Kingston Grind, has lovely outdoor seating overlooking Green Square in Kingston and is open 7 days (8:30am-5pm) for breakfast (all day) and lunch.
Serve sizes are generous and good for sharing, especially if combined with a side of bread.
Fish and chips $15.90 Warm chicken salad with fresh peas & citrus dressing $16
The Xchange, while busy and catering well for city workers, still has a good feel to it and plenty of style. The menu is interesting and varied and meals are nicely presented, especially the Chicken Ceasar Salad with a crumbed boiled egg and a crisp pita and cured meat for crunch and a salty flavour. The pulled lamb baguette is also good.
Chicken Ceasar Salad $22.50 Pulled Lamb Baguette $24
If you have the Canberra Entertainment Book, there’s a two meals for one offer in it for the Xchange.
Indian Affair in the City is quite different to it’s the sister restaurant of Indian Affair in Phillip.
Co-located with Digress, it is the night club that is the major interest, with the restaurant offering a (very) quiet, small, view challenged (unless you count Bollywood video clips, which are an interesting touch), (very) quick meal.
No BYO is available (due to the night club licensing arrangements) but house wine starts at $6 a glass. Prices are similar to other Indian Canberra restaurants that offer more ambiance and atmosphere.
Entertainment card holders are eligible for 25% discount.
Pappadoms (2 for $12.25) Aloo paratha $5 Chicken Saag $18.90
Mango Kulfi $6.90
This cosy, relaxed long time Italian restaurant offers good service, nice atmosphere and BYO wine ($4.50 per person).
La Scala also offers a range of specials and discounts (such as 25% off for Entertainment Cards) making it good value.
The eye fillet with porcini and field mushrooms is a little too creamy but the eye fillet with a balsamic and port sauce is lovely.
Filetto di Manzo ai Ferri 250 gms Victorian highlands eye fillet. $34
Served with choice of:
Balsamic, mushroom, bacon and port
Peppercorn
Porcini, field mushrooms, sage and cream
Spaghetti Con Polpette Al Rosso Beef and veal meatballs in a traditional Napolitana sauce $22
Pappardelle al Gin Sautéed Qld tiger prawns, flamed with Gin in a cream and Fontina cheese reduction with a sprinkle of gremolata $29
Risotto con Pollo e Funghi Porcini alla Crema a Chicken and porcini mushrooms risotto
with white wine, garlic, chilli, English baby spinach with a splash $23
Salmone Infornato Crispy skin Atlantic Salmon served on grilled asparagus and truss tomato $27
finished with a saffron, anchovy, caper and cream sauce $30.
Scaloppine La Scala Veal scallops, bacon, garlic, chilli and cream. $33
Kipfler potato and string beans. A virtual sin in every mouthful. (A chilli dish)
Good reasons for dining at the recently opened Pheast in Manuka include large serving sizes and excellent value for money on Mondays and Tuesdays when meals are two for the price of one and include a choice of two sides (chips, creamy mash, salad, vegetables).
In warm weather there is pleasant, relaxed outdoor seating and the restaurants is open for breakfast. lunch and dinner, 7 days.
Pan fried crispy skin salmon with chardonnay garlic cream sauce $26, Chicken kiev with sundried tomato pesto $24,
Chicken breast schnitzel 280gm $21 Single slow braised lamb shank $24
Whole sole grilled (special) $20 T- bone (special) $20
However, if dining as a group it is worth considering sharing dishes. This helps accommodate the large serve sizes and still stay comfortable and also assists the kitchen who may find it difficult to keep track of a large number of orders.
For a group of six the smoked salmon linguini, prawn & chorizo linguine. pheast deluxe pizza and smoked salmon & avocado pizza with sides of vegetables and salad (two sides are included with each meal) would work well.
On a Monday or Tuesday night this shared menu would total $46 ($8 per person).
No BYO, but glasses of wine start at $7 each.
Cream is located in a prime spot in the city centre and is an excellent choice for lunch in the city.
The salads are attractive, interesting and flavoursome but relatively small serves.
Yuk sung cream’s twist on san choy bau – wok fried chicken w/ hoy sin, sage & pine nuts served on cos lettuce w/ crispy rice noodles $19
The chicken burger was well sized but the brioche bun lacks flavour $19. The vegetable burger and steak sandwich are probably better options.
La Rustica is a great spot for celebrating a special occasion with a group. The menu offers many Italian favourites, in generous sizes that are well suited for sharing.
Spacious and airy, it is nicely situated on the Kingston Foreshore having moved recently from it’s former Kennedy Street, Kingston location. A warm and friendly experienced family business, staff are flexible and helpful when ordering.
Four dishes for six people is about right for lunch, but if you order more than you need, staff are happy for any leftover to be taken home.
Prices are good value and BYO is offered at $4 per person.
The antipasto (for a starter), a salad, a pizza and a risotto (or pasta) makes a a nice combination of dishes.
The chicken risotto was definitely the stand out dish and a favourite for all.
Mediterranean Antipasto $24 – selection of cold meats, Italian cheese, marinated vegetables, served with crusty Italian bread.
Verdura salad $15.90 – marinated and grilled seasonal vegetables tossed in an avocado and lime dressing (I’d probably try the Caprese next time).
Rissotto Pollo $22.90 Penne Asparagus $22.90
Lasagna $18.90
Medium Vincenzo Pizza $23.90 Large Marina Pizza $28.90
Close to UNSW and easy to find, opposite Alison Park, this very popular cafe-restaurant offers exceptional value, with a wide range of attractive, delicious breakfasts or brunches under $10.
Breakfast tortilla $9 (Homemade baked beans, avocado salsa, eggs on sourdough)
Melted cheese breakfast $9 (on grilled sourdough with grilled bacon, avocado. mozzarella, and two poached eggs
With good service, Isabella’s is also helpfully open every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. Hard to beat.
Bella Vista, on Emu Bank Road, overlooking the lake is open for lunch weekdays and dinner Monday to Saturday.
Service is attentive and efficient, BYO is offered at $4.50 per person.
For a group dining together, it’s worth considering one of the lunch banquets ($17.50 /$24.50) that may also be available at dinner, by prior arrangement (minimum 10 people).
Lunch Banquet Menu B $ 24.50
Entree
Calamari Fritti
Crumbed calamari rings fried and served with fresh lemon wedges, Tartar sauce and chips.
Frittata Toscana
Vegetarian omelette bites grilled with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. (This is very delicious).
Pizzettine – Thin pizza fingers with bacon and cheese on tomato base with herbs. (Needed a little more flavour).
Mains
Farfalle Medici – Toasted button mushrooms, bacon, onion and garlic in a creamy sparkling white wine sauce.
Tortellini panna – Sautéed beef pockets with bacon and fresh ground black pepper in a creamy parmesan flavoured
sauce.
Pasta Primavera -Seasonal vegetables simmered with olives, capers and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy “Pomarola”
sauce.
Fusilli Arrabiata – Mildly spicy tomato, garlic and basil sauce studded with pitted “Kalamatta” olives. (A favourite)
Penne Casa – Pan-fried ham pieces with garlic and chilli then tossed through a tomato and cream sauce.
Serve sizes of the pastas are very generous, and it’s possible to take any extra left, with you.
Desserts are beautifully presented and very generously sized, ideal for sharing between two. (These are not included in the $24.50 banquet)
Jamie’s Italian is one of those places that needs to be tried, just to see what all the excitement is about.
But having said that, it’s hard not to feel the effects of the ‘scripted service ‘ and end up ordering (and eating) too much. So go armed with some strategies. Unless you have a big appetite, three full courses may well be too much.
Sampling across the whole menu may be better in a few visits, or try sharing some of the courses, or under ordering. For example, the planks are great (especially the meat plank) but one serve between two ($14 per serve) with a bread tin ($1.50), may be enough if you are having three courses.
Bread tin $1.50 Meat plank for four ($4x$14)
The planks are also much more interesting and better value than the small plates.
Fried Three Cheese Gnocchi $10 Baked Mushrooms $15.50
If you are planning to have a few courses then an entree sized pasta dish may also be enough.
Entree sized pasta dishes
Trifle $10 Epic brownie $10
Tiramisu $11
In the dessert space, everything looked beautiful, but I suspect the best tasting dessert was the trio of icecreams (serve size is small).
No BYO and though caraffs and bottles of wine are available, it’s a similar price to buying by the glass.
Fine Eating 