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

Box Diner, Fyshwick

The Box Diner may seem out of the way in Tennant Street Fyshwick, but it’s rural outlook and open spaces feel is very appealing.

Serves breakfast and lunch weekdays, it looks very popular and busy.

Eclectic indoor and warmed outdoor seating is fun and works well.

Staff are friendly and welcoming. keen to please.
The menu is varied and offers a good range of burgers, salads, pastas and specials as well.

The Blue lamb burger with blue cheese, grilled vegetables, a lamb patty, fried egg, beetroot and aioli is delicious $18.

The Chicken Schnitzel Burger and wedges special $15, also very good.

Canberra Entertainment Book holders are offered two meals for the price of one.

Plenty of ready to go options and it’s easy to take with you what you will enjoy more later.

Definitely worth stopping by if you are heading to Fyshwick.

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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Malaysian Chapter, Belconnen

Malaysian Chapter recently reviewed very well in the Canberra Times Food and Wine.

And justly so. This family based restaurant has great food and very friendly, welcoming service.

It is also very good value offering $3 per person corkage and a 25% discount for holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book.
Serve sizes are good for sharing in a group to taste a number of dishes.
Particularly excellent is the Nyonya Prawn & Pineapple Curry ($21.50) (includes a generous serve of 9 prawns, great for sharing).

…And the Roti Canai ($4.50) with Dahl (consider asking for the dahl to be warmed)

…also very good is the Nasi lemak with Lamb Rendang ($22.50) with beef rendang, half boiled egg, roasted peanuts, anchovy sambal. However, this can’t be shared between more than three people as serves sizes of the dish components are relatively small.

…and the coconut rice( $3.50 per serve)

(Two serves coconut rice)

The Assam Curry Fresh Ling Fillet/ Prawns or Soy Fish in a spicy tamarind sauce with tomatoes, pineapple and okra.
Fish, Prawn or Soy Fish ($20.50) is also good, but may be too spicy for some.

Chicken 65 (15 bite sized pieces of nicely spiced chicken) ($13.50) needs to be pre-ordered.

Also worth considering trying green bean and vegetable “belachan fry” ($14.50) but this needs to be pre-ordered as it’s not currently on the menu.

A great sharing menu for 6 is:
3 serves Roti Canai with Dahl (halve the roti)
2 Nyonya Prawn & Pineapple Curry (2x $21.50)
2 Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang (2 x $19.50)
2 Coconut Rice (2 x $3.50)

OR
6 serves Roti Canai with Dahl (halve the roti)
1 Nyonya Prawn & Pineapple Curry (1x $21.50)
2 Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang (2 x $19.50)
1 Coconut Rice (1x $3.50)

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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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Pork Barrel Cafe, Old Parliament House, Friday after work specials

At the end of the week, it’s great to enjoy drinks and some tasty nibbles after work on a Friday.

Set in the gardens in front of Old Parliament House, the Pork Barrel Cafe is a good place to try for it’s Happy Hour drinks (daily 5-6pm) and two for one pizzas on Fridays (also on Mondays and Tuesdays).

Glasses of Secret Garden Cab Sav or Sav Blanc/Sem are $4 and generous during happy hour (usually $6).

The pizzas are delicious and about $15-$16 for a small size ($23-25 for medium, $28-32 for large).

Fungi – button mushrooms and (plenty of) blue cheese

Pommodoro – pancetta, provolone and semi dried tomatoes

Straight cut fries with three condiments (lovely hot and crisp) $8.50

Take home what you don’t finish for $1 a pizza box.

Holders of the Canberra Entertainment Book are offered a 25% discount (but not on specials).

Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka – great with young children

Tucked away upstairs in the Style Arcade, Manuka, Taste of Bangladesh is quiet, well carpeted, spacious and very family friendly, making it ideal if you’re looking for somewhere to head for lunch or dinner with young children.

The food is also delicious and very reasonably priced and the hospitality of the hosts is very welcoming and gracious.

It’s hard to beat the Dum Murgh $15.50…

….and Fish Bangali $16 …

with Naan $2.50 and Rice $3

…as the top picks…but the Goat Curry $15 is also very good.

While the plain naan $2.50 is excellent, the cheese and spinach naan $3.50 is particularly special.

And it’s always good to try some new things like the Beef Marsala $15…

…and the Saag Chicken $15.50.

Good too to explore some of the side dishes like the smokey flavoured, spicy Eggplant Bhorta $5 with fresh coriander…

…and don’t miss at least a little bit of Mango Kulfi $4.50 to share, it finishes the meal off perfectly!

BYO wine with free corkage and complimentary pappdoms are also a pleasant surprise and also makes the meal excellent value.

If you have young children, do head to the more spacious, quieter area out of the way of the kitchen and wait staff.

Little Brooklyn, Kingston – a first try

Little Brooklyn is a recent arrival to Green Square in Kingston and a newcomer to the Canberra Entertainment Book for 2015-16, offering a complimentary main meal, when two are ordered.

It’s specialties are the American styled gourmet burgers, but it also has some attractive looking salads.

The 1⁄2pound american style cheeseburger with house pickles, mustard and relish is tasty and popular ($20 served with fries and aioli…

Other popular burgers include the Grilled chicken burger $20 with bacon, cheese and ranch dressing and the Reuben sandwich on rye with corned beef, cheese, chipotle and sauerkraut $19…

… but the Southern smoked pork shoulder burger with, slaw, capers and mayo ($20 with fries) is also good and worth a try.

Outside seating is attractive for warm weather, and indoors it’s cozy when it’s cold.

Happy hour drinks weekdays 4-6pm

Caphs, Manuka

While Caphs in Manuka has a long history and is well known by locals it has recently become part of the 2015-16 Canberra Entertainment Book program, offering a complimentary main meal if two are ordered, or 50% off if you’re dining alone.This provides a good opportunity to try Caphs, if you haven’t already, and to also enjoy excellent value.

Another reason to try Caphs is that it’s open 7 days, from 8am until late, and very helpfully even serves breakfast all day (even for dinner if a particular dish takes your fancy).

It also offers BYO at $3.50 per person corkage.

Both indoor and outdoor seating is avaiable.

Breakfast dishes include:
Caphs Haloumi Special – $19
Two poached eggs on a bed of rocket and mixed olives, served with smashed avocado, grilled tomato and grilled haloumi on artisan toast

Mains include:
Sirloin Steak (400gm) $33
Char grilled and served with fresh lemon and Diane sauce (Pepper sauce, Mignon and Mushroom Sauce are other options)

Veal Saltimbocca -$32 with bacon, sage and shallots in garlic and white wine sauce

There is also an interesting range of Paninis on offer ($15.50 served with fries),as well as Burgers for about $16 (all served with lettuce, tomato and fries)like the Steak Burger – $16 Eye fillet marinated in dijon mustard with caramelised onion.

It might also be good to choose one of the salads:

Caphs Smashed Avocado Salad – $15.50 on Italian toast with grilled haloumi, grilled tomato, mixed olives, rocket and lemon dressing (Add Grilled chicken $5, Poached eggs $3, Crispy free range bacon $3.50) (sounds not unlike the Caphs Haloumi Special breakfast dish?)

Greek salad – $15.50 With kalamata olives and Kytherian fetta
Calamari Salad -$25 Grilled calamari, chorizo and chick peas
Avocado Seafood $20 Fresh cold seafood with mixed iceberg, tomato, cucumber and French dressing

Warm Thai chicken salad -$23 Stir-fried chicken with fresh salad and chilli sauce

Warm Lamb Salad $24 Marinated lamb fillet served with honey mustard dressing

…And combine the salad with another dish to share such as the Peking Duck Risotto – $22 Peking duck with mushrooms and steamed bok choy.

Wine by the glass starts at $6.50

Fine Eating

Hints Hacks and Highlights

Eat

Chong Co, Southern Cross Club, Woden – lunch special

Box Diner, Fyshwick

Local Press, Kingston Foreshore

Malaysian Chapter, Belconnen

Me and Mrs Jones, Kingston, another look at lunch

Smoque, Woden – specials

Pork Barrel Cafe, Old Parliament House, Friday after work specials

Taste of Bangladesh, Manuka – great with young children

Little Brooklyn, Kingston – a first try

Caphs, Manuka

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