, but served at only 60 C.

Huevos Bollo (eggs,bacon, guacamole in Brioche roll) and Benedito (slow roasted tomatoes, spinach, two poached eggs and Guacacassa on toasted sourdough)

The ‘Not So Raisin’ Toast is very generous for $8 and great for sharing. However, some fresh or dried fruit with the ricotta would have enhanced the dish.

The Hogo Botoga looked great to try another time.

Wilburs Cafe Bar

Wilbur’s at the Hackett shops is a good value, easy, family friendly restaurant with a warm open fire and comfortable atmosphere. Wine is well priced with a range of bottles at around $23.

Meals are well sized making sharing easy. A large pizza, salad and mezzo platter offered a good variety of flavours, textures and colours for four adults and a child to share.

Mezze Plate $21.50

Warm lamb salad $20

Capricossa Pizza $20

Jewel of India, Canberra City – truly a Jewel

The Jewel of India in West Row Canberra City is my favourite Canberra restaurant for Indian food. In fact my friend who grew upon Hyderabad tells me this has the best Indian food he has had outside India.

I love the colourful decor, the tree lights on West Row and the soft carpet that absorbs sound, making conversation easy. Everything I’ve tried at Jewel of India has been excellent but I have especially enjoyed the Samosas, Raita, Fish Methi Masala (fish of the day cooked in a delicately spiced cashew and fenugreek sauce), Milani tarkaari (a mélange of vegetables cooked in onion tomato and cashew nut gravy topped with fresh spinach leaves) and Chicken Chettinad (pepper spiced curry from Tamil Nadu, South India).

While the banquets are a delicious and easy option that let groups of at least six, try a range of dishes, like all banquets (starting at $30 per person), you end up with way more food than you might otherwise order (making it hard not to overeat) and you may not try the most delicious options.

An alternative to a banquet, that still allows everyone to try a variety, but to also stay comfortable, is to order specific dishes and share.

Suggested sharing menu for six could include:

Entree:

Paapadams with assorted dips $8

6 x Vegetable samosa (savoury pastry triangles filled with spicy potatoes,green peas ) $10 per 2 ($5 each, $30 for six)

Main:
1x Fish Methi Masala $24

1x Chicken Chettinad $19

1x Milani Tarkaari $18

3x Naan $3 each
3 xRice $4 each
1x Raita $5

Total cost of food $125 ($21 per person)

Add dessert Gulab Jaman with ice-cream (Reduced milk dumplings soaked in cardamom flavoured sugar syrup) for an extra $4 per person ($8 for two dumplings)

Corkage $8 per bottle

Pappadams with assorted dips

Vegetable samosa

Jewel of India - my favourite Indian restaurant in Canberra

Chicken Chettinad, Fish Methi Masala, Naan, Rice, Kachumber Salad

Butter chicken, Lamb Roganjosh, Miloni Tarkaari, Dal Makhni, naan, rice, raita from the banquet

Gulab jaman

An Indian Affair – Phillip

An Indian Affair in Colbee Court Phillip, offers tasty Indian food and warm hospitality in a homely relaxed setting.

The butter chicken and lamb saag were our best picks along with the naan.
We did not try dessert, but the kulfi looked great.
A very generous discount was offered with the Canberra Entertainment card.

Butter chicken, lamb saag, Beef madras, Goan fish curry and Palak Paneer

Punjabi Hut – Manuka

The Punjabi Hut in Manuka has taken over a prime location overlooking Franklin street and has a pleasant, homely but quite stylish atmosphere. Staff are friendly and helpful and dishes are well priced and good value at $16.50 for most mains, desserts $5.50 and $7.50 for two large samosas. I particularly liked the mixed entree platter for two at $20.50 which is enough for four people to sample four different tasty entrees.