Soju Girl

We had the banquet dinner at Soju Girl for my friend’s hen’s night, and started out with cocktails. I had The Mandarin – gin, mandarin, ginger liquer, lime and ginger beer. The flavours were subtle and well-balanced, making a smooth, tangy drink that I’ll order again. We started with the betel leaf smoked trout – a fusion san choy bao-style mouthful which was a delicate explosion of flavour and one of my favourites. The zucchini flower was surprisingly filling, packed with sticky rice, and the creaminess of the eggplant pickle dish had me going back for seconds. The handmade gyoza were perfection – just the right amount of crispiness and perfect with the dipping vinegar – and the sauce accompanying the king prawn skewers was some kind of magic. We finished with the chicken katsu, which again was quite filling, and rice, so whilst all the portions were small, we didn’t leave hungry. The staff were attentive but not intrusive, and my only criticism was that the meals came out too quickly in succession, rather than being well-paced. Despite this, the banquet had great variety and flavour – I will be back again soon!

Soju Girl, 41-43 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra ACT                                               http://www.sojugirl.com.au/

Hammer & Tong

Whilst visiting Melbourne I mentioned that I was keen to visit Hammer & Tong – luckily my friends were keen too, so off we went to try their adventurous menu. There is definitely an industrial/Soviet-style feel about the cafe, with plenty of unpolished metal and bare walls, which is also reflected in their communist flag-inspired logo. The menu draws mostly on Asian cuisines, with the unusual option of ‘breakfast ramen’ offered – I was so tempted but it was just too early. Instead, I picked the spanner crab egg crepe served with cucumber ketchup and charocal brioche, and the mango, passionfruit and pineapple juice. The juice menu said fresh but when the juice came out it had none of the hallmarks of a fresh juice (there was no froth and it had a watery texture), but was nonetheless delicious – the passionfruit’s tart flavour was a great wake-up aid! The crepe was heavenly – light and fluffy with plenty of crab inside, each mouthful was delightful with the cucumber ketchup, which tasted more like a cucumber pickle in liquid form. It matched perfectly with the charcoal brioche which was also quite light. The flavours and textures worked together so well – next time maybe I’ll be brave and try the ramen!

Hammer & Tong, 412a Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC       http://www.hammerandtong.com.au

Gelato Messina

Upping the anti to gelato cakes this #icecreamthurs! Gelato Messina’s gelato cakes are famous around Australia – that was more than enough motivation to give them a try! The cakes are only available at their Darlinghurst store, so off we went, excited by the creative options. Because one’s eyes are often bigger than one’s tummy, Gelato Messina offers mini gelato cakes as well as the full party size – I couldn’t go past the ‘Dr Evil’s Magic Mushroom’ (who could, with a name like that?). It was a shame to get stuck in because it was so beautifully crafted, but the first mouthful cured me of any further guilt. The top of the mushroom is made from dark chocolate gelato, peanut cookies and silky smooth dulce de leche, the bitter dark chocolate flavour matching the sweet dulce de leche and the cookies adding some crunch. The same flavours continue into the white stem, but the real surprise was in the ‘grass’ – popping candy! The crispiness of the base finishes the dessert off perfectly. Gelato Messina is famous for a reason – give their icecream cakes a try for flavoursome and creative desserts.

Gelato Messina, 1/241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW                 http://www.gelatomessina.com

Benbee Teppan

Okonomiyaki would have to be in the top three of my favourite Japanese foods of all time. On our first night in Tokyo, we walked past a traditional style restaurant serving Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and that was it, dinner decided. The staff at Benbee were very understanding and managed to accommodate our 10+ group without any trouble in the larger upstairs seating area. The teppans were turned on, but our food was cooked downstairs, where the chef was manning the main teppan, so unfortunately we didn’t get to cook it ourselves. Our Hiroshimayaki came out looking beautiful – it was slathered in okonomiyaki sauce (as it should be) and you could add bonito flakes to suit your taste. There was also a vegetarian option, which I was told was delicious too. After the okonomiyaki we ordered a range of other meats, including calamari, which was a particular highlight. But by the end of the trip everyone looked back and thought that the best thing about Benbee was the beer – it was served incredibly cold, which was exactly what we needed after a long overnight flight.

Benbee Teppan, 5 Chome-1-11 Shiba, Minato, Tokyo 108-0014, Japan , no website

Two for Joy

My friend and I tried to go to Penny University for a brunch catch up on Mother’s Day, but not having booked ahead, they were packed out. Instead we wandered up to Two for Joy, which neither of us had tried before, and we managed to get a table right away. It was particularly chilly so I started out with a soy hot chocolate – it had great flavour (i.e. it actually tasted like hot chocolate, not hot soy), and our food came out quite quickly, considering how busy they were. I ordered the Shakshouka – baked eggs in a tomato ragu with sausage, yoghurt and za’atar, plus flat bread for dipping. It was beautifully presented and when I cut into the eggs the yolks were deliciously runny = heaven! The whole dish was warming – the rich ragu had capsicum and onion along with tomato, but it wasn’t too rich. The spinach added some texture while the yoghurt mixed in with the ragu and egg yolk to make a beautiful sauce, perfect for mopping up with the flat bread. The sausages were really tasty and the whole meal was just the right amount to leave full but not bloated. Thanks Penny University – not fitting us in has led to the discovery of a new favourite!

Two for Joy, 27-29 Eyre Street, Kingston ACT

Mr Shabu Shabu

This is probably my favourite place to eat at when it’s cold in Canberra. Mr Shabu Shabu offers consistently delicious, hearty and inexpensive Japanese food. This visit was a cold Friday after-work dinner, so I ordered my standard (a serve of takoyaki and the beef shabu shabu) without hesitation. I love the takoyaki here, even if there isn’t much octopus, because it is covered in the right sauces and lots of bonito flakes (mmm). They also don’t fill you up too much before the main event – paper-thin raw beef, enoki mushrooms and glass noodles to cook in a beautifully flavoursome clear broth. While your beef (or other selection of pork, chicken or vegetables) cooks, you can enjoy the seaweed salad, spring roll and rice with peanut sauce. But the best part by far is drinking the broth with the wooden ladle provided – after having cabbage and meat cook in it, it’s infused with fantastic flavours, the ultimate comfort food. I think I’ll have to visit in summer to try any of the other menu choices (ramen, udon, etc), because I can’t go past the shabu shabu otherwise!

Mr Shabu Shabu, 6/35 Childers St, Canberra ACT, no website

Sean’s Kitchen

One thing Adelaide’s newest restaurants seem to be getting right is social media. When I asked Twitter where I should try in Adelaide, and Sean’s Kitchen was an option, the restaurant tweeted me back offering to make a reservation. How’s that for service? So I booked in for lunch, and arrived to find an impressive set up, with the restaurant’s space designed to mirror Adelaide railway station, which it is attached to. The staff were attentive without being intrusive, and my king crab legs came out after a short wait. There were two legs, split, on the plate with fresh lemon and warmed lemon butter, which was a decadent but perfect accompaniment to the tender crab meat. I enjoyed the challenge of scraping every last morsel from inside the shell. We also had a serve of asparagus and the duck fat chips, both of which were delicious and I would definitely recommend. The chips were perfectly seasoned and the potato had a fabulous flavour – no sauce needed. We were impressed by the range on the wine list too, and we’re already planning to come back for the pork hock. A table is just a tweet away!

Sean’s Kitchen, Station Road, Adelaide SA                      http://www.seanskitchen.com.au/

Via Dolce

Dolce and Salato has rebranded to become Via Dolce, so of course when Mum and I walked past on a wander through the city, I had to check it out and see if the gelato was as good as I remember it. The range of flavours seems to have remained the same, with several sorbets on offer, much to my delight. We decided to try the mango and got a small cup to share. The sorbet texture wasn’t quite as smooth as I remember, being a little bit icy, but the mango flavour was strong and genuine and didn’t fade the more we ate; a very important criteria for assessing quality gelato/sorbet. We did have an odd moment towards the end of the cup where the flavour changed – it took us a while to realise that it was actually a passionfruit flavour, which must have been on the scoop from before our order, but it was a bit strange expecting mango and suddenly finding passionfruit! Despite the name change and the flavour mix-up, this remains my go-to sorbet place in the city, even now that the weather has cooled down.

Via Dolce, 108 Bunda Street, Civic ACT                                                                viadolce.com.au

Local Press

An important part of Local Press is its emphasis on wholefoods, and this is reflected in their menu choices. The first item on their menu encapsulates this philosophy, and having tried the majority of other items, on this visit I decided to dive right in and try the ‘green breaky plate’. My only reservation was that it might not be filling enough – I shouldn’t have worried. The portions at Local Press are just right and I enjoyed walking away from breakfast without feeling bloated. The plate included hard boiled eggs coated in za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice mix), which were still steaming when the plate was served. The asparagus was beautifully soft and brought to life by the dill yoghurt and avocado. I haven’t jumped on board the quinoa bandwagon, but the quinoa tabouleh provided a great contrast of textures, complemented by the fresh kale. But the highlight of the dish had to be the almonds. Yep, nothing more than incredibly good quality, flavoursome almonds, which served simply on the kale showcased what the wholefood philosophy can do in the taste department.  There might just be something to this trend after all.

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT     http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/

Home Thai

Dining alone can be a strange experience. Some people find it very uncomfortable – I find that if I have something to do (book to read, notes to write etc.), I can eat out alone comfortably at dinnertime. This is what I ended up doing after arriving quite late in Sydney one night for a conference in Darling Harbour. Not much was open, but a quick google threw up Home Thai as a trendy option that was open at 9:30pm for dinner. I waited a while for a table, but was excited to see how much the place was buzzing – always a good sign. I am a sucker for dumplings, and on a cool evening I wanted something warming, so opted for steamed dim sum and a bowl of tom yum goong soup. The plate of dumplings came out with a mound of corriander and drizzled with black vinegar, which suited the pork and prawn mix. The tom yum was fresh but unbelieveably spicy – sadly, but it was a bit too much for me and I needed some rice to be able to eat it – I’d recommend asking for a mild version. Home Thai gets a tick in the solo traveller box!

Home Thai, Shop 1-2, 299 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW http://www.homethaisussex.com.au