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

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!

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.

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

Daana, Westside, true South Indian hospitality

In South India there is a tradition that ‘the guest is God’. At Daana, Westside Acton, Sunita and Sanjay are following that tradition, making their ‘guests’ feel welcome and special.

Sunita faithfully recreates dishes full of flavour from her home town Palakkad in Kerala, including Canberra’s rare (perhaps only) fresh idli and a range of vada.

Idli Sambar $10 – steamed rice and lentil cakes served with coconut and tomato chutneys and sambar – a spiced lentil and vegetable stew.

Dal Vada – a crunchy and mildly spiced Bengal lentil dumpling served with coconut chutney $10.

I’ve also heard the Peanut Chakna is very good.

But perhaps the star of the menu is the dosa! Choose from a marsala spiced potato filling or a very delicious spiced lamb mince.

A generous serving of two dosa with coconut and tomato chutneys and the very good sambar is $14.

If there’s two or more of you, it’s great fun to get the family sized dosa to share ($30 for the lamb $28 for the potato filling).

Other options are the Onion Pakora $8 – crispy onion fritters with tamarind chutney and mint yogurt

Be transported back to Bombay with a Vada Pao $12.

Travel and Beyond raves about the biriyani that’s served on Sundays. Sunita makes the Andhra Biriyani and Sanjay the Chicken and Goat Biriyanis. The style of biriyani will depend on which week you go, but why not try them all.

Daana is a great spot to head with a group. Grab some tables, take your own wine and glasses and order some dishes to share.

For a group of eight, two plates of Dal Vada with a drink, followed by two plates of idli and then two set of Dosa (or a family dosa), would be perfect.

And do finish with a Marsala Chai, made from scratch with a special home-made blend of spices.

There’s plenty of gluten free options on the menu like idli, dosa and onion pakora.

Sanita and Sanjay are generous with their food and extra plates and sambar and chutneys are no trouble, but most of all they are generous of themselves and will do what it takes to make sure you enjoy your visit.

Daana is cute by day and cosy by night. It’s a small spot in plain surroundings but Sunita and Sanjay have created a haven of warmth and friendliness, that you will remember as you leave, promising yourself to be back soon for more.

A Bite to Eat, Chifley

A Bite to Eat, at the Chifley shops, is just a short walk from the Woden CBD.

It has always offered an eclectic, casual and friendly atmosphere that’s very popular with locals.

The lunch menu offers a range of differently sized and priced salad and bread-based meals.

The larger meals can be shared and this is a good idea as they can be quite heavy with dressing… like the Cos and Effect for about $17.90 with Tumut smoked trout, baby cos, crisp beans, cherry tomatoes, dill dressing and boiled egg.

The Ava-Bit-A-Cado, also about $17.90, an avocado bruschetta with herbed ricotta and semi-dried tomatoes is a good choice.

PHONE

(02) 6260 3703

LOCATION

Shop 8
Eggleston Crescent Chifley ACT 2606

OPEN HOURS

Mon 8am–4pm
Tue 8am–4pm
Wed 8am–9.30pm
Thurs-Fri 8am–10pm
Sat 8am–4pm
Sun 9am–8pm

Marble & Grain, Braddon – a great $14 lunch special 7 days

Marble and Grain in Mort St, Braddon is well known for its meats and share dishes, but not so well known for its five great $14 lunch specials, available 12-2pm, 7 days!

While there’s plenty of spots close to the CBD offering good weekday lunch specials it’s rare to find one you can take advantage of on weekends!

The stylish décor and professional service help create a dining experience far above the price of the meal.

Drinks are also reasonably priced making this good value for a relaxed Sunday lunch with friends.

The Ricotta Gnocchi is an excellent choice – light, soft texture, lovely lemon flavours well complimented by the mushroom – a stand out dish.

The Poached Chicken Salad with asparagus, avocado, baby cos and buttermilk caesar dressing is a good partner to the gnocchi if sharing dishes, but definitely the support act.

The list of $14 options is short, but well worth trying out!

Ivy and the Fox, Acton – gorgeous and delicious

The relatively new Ivy and the Fox must have the most lovely brunch setting in Canberra during the good weather.

Located in Old Canberra House, Lennox Crossing near the National Museum, the garden setting is warm and welcoming.

The shaded tables on the lush lawn are ideal for relaxed sharing of food with good friends and family with a great view to Lake Burley Griffen.

Alex has brought the magic of Fox and Bow in Farrer, to the former Ivy Cafe and it’s a perfect match.

Dishes start from $6 for sourdough or fruit toast with butter and jam and there are add ons to custom design your perfect portion.

Ordering the toast can also be a useful addition to make it easier to share with a more substantial breakfast dish like Señorita Fox that has two poached eggs, smoked salmon, haloumi and feta on sourdough $20.90

There are banquet options starting at $29 per person which are a good way to try a range of dishes on the menu, but you could also create your own sharing menu by ordering one each of the very delicious sounding My Little Pecan salad, The Godfather fish and chips, Cruebanos sandwich and The Rocket Man croquettes between four.

Serving the all day brunch 8am – 4pm seven days, the kitchen closes at 3pm.

Licensed but not BYO, there’s also a good range of baked treats to enjoy (or share) with coffee.

It’s good to book, but if it’s busy, extra tables can be moved out onto the lawn. The most popular time is 10-12 Sundays.
If the weather is not so great it’s also cosy inside.

Parking can be tricky during the week but it may be possible to park at the museum and walk over.

Exploring some of Canberra’s best foodie haunts Part 1 – At The Hamlet with Eat Drink Blog 2015

The recent, brilliantly organised and executed, national food bloggers conference, was an excellent opportunity to meet and fall in love with some of Canberra’s best food experiences.

Launching at the Hamlet on Lonsdale Street, Braddon, generous and gracious hosts showcased much that this friendly, relaxed collection of street food stalls has to offer.

Broddogs offered a selection of their smaller sized Brodpups…..

…..Mr Papa Peruvian Street Food their delicious pork belly sandwich…..

…..Spit Shack treated bloggers to their 2 foot King Roll and smaller samples of their yummy pork and lamb rolls….

…Fillos were generous with their souvlaki…

…Custom Pizza prepared a selection of their wood fired favourites….

…Mr Morris had some gorgeously decorated donuts…

….Little Dreams wonderful macaroons…

….Thomas from the Brathaus was full of fun and encouraged bloggers to enjoy his meats and sausages…

( Thomas and his family also turned up to serve breakfast all weekend, a true host!)…

….Pie Day teamed their melt in the mouth pastry with mushy peas….

…April’s Caravan served wonderful milkshakes and waffles….

…But perhaps the very best of all were the Katti Rolls from Binny’s Kathitto, traditional Indian street food…

The Hamlet is the perfect place to grab a table, BYO ( glasses too), and collect and gather a selection of good value, wide ranging options to share ( just bring a sharp knife) and enjoy as a group.

But do leave space for icecream from The Frugii Dessert Factory, the very best in Canberra. John lovingly creates new flavour experiences like Passionfruit Pavlova, Cardamom and Lemon Myrtle, to delight customers.

His passion for great icecream is infectious. Great value at $5 for a small serve with two flavours.

Read more about Eat Drink Blog Fun with Gary, Rose, Serina, Serena and Erin.

Wilbur’s Cafe, Hackett – a real suburban treasure!

Canberra is famous for the suburban gems located at its local shops. Wilbur’s is truly one of these.

Well love and well supported by locals, it is also a well kept secret that it has terrific food!

Serving breakfast ( for extended hours), lunch and dinner and offering plenty of great specials it also generously offers a two for one option for Canberra Entertainment Book holders.

A new menu is to be launched soon, but some of the current good picks are….

The Cozza Burger $18.90 – marinated portobello mushroom, slow roasted tomato, caramelised onion and Camembert on toasted Ciabatta with chips, is very good.

As are the Lemon Pepper Squid Salad, perfect with mango, coriander and a great aioli $17.90 from the specials board…

…and the Angel Hair Pasta $24.90 full of garlic prawns, bacon, roast capsicum, roquette in a white wine, basil butter sauce finished with Parmesan and lemon is surprisingly delicious and light.

The coffee is excellent and wine by the glass or bottle, very reasonable.