Manuka’s Public – some excellent lunch salads!

The Public Bar and Dining Rooms in Manuka has secured a great spot on the corner of Franklin and Flinders.

It’s menu offers something to suit everyone. At lunch on a weekday, that might well be one of the main meal salads that are well sized and perfect for sharing.

Two of the best include the Poached Chicken and roast root vegetables $22…

…and the Slow cooked lamb shoulder with quinoa $23.

Both are delicious. The lamb salad is richer and the chicken salad more subtly flavoured so it’s great to share both for balance.

If you have a Canberra Entertainment Card then you only pay for the more expensive salad making it great value as well.

Not BYO but wine by the glass his reasonable.

Monday is two for one pizzas.

Another very handy spot to have on your list of ‘go to’ eateries in the inner south of Canberra.

Maple & Clove – another look at lunch

Maple and Clove is tucked away in the Realm precinct overlooking a lovely grassed space between the Burbury and Realm Hotels.

Very helpfully it is open 7 days for breakfast and lunch although it does pay to book as it’s popular.

The menu on-line does differ to the one available in house, but similar dishes are offered.

It’s a perfect place for sharing dishes and the dishes are designed to be a little lighter, yet tasty so they leave you feeling satisfied but comfortable.

A good combination is a small Maple Raw Green Salad $12 – Baby kale, avocado, baby spinach, broccoli, asparagus, activated almonds + lemon, sesame dressing.

A meal size is also available for $18 and you can add a slow cooked egg for $4 extra.

It has a nice crunch from the nuts and a good balance to the Turkey and Zucchini Burger $19 -Lean turkey mince and zucchini patty, served with sumac yogurt dressing on a polenta roll with sweet potato wedges. This is a very good choice with good flavours and textures. The polenta bread is particularly good.

Maple and Clove is an excellent spot for a week day lunch in the Barton area and offers an interesting menu suited to sharing, good value, good service and a very lovely setting and atmosphere.

Courgette, Canberra City – very fine dining

Chef James Massillon continues to creates magic with food and service at Courgette on Marcus Clarke Street in Canberra City.

Indeed Courgette’s wait staff are the finest in Canberra – familiar faces who develop an instant rapport while behind the scenes, seamlessly choreographing the meal to ensure a perfect evening.

Each of the three ($66) or four ($88) courses offers a choice of beautifully presented dishes carefully matched to the serving ware.

The flavours and textures of each dish are clearly carefully chosen.

Courgette also very helpfully takes bookings and offers BYO wine at $18 corkage per bottle.

The current choice of dishes differs a little to the Four Course Dinner menu on-line.

First course is not as strong as the other courses and offers a choice of…

Meredith goats cheese cloud, heirloom tomato, basil pesto, green olive, toasted seeds, sundried tomato crisp which is beautifully presented on a very appealing natural piece of wood, but it misses out on creating a memorable flavour….

…whereas the Prawn cannelloni, sweet bell pepper, baby cos, smoked paprika, radish, tarragon oil is very flavoursome and nicely textured (particularly the cannelloni) making this the better choice of these two dishes on offer.

Second course offers a choice of four dishes.

The rare roasted Mandatory creek venison, baby capers, carrot gel, pickled cucumber, reggiano, bush pepper has great flavours and is a good choice.

The seared scallops, smoked cauliflower purée, fennel crunch, fermented black garlic come on the most the amazing background dish but again, lacks a wow flavour.

The chicken liver parfait, brioche, quince onion jam, sultanas, spring flowers and herbs gets much praise from Memoirs of a Foodie and would be well worth a try.

Third course

The Cowra lamb cutlets, lamb shank, tomato chilli jam, baby fennel, celeriac, fresh mulberries are truly delicious and an excellent choice. The pulled lamb shank meat is mixed with the other flavours and is wonderful.

The black kingfish fillet with smoked salmon, avruga caviar, courgette blossom, charred leek and pea puree is very good as well.

Fourth course

The Japanese citrus pannacotta, cinnamon crumb, mandarin gel, lemon and ginger consommé….

…..and Baked chocolate mousse, banana fritter, honeycomb, salted nutty ice cream are both good choices and have a better flavour than the…

Seasonal berries, shortbread, toasted Italian meringue, mango sorbet, coconut curd and slivered pistachio nuts.

Overall, it’s a lovely experience and every care is taken to make you feel special. Dishes appear just when you’d like them, as if Courgette was already expecting you. Even your own BYO wine is decantered and served with care.

It’s the perfect place for a very special occasion.

Jam Jar Lounge, Battery Point, Hobart

Jam Jar Lounge is a very cute spot…

….on Hampden Road, Battery Point, Hobart.

While its menu may not be as good as Jackman and McRoss for brunch….

it’s a great spot for a coffee….

…..and worth trying for lunch or dinner, close to the Hobart CBD.

But mainly, it’s just got so many gorgeous spots to sit.

Tavern 42 Degrees South Hobart

T 42‘s best assets are its easy walking distance from Hobart’s CBD….

…..and its lovely view from its Elizabeth Street Pier location.

The menu includes..

Local white fish, warm pinkeye salad, roasted capsicum, salsa verde $36.50

Crispy Tasmanian salmon, braised corn, chorizo, romesco greens $34

Sautéed seasonal greens $9

Wine by the glass around $10

Venues for large meetings around Australia – How do they rate?

If your work involves organising catered meetings or workshops for large groups you may be interested in a quick guide to the best venues around Australia.

From best to least (and ranked on the basis of venue, catering (a light morning/afternoon tea), service and cost) the list is as follows:

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Cnr Merivale & Glenleg Sts, Brisbane (Arbour Room 2)

Venue 1
Catering 1
Service 1
Cost 3

Best Western Hobart, 156 Bathurst Street, Hobart (The Terrace)

Venue 4
Catering 5
Service 2
Cost 1

Do stay at The Best Western Hobart

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf Melbourne (Clarendon Room A)

Venue 2
Catering 2
Service 8
Cost 6

(Excellent stand up working lunch )

Stand-up working lunch

$34.50 per person

Sandwich selections

BBQ pulled pork with grilled pineapple, cos lettuce and coriander aioli on a mini baguette

Chicken banh mi (Vietnamese chicken rolls) – roasted chicken, pate, Asian salad, chilli, coriander and nam prik

Salad selections

Vietnamese chicken salad with cabbage and beans GF

Sweet potato, pearl barley, asparagus, free-range egg, chia seeds, beetroot and walnuts V (not as a good a choice)

Speciality items -Warm pide with lamb and feta (Not as good a choice)

Crowne Plaza, 16 Hindmarsh Square Rundle Mall, Adelaide (Hindmarsh Room 2)

Venue 3
Catering 7
Service 3
Cost 4

Parkroyal Melbourne Airport (Victoria Ballroom South)

Venue 3
Catering 4
Service 5
Cost 5

Hellenic Club Woden, Canberra (Aegean Room)

Venue 6
Catering 3
Service 6
Cost 2

Gluten free options

Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 21 Mounts Bay Road Perth (Meeting Room 6)

Venue 4
Catering 6
Service 4
Cost 7

Do stay at the Hilton Pamelia

Alice Springs Convention Centre, 93 Barrett Drive Alice Springs (Ellery Room)

Venue 7
Catering 9
Service 7
Cost 5

Do stay at Doubletree Hilton

Rydges Sydney Central, 28 Albion St, Surry Hills, Sydney (Crowne Room)

Venue 8
Catering 8
Service 9
Cost 9

(Excellent stand up working lunch $34 per person)

Don’t stay at Rydges Sydney Central (too noisey).
Melbourne CEC

Property of Pilgrim, Hobart

Property of Pilgrim on Liverpool Street is very popular for breakfast in the Hobart CBD.

It backs on to its sister coffee house Pilgrim Coffee on Argyle Street that opens earlier….but doesn’t serve breakfast.

Property of Pilgrim has great coffee…

…and thoughtful sweet and spicy popcorn nibbles.

Breakfast dishes include Fruit toast and ricotta $13 (good, but perhaps not so very memorable!)…

…and a Braised Kale with Barley $18 (not so tasty).

But if it’s great coffee and something baked that you need, do also try Villino Expresso on Criterion Street.

Copper Chimney, West Row, City – road testing a menu for six

The stylish soft furnishings, nice window outlook and bright feature wall still make Copper Chimney a very attractive choice for dinner on West Row.

When paired with the professional and friendly service and excellent Indian dishes, it is ideal for enjoying a shared meal with friends.

Serve sizes are generous and suit sharing between up to six people.

It is also excellent value as corkage is very reasonable at $6 per bottle there’s a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders (to $30).

A good menu for six is:

Entrée:

1x Chicken 65 (spicy and delicious) $14.90

1 x Palak Papdi Chaat $13.90 Spinach leaves in a crispy lentil batter, topped with yoghurt, date & tamarind and chilli & mint sauces (really good)

Mains:

1 x Prawn curry Goanese – prawns cooked in a sauce of coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric powder and freshly ground coconut – $23.90

1 x Chicken Chettinad – a speciality from Southern India, chicken with a pepper spiced curry – $18.90

1 x Fish Methi Masala – Marinated Perch fillets in a delicately spiced cashew and fenugreek sauce – $23.90

1 x Kadhai Lamb – Stir-fried meat tossed with capsicum, onion & spices, served sizzling -$19.90

3 Plain Naan $3 each

3 serves rice ($4 per serve)

$23 each (or $17 with a 25% discount)

Bookplate, National Library, Barton

Bookplate is a popular spot for lunch (served 12-2pm) that’s close to major Canberra tourist attractions.

While it gets busy on the weekends, weekdays it’s quieter (although parking can be tight).

Choose between a shaded table outside with a great view of the lake or an indoor table where you can admire the Leonard French stained glass windows.

The full menu has a range of interesting choices.

These include the BBQ Beef Bao’s $19.80 – chinese soft buns filled with texan style pulled beef with housemade BBQ sauce and coleslaw…good flavoured beef, but the coleslaw is fairly plain and the bun a little tough.

The specials board includes a nice looking Chargrilled Atlantic Salmon $24.50 with Asian style red rice, mango and peanut salad …

…and a Cold Zucchini Soup $12.50 with mustard seed and mint (but also a bit too much cream).

Wine by the glasses starts at a reasonable $7.

There are still some very tempting, made in house, cakes and slices on offer….

…but just before Christmas you could also combine a dessert with the Salmon in a very good Christmas Lunch Special for $29 (good for sharing between two with an extra glass of wine).