The Merchant, Kingston Forshore

The Merchant on Kingston Foreshore has much to offer. It’s open 7 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner and has large serves sizes that are great for sharing.

Corkage is free if you buy your wine at the co-owned Prohibition Bottle Shop around the corner and show your docket.

There’s a lovely fun decor with both inside and outside seating.

While it’s popular and can get busy, the Merchant is happy to take bookings.

The menu changes every season but the current menu still includes many popular favourites.

The Almond Crossiants $8.50, are baked in house and must be the absolute best in Canberra. They are amazing!

There is also great flexibility offered in the menu. Breakfast is served until 3pm every day and bagels, baguettes and sandwiches are available from 6:30am until the afternoon.

The baguettes $13/$14 are huge and enough for two modest appetites.

The French Baguette $14 is especially good toasted, with plenty of persian feta, prosciutto, cranberry sauce, mixed greens and pear slices.

Service is very welcoming and accommodating making it a true pleasure to dine here.

(10% surcharge Sundays, 15% surcharge public holidays)

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Mood Food, Braddon

Mood Food is a relatively newcomer to the eateries in Lonsdale Street Braddon and now promoting itself through the 2015/16 Canberra Entertainment Book (two mains for the price of one).

It is helpfully open for Breakfast lunch and dinner 7 days.

Breakfast options are available until 12 weekdays and 2pm weekends.

The atmosphere is pleasant and the service is good.

There’s a good range of dishes on offer including the steak and chips (tender steak and crips delicious chips)….

….and the lamb burger which is very good with the fresh mint and goat’s cheese really adding some outstanding flavours.

Well worth trying out.

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Santa Lucia, Kingston

Santa Lucia in Kingston is a nice spot for Italian dishes.

The decor is light and cheerful.

Serve sizes are generous and good for sharing even between six. BYO corkage is $9 per bottle.

A good sharing plan is to order four dishes and a salad or two per six people. A mix of pasta, risotto, gnocchi and pizza works well.

The Penne Con Salsicce special is really excellent $22 with Italian pork sausage sauteed with capsicum. zucchini and mushroom in a rich tomato sauce with penne.

The Vedura pizza $22 is also great with a great crust, grilled eggplant and artichoke.

Gnocchi Con Tre Formaggu $21.50 with gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmesan and cheese is quite good.

But the Risotto Scampi $26.50 is not as good as the others.

Insalata Capresi $14.50 with tomato, basil and bocconcini is a good compliment.

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner, Friday to Sunday for lunch and weekends for breakfast.

Trying some entrees at Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka

Still a favourite, Taste of Bangladesh can’t be beaten for value and hospitality.

Shafique and Fahana always make sure you enjoy their food and prepare dishes freshly and with passion. Serves are generous and corkage and pappdoms are complimentary.

The Fish Bengali is still a top pick and Dum Murgh. Palak Paneer and Goat Curry are excellent too.

But the Fish Korma $16.50 is very delicious and I suspect the chicken, beef or lamb korma would also be very good. It’s also a milder dish for those who prefer less spicy dishes. Worthy to be added to the favourites list.

The Beef Vindaloo $15 is very tender and flavoursome, but quite spicy.

The cheese and spinach naan $3.50 is exceptional.

But don’t miss the wonderful Onion Bhaji (4 for $7) served with tamarind and mint chutney and mint yogurt. These are crisp and morish, a truly delightful surprise.

The Samosas are also good at $7 for two, but it’s hard to beat the Onion Bahji.

Perhaps the best shared menu for four includes:

Papadoms to start

Entree:

1x Onion Bhaji with tamarind and mint chutney and mint yogurt $7

Mains:

1x Fish Bengali $16.50

1x Dum Murgh $15.50

1x Palak Paneer $14 or Beef Korma $15

2x Cheese and spinach naan (2x $3.50) (quartered)

2 serves rice (2x $3)

Dessert:

1x Gulab Jaman $4.50 (halved)

1x Mango Kulfi $4.50

Total including free corkage: $76 ($19 per person)

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Chong Co, Southern Cross Club, Woden – lunch special

Chong Co at the Southern Cross Club, is a firm top choice for lunch in Woden.

Not only for members (although members get a 10% discount) Chong Co diners can go straight up the stairs to the restaurant. There is also free parking under the club if you validate your ticket at reception as you leave.

At lunch time it is possible to order from the lunch special menu that ranges from $13 for a vegetarian stirfry with rice, to $16 and includes noodle dishes, soups, curries and stir fries.

These come with rice and can be good options if dining alone or there is an odd number sharing in a group, but otherwise, the best option is to order dishes from the main dinner menu ($19-21) (larger and tastier than the lunch specials) and to plan for one dish and one serve of rice per two people.

(For example up to six people can share a dish, but six people with need three different dishes and three rice serves).

It’s good to order a mix of curries (the beef massaman $21 is excellent as is the chicken green curry) and stir fries (chicken and cashew nut with chilli jam is hard to beat, but the lamb prik khing dishes is also good).

Four Musketeers entrée $12 includes a prawn roll, money bag, fish cake and satay chicken

Vegetarian stir fry with tofu $13 (lunch special)

Chicken Basil stirfry and fried egg $15 (lunch special)

Prawn tom yum noodle soup $16 (lunch special)

Prawn Singapore Noodle $16 (lunch special) stir fried vermicelli noodles with prawns, egg, mild yellow curry powder and vegetables

Chicken cashew nut stir fry $14 (lunch special) stir fried chicken with mild chilli jam, onion, shallot, vegetables and cashew nuts

Beef massaman curry with roti (main menu) $21 (excellent)

Stir fried Chicken with basil and chilli (main menu) $19

Local Press, Kingston Foreshore

Local Press along the Kingston Foreshore, must be one of Canberra’s nicest spots for brunch with it’s sunny views of the waterfront and promenade and it’s interesting menu, accessories and decor.

The coffee is good and the dishes are beautiful and well sized for sharing, especially the fruit toast with ricotta.

The Pancake of wholemeal oats, banana and coconut with fresh seasonal fruit, mint and whipped mascarpone $18 is a good pick.

But The Green Pea Pancake with poached egg, macerated avocado, corn salsa, feta. chilli jam and mint garnish $20 is would also be a wonderful and unique choice.

Open daily for breakfast and lunch. Sadly, doesn’t take bookings so avoid the very busiest times or be ready for a short wait for a table.

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Me and Mrs Jones, Kingston, another look at lunch

Me and Mrs Jones, in Kingston is still immensely popular and bookings are recommended.

Helpfully open both Saturday and Sunday, it serves both
breakfast and light lunch from 8:00am until 2:30pm.

It is also one of the few restaurants of it’s type that allows BYO with a reasonable corkage ($5.50 per person) and it also offers cakeage for $2.50 per person. Also offering one complimentary main meal (when two are ordered) for Canberra Entertainment Book holders, it is excellent value for couples or small groups on a budget.

On weekdays breakfast is offered from 7:00am until 11:30 then lunch runs from 11:30 until 2:30pm.

It’s also open for dinner from 6pm until late everyday except Sunday when it closes at 4pm. Sundays there is also a 10% surcharge (and 15% on public holidays).

From 2:30-6pm coffee, cakes and lights snacks are available.

There’s also the option of take away.

Takeaway all burgers $15
Egg and bacon roll $7.50

Specials such as Pork and pistachio terrine with toasted brioche and balsamic reduction & onion jam $17, are listed on the blackboard.

Delicious terrine (and better without the onion jam) but best shared between two perhaps along with another small option. Also a good idea to ask for extra plates as it’s tricky to eat from the serving board.

Open steak sandwich $22 – Grilled garlic sourdough, beef eye fillet, smoked onion and chilli marmalade, gorgonzola and wild roquette (great for plainer eaters).

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Smoque, Woden – specials

Smoque at Woden has an ideal veranda’d location in the Abode building, that’s very close for workers in the adjacent offices.

It’s standard menu offers a range of gourmet burgers ( the veggie burgers and pulled pork burgers are excellent) on brioche buns and interesting salads ( especially the thanksgiving salad).

Pulled pork burger $12 – tasty pulled pork with BBQ sauce and coleslaw

Swiss burger (a special) $16 with two meat patties and plenty of cheese

However, for a couple more dollars, Smoque also offers a lunchtime special of any burger with a small garden salad or a small side ($15).

Serves are generous, so two or three smaller appetites may want to share. Smoque is also happy to provide a container to take with you what you would enjoy more later.

Lunch special with a Swiss burger with buffalo hot wings with blue cheese aioli $15

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily

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Farmer’s Daughter, Yarralumla

Farmer’s Daughter at the Yarralumla shops is looking a bit different these days. It’s less busy and the menu has changed, but it is open daily (except public holidays) (7-3pm weekdays, 8-2pm weekends) and is still a great spot for breakfast or lunch within an easy distance of the Woden business district.

The atmosphere is inviting and there is plenty of seating. The dishes are good value and well sized for sharing.

The salads are interesting and beautifully presented and if teamed with a side of one of the Artisan breads ($2.50 per slice of toast/bread), could even be a light lunch for two modest appetites.

The Grilled Lamb Salad ($14.50) is particularly delicious with rare roasted leg of lamb, rocket, zucchini ribbons, pearl barley (just the right amount), and the fresh peas,
pine nuts. mint and pomegranate really make it special.

The Vegetable Salad ($14.50) is a little sweeter but also lovely with roasted sweet potato, baby spinach, lentils, feta, toasted almonds, parsley, dried cranberries and pepitas.

Both are served with the house dressing which is pomegranate and blood orange vinaigrette.

For a more substantial dish, the Spring Chicken ($18.50) is good with a lemon and thyme chicken breast with fresh panel salad of tomato, spanish onion, cannelloni beans, crunchy bread, basil and parsley.
It would be particularly good for sharing.

Interesting breakfast options are also available all day and the include:
Smoked Trout Roesti ($18.50), Grilled Field Mushrooms with a cress and rocket salad, toasted pearl barley, feta and salsa verde ($16.50), Swey crepes served with passionfruit curd, fresh strawberries, toasted coconut ice-cream and spring flowers ($16.50).

There are also delicious sounding sandwich options like a BLT with dijonaise on handmade caramelised garlic bread $14, Salmon Bagel with cream cheese, dill and capers $12.50, Grilled vegetables with fresh rocket, tomato and olive tapenade on dark artisan rye $9.50.

Service is very quick (great for a workday lunch) but if you are really in a rush, there are ready to go options that include salads, frittata, pies and sandwiches as well as a range of macarons $3.50 and sweet delights $4.50-$7.50 in the display case.

It is also possible to BYO wine ($2.50 per person, but free corkage on Fridays).

Bookplate National Library, Canberra

Encouraged by Her Canberra to try the newly managed Bookplate at the National Library, it is clearly still a great spot for lunch or coffee.

The wonderful view of the lake form the terrace, the stained glass windows and a changing and interesting menu make it a winner.

Dishes are beautifully presented and well sized for sharing.
It works well to combine a tasty ‘large plate’ option with a side salad for extra greens for two people.

The Graziers Platter $21.50 is delicious and includes spressa salami, prosciutto, marinated olives, tuna and prawn pate (very yummy), giardiniera, buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad served with crusty bread.

It partners well with a Rocket and Parmesan Salad side with Balsamic Dressing $6

Another good combination that went past is the Spiced pumpkin, chickpea, mesculin leaves and labneh salad with house made dukkah $19.50 and a side of crusty bread and butter $6.

The bookplate also has a wonderful range of gorgeous cakes and desserts.