Eightysix

Part One is here. We were served the prawns and the curried fish salad at the same time, so we left the cold salad until after we’d finished the delectable prawns (I scooped up every last bit of that heavenly sauce!). My only criticism of the night was that too many dishes came out at once, rather than being well-paced over the course of the meal. We had just started the salad when the chicken biryani was served. The salad was the dish of the night for me – the curried ocean trout was tender and flaked into perfect pieces, and the cucumber, celery, onion and green beans were incredibly refreshing after the spicy prawns. We saved a bit to finish with, then got stuck into the biryani, which had been cooked until some of the rice was crisped (like bibimbap). The chicken had some sort of yoghurt coating which was luscious and perfect, and the almonds, herbs and sultanas added hugely to the flavour. Finally, we decided to share a dessert – the coconut sago and mango. We loved the toasted coconut and sesame topping, the pops from the sago pearls, and then deliciously sweet, fresh mango. All in all another spectacular kitchen takeover. Come back again soon?

eightysix, 11 Elouera Street, Braddon ACT http://eightysix.com.au/

Eightysix

I couldn’t resist booking in for the second Christine Manfield extravaganza at Eightysix this year. Whilst her last ‘kitchen takeover’ was Asian-themed, this time is all about India and Bhutan, in celebration of her latest book, a travel guide to the two countries. We started out with drinks – I had the ‘strawpop’ minus alcohol, with pomegranate and lychee. It was lovely and sweet, served in a small glass bottle. On the waitress’s recommendation, we started with the beetroot roti entree – the roti was perfectly puffed and crisp, deflating into soft layers of buttery goodness and enhanced by the beetroot mix on top. I loved the slight hint of heat that lingered on the back palate from the beetroot. Next up were the cauliflower pakoras – they were super moreish, cooked in a lovely batter and served with a cool raita. The cauliflower was divine, but there were also parcels of spinach leaves with lentils wrapped inside. Yum! I was very excited to try the tamarind prawns with eggplant next – sitting at the bar, we could see the giant prawns being prepared. Everything about this dish was lovely – the thick, plump prawns, the tender but not mushy eggplant and the delicate yet spicy sauce that brought the whole ensemble together. Part two is here.

eightysix, 11 Elouera Street, Braddon ACT http://eightysix.com.au/

Miss Van’s

Ah Miss Van’s, how I adore you! On this visit I branched out from my usual banh mi and went for one of the noodle salad bowls, which a colleague had raved about on our last visit. Trust me, this is something you want to order. For a very good value $12, you can get a huge bowl full of Vietnamese chicken and noodle salad perfection. I picked the ginger soy chicken option (they also have lemongrass and chilli tofu for vegetarians) and it is probably the best salad I’ve ever eaten in my life. I loved the fresh tang of the vinegary sauce, the huge quantity of incredibly fresh vegetables (bean sprouts, carrot, radish, cucumber), herbs (mint and corriander) and toasted peanuts to add even more texture. The noodles tend to hide towards the bottom, so don’t be shy mixing it up before tucking in. The chicken was so tender and the ginger soy flavour was spectacularly good – especially paired with the fried shallots on top (one of my favourite things). I can’t recommend this enough – perfectly fresh and full of flavour, this will be my go-to favourite for some time to come!

Miss Van’s, Westside Acton, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT http://www.missvans.com.au/

Kurikoan

Taiyaki is one of those quintessentially Japanese sweets that I haven’t managed to find in Australia. I don’t think we even have an equivalent, but that just means it’s more important to get it when I do go to Japan! One of my favourite places for taiyaki is Kagurazaka – Kurikoan makes them traditionally (compared to Fujiya’s take), using the fish mould and offering a range of fillings. I couldn’t help but order the red bean paste flavour, which is the original/recommended flavour. We each picked different ones (red bean paste, custard and a third one I can’t remember, maybe red bean with a nut of some sort?) and the staff were kind enough to let us dine in. I’d visited twelve months earlier and had their taiyaki set, which came with an iced tea – I’d highly recommend that option, especially in the warmer months! The taiyaki itself had a lovely slightly-crunchy, still slightly-soft shell, and the inner cavity was packed with red bean paste filling. I enjoy red bean paste as a not-too sweet option, and like taiyaki for being a light but filling snack. Give it a try when exploring Kagurazaka.

Kurikoan, Porta Kagurazaka 1F, 2-6-1 Kagurazaka, Tokyo      http://kurikoan.com/cafe.html

The Annex Cafe

I’ve walked past The Annex Cafe a few times now, but only recently got the chance to stop in and treat myself to one of their beautiful sweets! The small space is made welcoming by wooden furniture and succulents in planters on each table – otherwise there are lovely outdoor seats around the corner. The cake display cabinet is full of dietary-requirement-friendly treats, and it was hard to only pick one. Finally, I chose the lemon and raspberry cake ($7), which is gluten and dairy-free (yay!). Whilst much smaller than a slice from, say Nutrition Republic, given the density of raw cakes I probably wouldn’t have wanted it too much bigger anyway. The cake was in three layers – the coconut base, a white lemon layer and the red swirly raspberry layer, with extra coconut dusted over the top. I could clearly taste each flavour when trying the layers separately, and when combined the dominant flavour was coconut, closely followed by lemon. The raspberry seemed to fade just to add a bit of tartness to the overall taste. The whole thing was so moreish, with that fabulous texture that raw cakes have. Yum!

The Annex Cafe, 3 Waterloo Street, Glenelg SA