Monster Kitchen & Bar, Acton – Perfect for a Canberra brunch!

The Monster nature of Monster Kitchen and Bar makes it a perfect choice for a Canberra brunch any day and any weather.

Elegant in both decor and dishes – this interesting and stylish restaurant morphs throughout the ground floor of Hotel Hotel in New Acton taking on new personalities as it fills different spaces.

And while the ambiance is fine dining, prices are unexpectedly, very reasonable.

My favourite is the Salon, filled with eclectic furnishing and luxurious fabrics that hark back to an era when everyone dressed well to dine.

On a cool or rainy day the large open fire that forms an engaging centrepiece is greatly welcome. The underground parking means there’s not need to brave the elements. Thoughtfully, Monster guests can validate their parking tickets to receive half price parking rates.

Monster’s cheeky nature also means it’s open early serving breakfast from 6:30am right up until 12 Noon.

The understated menu underplays the deliciousness of the dishes.

It is easy to miss those moreish, comforting House made crumpets with Hotel Hotel honey, a large serve at the great value price of $11. It’s a must have to share for the table!

My table agreed that our favourite dish was actually the Braised lentils with sauteed bitter greens (actually not bitter), oft egg and zaatar $18.

Next was the Poached eggs with avocado, whipped chevre and (great) dukkah $18. It was also generously garnished with wonderful fresh herbs that completed this excellent dish.

The Spelt and Maple Granola with roasted rhubarb, berries and whipped ricotta is very beautiful and an absolute steal at $13. Full of crunchy nuts and with just the right amount of sweetness, it’s a well put together dish.

The Confit ocean trout with poached eggs, turnip, radish, spinach and lemon $19 was done well but was not quite as interesting as the other dishes.

The Baked eggs with kale, sheep milk feta, chilli and lemon $18 looked a good choice at another table and the Porridge has some wonderful toppings – spiced pear, halva, pistachio and rose $14. I’ve added them to my wishlist for next time.

An unexpected added bonus is that Monster also provides breakfast for Hotel Hotel guests, one of Canberra’s most popular places to stay and clearly the choice of TV celebrities and famous chefs. We shared our brunching with four national identities also enjoying the hospitality of Monster.

Two Sisters Lao Thai Cuisine, Canberra City – an excellent pre-theatre dinner choice

Two Sisters has moved their Kambah restaurant to the old home of Zen Yai and given the decor a nice refresh.

In their new London Circuit location, Two Sisters has some excellent dishes on the menu.

The Lao Sausages $17.90 were so good we had to order another plate.

They make the perfect entree to share.

Second place went to the delicious Roast Duck Red Curry $21.90

My next pick was the Chicken Larb full of fresh herbs $16.90

Other dishes we tried were the tempura vegetables $8.90…

Hor Mok $20.90 – steamed fish fillets favoured with curry paste, coconut milk and herbs and spices

Ginger stir fry vegetables $15.90

Rice is $3 per person and serves are not large so do order one per person.

Rice for 4

Service is warm and excellent, and corkage is reasonable.

Canberra Entertainment Book holders can enjoy a 25% discount making a visit to Two Sisters even better value!

A great pre-theatre dinner idea!

Casey Jones Gastropub, Casey – lovely new lunch dishes!

Unexpectedly, I was soon back at Casey Jones Gastropub!

But this time, there was a new lunch menu to try.

The highlights were the highly instagrammable Beets and carrot salad $20….

Delicious pumpkin risotto $19 (enough to share)…

… and the small and elegant Ceviche of seafood $16.90 (perfect if you’d like to share a dessert as well).

Ever surprising, Casey Jones is still making a mark in Canberra’s far north.

Space Kitchen, Woden – the new spring menu!

Space Kitchen has a new spring menu.

The Space Benedict is gone (sadly) from the all day breakfast menu, but in it’s place is a Pork Benedict $20 – Pork belly, poached eggs, seeded mustard hollandaise, roast pear, Parmesan almond crumb & sourdough.

And there’s a new Waffle Forest $18 that everyone’s talking about – Cherry waffle, chocolate granola, cherry blossom cream, boysenberry sorbet, green tea, toasted marshmallows, coconut & chocolate twigs.

Two new salad’s have appeared…
Smoked Chicken Salad $20 – Honey roasted pears, beetroot, Radicchio, goat’s curd, dukkah, beetroot dressing

…and a particularly lovely Haloumi Salad $20 – Grilled haloumi, spring greens, watermelon, hazelnuts, golden raisins, avocado, radish, orange, sumac and poppy seed dressing

Also on my wishlist is a very good looking Tart $18 – Roasted beetroots, beetroot custard, goat’s curd, rocket salad, harissa yoghurt, pepita granola…next time!

The Hungry Buddha – a first look at the new Belconnen restaurant @HungryBuddhaCBR

The Hungry Buddha is taking their excellent Nepalese food to North Canberra and they’ve chosen the perfect spot for group summer dining.

Up on the first floor above Taj Agra, the large windows create a light and open space.
Lachhu and the team have given the previous Phnom Penh Cambodian Restaurant a face lift with thoughtful decoration and light.
It’s a relaxed but stylish atmosphere and the service is professional yet warm and welcoming.
Even though the floor is wood, the sound absorption is good for groups as there’s plenty of space between tables.
And then there are those iconic Nepalese dishes that the Hungry Buddha is famous for in it’s original Curtin location – like the momos and goat curry! Hungry Buddha fans will find the much loved menu in the new location too.

I always enjoy the goat curry $20 but the corn kernels $8.50 sauteed in nepalese syle with onion, ginger, garlic, herbs and spices have been on my wishlist. And I was not disappointed. They are a perfect side to the goat curry with rice and naan.

The nepalese kheer rice pudding $6.50 is not a dish I would normally choose, but it was fabulous. The almonds and cardamom are delicious with the creamy sweet texture.

With great chai it was the perfect finish to the meal.

BYO wine is $6 corkage per bottle and wine by the glass starts at $7.50.
Budget for around $25-30 per person.
My thanks to Lachhu and the team for hosting my first visit to the new restaurant.

Turkish Pide House, Jamison – old fashioned charm

When I stepped inside the Turkish pide house in Jamison it was a little like stepping back in time. It had an has a unexpected old fashioned charm that’s very endearing.

The menu is similar to many other Turkish mid range restaurants, and as we were a group of 14, we chose a banquet.

While we only ordered 10 banquets, it was still way more than we could eat. 8-9 would have been a better fit.

We also went for the $33 banquet which was like the $30 banquet but had doner meat and a small piece of Turkish delight/baklava ( very small) with tea/coffee (tricky to share).

I really did enjoy the six types of dip with warm bread and zucchini puffs that started us off. My favorite part of the meal.

Then we progressed to kebabs, kofta, potatoes, doner meat, pide and a nice salad and rice with almonds.

Corkage was very reasonable, around $5 per bottle.

Overall a good spot for a large group on a budget but perhaps go for the $30 banquet, two between three people.

Ethiopia Down Under, Pearce – lovely and family run

Ethiopia Down Under is another gorgeous family run suburban restaurant – welcoming, casual and committed to bringing this lesser known cuisine to Canberrans.

There’s a variety of combination meals available or put together your own meal that may include:
Samosas (2 for $6.90)
ETHIOPIAN BEEF SAMOSAS – spicy beef samosas

ETHIOPIAN CHEESE SAMOSAS – fetta cheese samosas

Mains
ALIT’CHA DORO $19.90 ( my favourite dish)

Strips of chicken breast pieces cooked with carrot, green chilli & onion

ASAR TIBBS $20.90

Nile Perch fish fillet pan-fried fresh with burbere spices, capsicum, onion & tomato

ALIT’CHA “YAYESH” WAT $17.90

Chef’s special beef and coconut cream in mild Ethiopian spices

DUBOU WAT $15.90

Spiced pumpkin cooked in a berbere sauce

RICE/INJERA – served with mains

HOMEMADE ICE CREAMS, GELATO & SORBETS ( thanks to an Italian colonial heritage)

$8.90 No mixed servings available

Ginger, Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Shards

( my favourite although, I do generally like my icecream sweeter and creamier)

Turkish Delight

Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee & Roasted Hazelnut

It’s also great value as there’s a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders and….

Free corkage!
Open for dinner every night except Mondays, you’ll find Ethiopia Down Under at the Pearce Shops.

It is in good company with Rama’s and the Pearce Vietnamese nearby, all facing into a courtyard that’s lovely on summer and evenings and great for kids.

Bellucis’s Manuka lunch special- an update on the salads

The $20 weekday lunch special at Bellucis in Manuka is as good as ever.

The two salads on offer as light and fresh, perfect with the glass of wine that’s included.

25% off for Canberra Entertainment Book Holders

INSALATA DI SALMONE – beetroot cured salmon w/ watercress, shaved baby fennel, baby carrots, pickled golden beetroots & chard

INSALATA DI POLLO – poached chicken, baby cos, asparagus, grilled marinated peppers, ‘san daniele’ prosciutto & caraway aioli

Maple & Clove, Barton – lunch update

Maple & Clove in the Realm Precinct is still lovely for lunch.

In the spring weather it’s good to sit outside…

and enjoy the most delicious lunch dishes which were the ….

GRILLED BARRAMUNDI SALAD $24.5 – Roasted pumpkin, fetta, spinach, rocket, broccoli, asparagus, celery, tomatoes + pepitas…

The broccoli and pepitas added crunch and flavour to the leaves and supported the pumpkin, feta and barramundi as the feature ingredients.

Also looking lovely was the Seared Ocean Trout Salad at the next table with chat potatoes, free range eggs, green beans, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, olives + salad leaves $24.50

The was also the breadless PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGER – With tomato, avocado, roasted beetroot and creamy cucumber yoghurt with a side of sweet potato wedges $16.

A good choice, especially for brunch, but also availalbe for lunch, is the SAVOURY SPELT WAFFLE – Wholemeal spelt, zucchini + sweet corn waffles served with smoked salmon, smashed avocado, and slow cooked eggs $20