Inspired by Adventures in Winterland ‘s brunch posts I headed to try out Temporada myself.
Sadly only open from breakfast until 11:30am weekdays, it is a lovely spot with great service and ambiance.
For a light breakfast the Sour Cherry Toast with Cultured Butter and Jams $8 is a good choice.
But I do need to go back for the Banana, Coconut and Pecan Waffle $12.
The very popular Two Before Ten in Aranda is one of my favourites.So it’s great news to me that they’ve opened up in Hobart Place in Cafe Arirang’s old spot, offering all day breakfast and lunch dishes, seven days a week.
I’ve had my eye on the Bear for a while and it didn’t disappoint.
At $9 it’s a bargain and just hits the spot for something light.
BEAR: Boiled Egg with Smashed Avocado on a Rye Muffin
The specials vary, but the Haloumi with freekah, roast beetroot, blood orange and mint salad for $14 was a good pick.
Even though the food, prices, decor and setting are excellent, what really stands out to me is the friendly, warm and welcoming service. Bookings, special requests and just a friendly chat are no trouble.
Two before Ten in the City is my firm favourite for brunch. Open weekdays 7am-4pm, weekends 8am-2pm
The Lanterne Rooms has gorgeous decor and staff service.
It’s also one of the few fine dining restaurants in Canberra to offer a quick weekday lunch for under $20.
The Market Lunch is excellent at $18 per meal.
You can choose from:
Kari Daging – Slow cooked beef in traditional Malaysian curry w/ Pickles, croquettes, salad & rice (my overall favourite)
Kari Ayam Chicken thigh cooked in coconut gravy w/ Pickles, croquettes, salad & rice
Babi Assam Pork stew cooked in tamarind sauce w/ Pickles, croquettes, salad & rice (the best favoured sauce).
Team it with a bottle of BYO wine at $12 corkage per bottle and it’s great value.
The Boathouse by the Lake, must have one of the best positions in Canberra.
The views are lovely and it’s perfect how they change over the evening with each course.
The four course meal for $90 included a chef’s plate of snacks…
….homemade bread with cured butter, beetroot puree and pickled beetroot on parmesan shortbread, choux pastry with goats cheese and honey
…and a 65 degree egg course, which is surprisingly lovely.
The menu changes, but on the evening we visited we enjoyed:
Cured ocean trout cucumber, labnah, avruga caviar (our favourite)
Pan seared bug baby gem, buttermilk, chlorophyll
Blue eye cod baby spring vegetables, prawn, fumet
Slow cooked lamb rump eggplant, chickpea, puffed rice (our favourite for this course)
Rosemary cheesecake sweet beetroot, blood orange, burnt butter
Mandarin & black pepper sorbet liquorice custard, blueberries, green tea (voted the best dessert)
To finish, we were surprised with lovely petit fours.
BYO corkage is $25 per bottle, but a 25% discount up to $40 is offered for Canberra Entertainment Book holders.
The Boathouse is very well set up for large groups and this is it’s great strength and this could be a little overwhelming for more intimate diners who feel distracted by what’s going on in the rest of the venue.
One of my favourites experiences at Floriade is heading to the Mudgeeraba Spices tent.
Year after year, they have been delighting visitors to Floriade with their generous free samples of curries and chutneys.
I just love the way the chutney and thick yogurt goes so well on the corn chip.
Mudgeeraba Spices has a great story to tell about how the business has grown from very humble beginnings.
The family based origins are reflected in the friendly hospitality of the staff at Floriade, setting it apart from other stalls.
Don’t miss it. This year they have a high profile spot in the main area.
And their website is full of great recipes!
Chez Frederick on Lonsdale Street have got a recipe that works!
Quick, large serves of tasty well priced pasta dishes in a relaxed and casual setting.
Next to the Hamlet, it offers something more comfortable for not much more $.
The menu is on-line or on the back board, but don’t miss the specials.
You pay when you order, so there’s no problems with splitting bills. It is also clearly popular for take-away.
My favourite dish was the Duck Ravioli – I have to go back for that again!
Duck ravioli w/ leeks & pink sauce $19.50
But for a smaller meal the 1/2 Lamb Shanks was great value as it came with two sides of your choice
1⁄2 Grass fed lamb shank $12
The Lasagna special was also great value as it was tasty and huge!!
Not BYO
I’m not sure why, but I just love the raisin toast at Little Brother Red Hill. On another cold and rainy day, it was just perfect for my brunch.
My fellow diners chose the Sweet potato and beetroot fritter with poached eggs, wilted spinach and horseradish cream $19 which was a lovely dish.
But a big part of why I enjoy heading to Little Brother (besides the great view) is the lovely, warm service!
Highly approachable and accommodating, Little Brother also takes bookings and gives Canberra Entertainment Book holders a 25% discount.
XO at the Narrabunday shops is fun dining!
It’s approachabilty and accessibility remind me of Supernormal and Cumulus Inc. in Flinders Lane Melbourne. The staff are very lovely and the atmosphere is sophisticated, but relaxed.
While it has great energy at night, it’s also good for a light weekday lunch, cobbling together a few of the smaller dishes like the….
SHANTUNG BAO $8 each with TWICE COOKED PORK BELLY and CUCUMBER, PICKLED DAICON & GINGER
GREEN PEAS $10 SNOW PEAS, SUGAR SNAPS TOSSED
IN A GARLIC & GINGER CONFIT
CHARRED LETTUCE $10 DRESSED WITH A LEMON VINAIGRETTE
CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA SOFT SERVE $5 CONE OR CUP
The Bao was very good and I would always have the soft serve cone, but when I head back I think I’ll try the small plates.
Pistachios Dining Rooms at the Torrens shops still have the best portion sizes I’ve ever had!
The wonderful Tasting Plate of three Entrées $19 and Tasting Plate of four Desserts $19 are still on the menu.
It’s my perfect way to enjoy seven different dishes and still leave feeling comfortable.
This week the Entrees were lovely and featured the ….
Seared Scallops, Black Sesame Seed, Rice Noodle, Yuzu, Avocado, Chilli (my favourite)
Goat’s Cheese Ravioli, Peas, Sage, White Truffle Oil, Smoked Bacon
Red Wine , Braised Lamb Shank Soup, Roast Root Vegetable
The four desserts were also very excellent ..
Vanilla Brûlée, Pistachio, Almond Biscotti
Chocolate and Hazelnut Blondie,
Dark Chocolate Mousse, Tia Maria Sauce
Apple, Blackberry Compote, Rolled Oat Crumble, Vanilla Ice cream, Caramel Sauce
Maha Sponge, Lemon Curd, Black Sesame, Cream Cheese, Chocolate ( my favourite)
It’s great value but there’s more…
BYO corkage is $7 per bottle.
Pistachios and delicious bread are complimentary.
If you have the Canberra Entertainment Card there’s also a 25% discount.
While it’s true that the ambiance is a little faded and with very little effort Pistachios could reinvent itself into a new young thing, it remains worthy of Canberra fine dining.
It’s soft furnishings make it excellent for conversation and parking is easy.
Yogi’s Kitchen opened up in Barton in July and clearly it’s a popular spot for nearby workers on a weekday.
It was hard to pick from the range of great lunch options – but really, it’s a no brainer the $15 Lunch Thali is the best!
With a choice of two curries, it came with rice, naan, pickle, raita, pappadom and a gulab jaman – perfect on a wet rainy day.
But the real stand out for me was the service. Nothing was too much trouble. There were no free tables, but I still felt welcomed and like a special guest as I waited.
As tables became free, the best one was worked out for us. The best thali combo was offered with the flexibility to add in a (more expensive) cheese and garlic naan, and then finally…
…a whole selection of take home containers were provided to pack the remaining delicious flavours for later.
Such hospitality is hard to resist.
But I’m not the only one, so next time I’m going to book.
Fine Eating 