Automata, Chippendale – the Good Food Guide’s two hatted award winner

It was to be a very special Christmas lunch, so I chose for us Automata, as one of the SMH Good Food Guide’s 2016 best new restaurants – awarded two hats in its first 12 months.

Bookings are easy on line for groups of 1-6 and while there’s a more private mezzanine level, the bar downstairs is more fun.

From here diners can watch the well oiled team that works so well together – like an automatron perhaps?

Certainly the wait staff who looked after our table knew their dishes and wines very well, were thoughtful, highly professional and and full of interesting details about this new venture.

For example did you know that the Good Food Guide features team member Yuri’s forearms with one of Automata’s own dishes?

Or that Automata is the dream of Chef Clayton Wells who restores motorcycles- hence the Ducati caps on the ceiling, and the decor that reflects the mechanically themed spaces – the internal workings of a great machine!

Particularly well deserving of his award of the Champagne Taittinger Sommelier of the Year was Tim Watkins who guided us through our menu and helped us match our wines perfectly.

Automata offers a constantly changing five course menu for $88 available at dinner and Friday – Saturday lunch. The menu seeks to showcase the best of local, seasonal produce.

Wine pairing is also available, as is a parred down three course express lunch menu for $55. However I don’t suggest the three course option if you are planning a leisurely, relaxed affair- it’s a very much a quicker experience.

In addition to the five courses there is some lovely wholemeal and malt bread with whipped butter with chicken and anchovy …

…and Chefs Starters – today of cherry tomato in salted plum marinade – wrapped in a sesame leaf and marinated enoki mushrooms with pork jewel fat and rosemary.

First course was a fresh dish of asparagus, fermented pumpkin, shiso.

Second came the amaebi, parsley, fennel & ink – my favourite course.

Next was the john dory, eggplant, burnt carrot, olive herb – also a gorgeous dish.

Fourth dish was smoked duck, red cabbage, caramelised lemon & long pepper.

Finally the yoghurt sorbet, grapes, raspberries & yuzu was a perfect end to the meal.

Automata is a very easy walk from Central, tucked in amongst the elegant terraces of street food Spice Alley ( much like visiting Malacca) and Kensington Street Social.

Poacher’s Pantry – a perfect Country Lunch for a very special day out!

Poacher’s Pantry, just out of Canberra, on the Nanima Road is looking very beautiful after her recent makeover.

With extended opening hours for the Christmas season and a special tasting menu, I was very impressed by how well they have created a very relaxed and gorgeous lunch experience.

Whether you choose to go for one of the shared platters, or the full $59 four course menu I’d really recommend taking the lovely opportunity to meet Sarah, Cellar Door Manager, who will help you choose your Wily Trout Vineyard Wine.

We were very impressed with the locally grown (as in just down the road) wines and bagged several to take home.

Wily Trout Premium Pinot Chardonnay 2013 $35 , Blanc de Blanc NV, Wily Trout Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $25, Wily Trout Chardonnay 2014 $25, Wily Trout Rosé 2016 $24, Wily Trout Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $25, Wily Trout Pinot Noir 2015 $28, Wily Trout Shiraz 2014 $27

Our absolute favourites were the vintage pinot chardonnay, rose and pinot noir.

However, the rose was the perfect match for our Christmas Tasting Menu…

$59 per person

Carrot & ginger gazpacho, seared yellow fin tuna, passionfruit

Pissaladière bread, green asparagus, wild rocket leaves, tallegio cheese, Poachers classic prosciutto

Ocean trout, tomato chilli jam, smoked garlic aioli, eggplant, oven dried tomatoes

Poachers smoked chicken breast, cos, pear, cottage cheese

Baked chocolate mousse, strawberries, coriander, cream, cherry sorbet

All amazing dishes!

Wine pairing is also available at $25per person

Trading Hours

Smokehouse Restaurant

Brunch Sat & Sun 9:30 – 11:30am

Lunch Fri – Sun 12:00 – 3:00pm

Christmas season only

Lunch Monday 19th – Thursday 22nd 12:00 – 3:00pm

Lunch Monday 27th – Thursday 29th 12:00 – 3:00pm

Closed

Boxing Day, 1st – 3rd January 2017

Briscola Pizzeria, Canberra City – still as good as ever

It was great to see how popular Briscola Pizzeria has become with Canberra locals.

Even mid-week it was hard to get a table. Well deserving of its fans, Briscola has positioned itself well as a mid-range Italian eatery offering warm hospitality and good food.

Gianni was as helpful as ever as we created a shared menu for seven of us. He was right, the salads are huge, the Pulcinella is still a fabulous pizza choice, and his mum’s ravioli is indeed very good.

We went for maximum variety within our $25 per person budget and chose:

To start:

Antipasto di salumi affettati -antipasto & charcuterie board w/ salami, prosciutto, mortadella, pickled

giardiniera, fresh buffalo mozzarella, stone baked focaccia $25

..with an extra stone baked focaccia with herb + sea salt – $12 for this size

1 x Pulcinella pizza – mascarpone + gorgonzola + pancetta + fresh pear $30 (large)

For mains we ordered:

Casareccia pasta – chicken, pancetta, shallots, brandy cream, macchiato sugo $22

Egg pappardelle, three meat ragu, chianti, basil, grana padano $24

Mum’s roast pumpkin & ricotta ravioli, burnt sage butter, amaretti $26 for five and $5 each for extras

Buffalo mozzarella caprese, tomato, basil, virgin oil, aged balsamic $15

Shaved fennel, baby leaves, blood orange, mint, citronette $16 size

Rocket, grana padano, caramelised walnuts, fresh pear, aged balsamic $16

The real standouts for me were the Pulcinella pizza, Casareccia pasta, Buffalo mozzarella caprese and the soft baked focaccia that came with the antipasto.

Gianni was right, we didn’t need so much salad and next time we would skip the Shaved fennel salad – most of which was still left when we’d finished.

The Linguine, banana prawns, mussels, rock lobster meat, tomato, chilli, white wine $29 looks excellent on the way past too as did the take-away gelato outside.

To help with budgeting Briscola offers a 25% discount for Canberra Entertainment Book holders and BYO – Corkage $4.5per person, Cakeage $2 per person

Aubergine, Griffith – Canberra’s two hatted restaurant

Aubergine is the Good Food Guide’s number one pick in Canberra, described as one of the country’s best restaurants. It remains the only two-hatted restaurant in Canberra.

I had it saved for a special celebration, and last week I finally had the chance to try the dynamic and changing menu that prides itself on innovative combinations of local produce in new and imaginative ways.

The decor and service set the scene for elegant fine dining and Cyril, Aubergine’s French sommelier, deserves all the praise he receives in reviews.

We were also well looked after by Marta, who was equally knowledgeable about the menus, warm and thoughtful.

The menu is a set four courses for $90 with an additional chef’s starter plate of savouries. These were one of the highlights of the meal.

Parmesan crisp with cheese fondue

Smoked potato crisp and raspberry salt

Nori cracker with cured blue mackerel, almond cream and cucumber

……all very delicious.

The next course was also fixed, and equally good, sweet and sour sardines with asparagus, grilled avocado and quail egg.

For Entree we chose:

Kingfish ceviche,green mango, nectarine, tomato and kaffir lime

There was the option to add some sea urchin for an additional $8 per person – which I don’t think we would worry about doing again.

Seared wagyu sirloin, smoked eel cream, eggplant jelly and daikon

I didn’t realise that this was a beef tartare dish or I may have chosen the Quail ballotine with purple carrots, beetroot, iso and ume plum sauce instead.

The Mains we selected were the:

Poached John Dory, braised lettuce, celtuce, seaweed and mussels

and the Lamb rump with sweetbreads, caramelised endive and black garlic.

But the pick of the mains was the Pork belly grilled over charcoal, with roasted and pickled fennel and cherries as this had the best flavours.

The bread and cured butter was also lovely.

Thanks

Desserts that we chose were:

…the Brown butter ice cream, almond praline and frozen lemon myrtle milk. It’s easy to see why this is the signature dish that remains constant on the dessert menu..

..and the Capsicum sorbet, red fruits and berries , tapioca and shiso.

There was also the options to swap dessert for a cheese course.

However, the Chocolate Ganache Cake with ginger cream, maple and miso ice cream at another table looked particularly magnificent.

An excellent choice for a special night!

Salad inspiration for summer!

Five Beans Food’s very impressive salad post this week has inspired me to post again about easy ways to create delicious and exciting salads, just in time for the holidays!

Do check out Five Beans Food’s Salad Friday – a Feast of Salads for some brilliant ideas.

And do you remember Great quick and easy mix and match salad idea that wows?

What’s your top salad tip?

The Boathouse by the Lake, Canberra – excelling at private functions!

The Boathouse by the Lake may well be Canberra’s best spot for function dining. This is where they really excel. Food and wine is elegant, delicious and well priced. Staff and service is delightful. The setting is perfect. But most of all, they offer a real sense of generosity.

A well set out Private Dining Function Brochure explains the options well.

Choose from three rooms, East End looking more towards Kingston Foreshore…

…Walters, looking more towards Kings Avenue Bridge and Russell…

…or West End, looking straight across the lake and more towards Kings Avenue Bridge.

All have access to lovely decks, although East End and West End are larger.

The minimum spend, particularly at lunch time, is very reasonable – $1,100 for lunch January and April to October, $2,500 in peak times of Nov-Dec and Feb-Mar.

Menu Options start at $77 per person for 3 courses. The beverages packages are particularly good starting at $31 per person for three hours for lovely Canberra wines, draught beer, juice and soft drinks.

Also good value is the Corporate Two Course Luncheon with 2 hours of beverages for $90 per person.

We were there for a Christmas Party dinner for 23 people and after much consideration we chose:

6 savouries $21 per person (3 is $12) to allow for plenty of time to mix and mingle on the deck…

… before being seated at the round tables.

3 courses with alternate entrée and a choice of three options for main and dessert – $87 per person

3 hour silver drinks package – $31 per person

Dan and Lauren took great care of us with drinks and savouries and this set the scene for a wonderful evening.

Savouries

Pea and Haloumi Fritters

Persian Fetta Mousse and Tomato Puffs

Avocado and Cherviche Tarts

Roast Pumpkin, Leek and Cheddar Quiche

Popcorn Prawns with Sriracha Mayo

Marlin Rice Cracker (the highlight)

For entrée we chose two alternates:

Spiced pork belly with avocado, white balsamic, togarashi

Seared prawns, butter milk, chlorophyll juice, charred baby gem

Mains were a choice of three:

Chicken breast, pea puree, baby potatoes, roast, chicken jus

Black angus striploin, burnt onion, asparagus, potato mash

Slow cooked pork, cauliflower puree, currant & fried cauliflower salad, coriander

The brioche bread buns and cured butter was excellent too!

For dessert guests could choose from:

Banana parfait, dark chocolate, peanut brittle, Chantilly cream

Malt ice cream, caramel ganache, honeycomb, dehydrated milk

Mango mousse, coconut sorbet, caramelised white chocolate, passionfruit

Everyone was very impressed with their choices and the evening was a great success.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Boathouse by the Lake for all the ingredients of a successful event.

Stanbuli – absolutely loved it!

I’m an Enmore Road fan so Stanbuli has been high on my wishlist since it was named one of 2016’s Best New Restaurants by the Good Food Guide.

When I got there last week I was blown away. There’s just so much to love about Stanbuli…

The nostalgic vintage setting in the 1950’s iconic Marie-Louise Hair Salon that is delightful…..

2. The pizazz, theatre and romance of Portenos that I love… (Not surprising really as Stanbuli partners Joe Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz, are also co-owners of Porteno, (and Bodega, Continental Deli) and Stanbuli chef Ibrahim Kasif has chefed for Portenos).

3. The flair, style and friendliness of staff…

4. The downstairs Turkish tapas bar styled Meyhane with gorgeous tiling and décor detial. Here you can feel quite comfortable even dining alone. The seat closest to the kitchen is perfect for solo diners – tucked away but with full view of all the action.

5. The upstairs dining room for larger bookings – more formal and elegantly designed by Sarah Doyle. (I do love the atmosphere of the downstairs bar though.)

6. The sharing style of the menu that allows you to order lots of different tastes and textures.

The $65 per person Chef’s Tasting Menu ($75 with two desserts) is great value for large appetites. The kitchen will design the menu around your must haves, but add lots of extras to surprise you, giving you nearly twice as many tastes as ordering a la carte.

7. The food!!! My favourites were the octopus…

Ahtapot – $19, floured and lightly fried octopus, Tarama, Dill and Pistachio Dressing

And the mussels..

Midye Dolma – $3.5 each

Stuffed Mussels; Filled with Fragrant Rice of Black Pepper & All Spice, Made Daily and Served at Room Temperature

The Haloumi dish is also excellent, although it’s better shared between four rather than two as it’s quite rich.

Hellim – $22, Plate of Sheep and Cows Milk Cypriot Style Cheese with Marinated Cucumber & Mint Salad

Dessert, the Rosewater milk pudding, large enough for sharing..

Muhallebi – $15, Rosewater Milk Pudding and Watermelon Granita

Our other orders were also lovely…

Cicek Dolma – $8 each, Crispy Zucchini Flower filled with Spinach, Ricotta, Feta and Hellim on a Roasted Chilli & Walnut Ezme

Ezme Salad $15, finely chopped salad of walnuts, chillies, peppers and tomato with a pomegranate vinegrette – more like a dip, that came with lovely bread

Turkish Peppermint Tea $3

The couple next to us ordered the Raki Mezesri, $20 which was excellent value. It included a fairly large plate of Turkish Cypriot Green Olives, House Cured Pastirma, Pickles, Raw Vegetables, Seasonal Melon and Creamy Turkish Feta.

Next visit I think I’d have to have the octopus and mussels again, but I’d try the Enginar – $16, artichokes poached in their own stock, with broad beans, black-eyed peas and soft herbs and more of the delicious desserts (as it was so hard to choose only one)…perhaps the Tahini Parfait – $15 – Tahini Helva Parfait with Barley, Pomegranates, Almonds & Sesame Seeds.

There’s just a couple of wines sold by the glass but the Ameztoli Txakoli 2015, Getariako Txakolina $14 was a good choice.

And we didn’t even start to explore the meat dishes that looked excellent too – cooked over wood and charcoal. iven my experience at Portenos, I would expect great things from these dishes too.

Specials also change and I’d love to be there to catch the Balik Ekmek ($10), which is the famous, traditional Turkish street food fish (mackerel) sandwich.

My tips:

Go soon!

Book downstairs at the bar if there’s only two of you (you need more people to book upstairs anyway).

If you’re on your own, ask for the stool closest to the kitchen.

Get the mussels and octopus.

Do leave room for dessert.

135 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042

Phone:(02) 8624 3132

Wednesday to Sunday 6:00 – 11:00 pm

Monday & Tuesday Closed

Barbers’ Inc – open to the public!

Barbers’ Inc. at the bottom of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on Kings Avenue opposite the National Archives, is a great spot for a casual lunch catch up.

However, many don’t realise that it’s open to the public and everyone is most welcome.

Now the good weather is here, it’s lovely to sit outside.

The Spring-Summer menu includes some interesting dishes like…

Crispy Fish Tacos – nachos crusted fish with a roast corn, tomato salsa and lime and sour cream aioli, wrapped in a soft taco $15

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Falafel with parsley and quinoa tabouleh and carrot raita $15

Roasted Pepper Pear, Blue Cheese, Walnut and Rocket Salad $15

The Grilled Beef Salad Bowl with seasonal fresh salad, vegies, romesco and brown rice looked especially good on the way past – quite substantial and with lots of colour and salad/veg $16.90.

The menu isn’t on-line so here’s a peek at the current breakfast and lunch menus. There’s always plenty of daily blackboard specials too.

Gerard’s Bistro – a top Brisbane pick!

As Queensland’s best restaurant in the 2016 Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants, Gerard’s Bistro has been on my wishlist all year.

Tucked away off Little James Street in Fortitude Valley, there’s a mix of indoor and outdoor seating.

The menu is filled with interesting and innovative dishes based on Syrian, Jordanian and Lebanese cuisines.

Before my visit, I’d trawled the reviews and Instagram and come up with a fine short list.

Smaller Plates

Laham nayyeh, harissa, preserved lime, shallot, pickled cucumber, egg yolk $24

Grilled octopus, carrots cooked in black garlic, coal oil, almonds $26

Bekaa wings, kishk yoghurt, rose $18

Larger Plates

Confit southern squid, mussels, hazelnut milk, warrigal greens, kishk $32

Fried cauliflower, tahini, ras el hanout, pomegranate, almond $16

Slow-roasted wagyu brisket for two with seasonal accompaniments $62

Desserts

Sheep’s yoghurt sorbet, honeycomb, milk and orange blossom $16

Charred eggplant sorbet, tahini crumb, cacao and Arabic coffee $16

Valrhona chocolate ice cream, candied chilli, Aleppo pepper ganache $18

Plant and non-plant dishes are separated and the menu is perfectly designed for sharing.

So I knew I would be challenged because I was dining alone! What to do??

I was immensely jealous of those around me who were choosing from my short list too, but had fellow diners to share with. But I was just glad to finally be here and was determined not to waste this precious opportunity.

Being a great sweet tooth, I toyed with the idea of just maxing out the desserts, but landed on the signature dish Fried cauliflower, tahini, ras el hanout, pomegranate, almond…

…and the intriguing Charred eggplant sorbet, tahini crumb, cacao and Arabic coffee crisp.

The cauliflower was wonderful and great value for just $16. Only lightly fried the cauliflower was fresh and still had a little crunch. The tahini sauce was a perfect match and the pomegranate was a tart burst contrast. But having said that, it is best shared as a full plate for one is not ideal. I think maybe I should have gone with the confit squid, octopus or laham neyyah or indulged that thought to try the Fried lambs brains, quail blood morcilla, warm tahini, dried yoghurt $26 or the Smoked lamb sweetbreads, mushroom and white garlic, almond, buttermilk $23.

The eggplant sorbet did indeed have a charred flavour, as promised and was a little less sweet that I’d expected. But the generous sweet tahini crumb, like a halva, was a lovely accompaniment. The cacao and coffee crisp was also a wonderful addition. Not for everyone I’m sure, but I still remember enjoying it with great fondness and would absolutely need to order it again next time.

And next time – I need to take lots of friends with me!

Breakfast on the weekend would also be awesome – again – next time!

But perhaps the most impressive aspect, besides the food, is the service. It’s impeccable! Dining alone is never easy, but the staff made me feel special and incredibly welcome even though I could only order so little. From the eye contact and smile when I arrived, to the timey attention and concern about my enjoyment and satisfaction. I was immensely impressed by the staff.

PS if you need somewhere great to stay with a pool nearby that you’d feel comfortable walking to Gerard’s Bistro alone, try M&A apartments.

Open for dinner – Mon: 6:00pm – Late

Open Tues – Sun: 12:00 pm – Late

Open for breakfast – Sat & Sun: 8am – 11am

Trying Daana’s Thali

Daana is well setttled and busy in their new Curtin home.

There’s plenty of room and a warm welcome for larger groups.

An easy way to order and enjoy a range of tastes is the Thali.

It’s also a good way to cater for different appetites. Refills are plentiful and the food is unlimited, in the style of true South Indian hospitality.

On the evening we visited the Thali included:

Gobi Kempu Bezule (Cauliflower), Koshambir Salad, Vegetable Saagu, Chicken Korma, Potato Khana Curry, Tomato Rasam, Sambar, Poori, Rice, Papad

It also finisihed with a lovely dessert of Phirmi ( a dish from Kashmir).

The Thali dinner costs $25 per person for just vegetarian curries and $30 if you’d like to include non-vegetarian curries.

Another way to order for a group is to design your own shared menu.

My $25 per person suggestions for a group would include:

Entrée:

1 Dal Vada ($12 for 4) per 4 people ($3pp)

1 Paneer Kathi Roll per 4 people (cut into 4 pieces –they are large) $12 ($3pp)

1 serve idil ($12 for 4) per 4 people ($3pp)

Mains:

Choose three of the Vegetarian/Chicken/Lamb/Seafood curries per 4 people (they come with rice or bread so just get a mix of both (I think 1/2 Paratha and ½ steamed rice would be lovely) – around $16 per person.

Daana also offers BYO at $6 per bottle.

Fine Eating

Hints Hacks and Highlights

Automata, Chippendale – the Good Food Guide’s two hatted award winner

Briscola Pizzeria, Canberra City – still as good as ever

Aubergine, Griffith – Canberra’s two hatted restaurant

Salad inspiration for summer!

The Boathouse by the Lake, Canberra – excelling at private functions!

Stanbuli – absolutely loved it!

Barbers’ Inc – open to the public!

Gerard’s Bistro – a top Brisbane pick!

Trying Daana’s Thali

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