Beef & Barley

With my passion for burgers, I was super excited about Beef & Barley opening on the Foreshore, offering burgers and craft beer. The menu has all of your classic burger needs, with some exotic additions (the Pedro, with chorizo and beef), but I stuck to the classic beef burger this visit – the American ($17), with beef, bacon, fried onion, cheddar, BBQ sauce and mustard mayonnaise. I must admit, I was really impressed by the service here – staff were eager to take my order and be helpful, creating a friendly vibe without being over the top. Burgers come with a serve of their beer battered chips; unusual, as they have a sweet dusting on top. I think this worked with just a little sugar, but was a bit much on some chips, and to be honest, it probably isn’t necessary as the flavour of the potato and batter alone are great. The burger had a huge patty cooked through and nicely charred, and whilst I would have liked more melt on the cheddar, it was really tasty and complimented the streaky bacon’s salty kick. The fried onions were magical (think a less oily onion ring) and the only thing missing was some pickles (which will be an option later down the track, I’m told). Oh yes, these guys have a winner.

Beef & Barley, Corner of Eyre Street and Kingston Waterfront, Kingston ACT, http://www.beefandbarley.com.au

Ricardo’s Cafe

After seeing the cake display cabinet at sister venture Space Kitchen, I knew I had to stop in at Ricardo’s Cafe to try something from their extensive selection. Friends had raved about the cannoli there, but I was sucked in by the incredibly beautiful (and large) cakes in the display cabinet, and after much deliberation (the Cookie Monster? Snickers Gaytime?), I ordered the Raspberry Dome ($9.90) to dine in. The serving is massive – I would recommend sharing, otherwise the staff are happy to provide takeaway containers, so none of the deliciousness goes to waste. This cake is at its best when you can get a mouthful with all of the elements – the raspberry mousse, blood orange curd, chocolate tart shell and pistachio crumb all work together into a light but tasty combination. The raspberry mousse is beautifully light and fluffy, while the blood orange curd adds weight in the flavour department. The chocolate tart shell was a good choice, adding textural contrast, but the pistachios really brought the whole thing together. I would happily order this again – especially when there are plenty of leftovers for future me to enjoy!

Ricardo’s Cafe, Jamison Plaza, Bowman Street, Macquarie ACT, ricardoscafe.com/

The Front

Canberra has some lovely quirky places, and The Front in Lyneham is one of the funnest (that’s totally a word). With friendly staff and a relaxed vibe, it was the perfect place for a breakfast catch up. The menu has some great classic options, mostly with eggs, and I chose the white bean cassoulet with a poached egg ($14) as something a bit different, with a side of avocado ($4). The dish was beautifully presented on a tin plate, with the cassoulet served in a ramekin, served with fingers of toasted bread and pesto drizzled on the side. I loved this dish. Seriously. It was pretty much the ultimate comfort food, warming and hearty (so probably better suited to winter, but whatever). The poached egg on top was perfectly runny and added greatly to the rich tomatoey sauce. The pesto had such an intense flavour that it was clever to serve on the side – it really brightened up each mouthful and I wished there was more of it. The avocado was a good accompaniment choice – it was nice to have something cool and fresh to contrast the cassoulet. We even stayed to play a few hands of cards afterwards – such a lovely, relaxed morning!

The Front, 1 Wattle Place, Lyneham ACT, http://www.frontgallerycafe.com/

Double Shot

This was by far my best experience at Double Shot – I only had a short amount of time for lunch, and the waitress was very happy to point me to menu items that wouldn’t take too long to prepare. I really appreciated that level of service, and ordered one of the toasted sandwiches ($10), picking the tuna as something a bit different. As promised, my meal came out quickly and I was struck by the simple but appealing presentation on a small sandwich board. On first bite, it was clear that this was a very special toastie. The bread was lovely and flavoursome, having been pan-fried in butter to create rich, luxurious mouthfuls that hit just the right balance of crisp and soft for my taste. Inside, the sierra tuna was thickly packed in, well-mixed with capers, green olives, spanish onion and aioli. The combination was fantastic, every ingredient bringing something to the flavour party (yes, I’d invite them all again). Combined with the buttery bread, what may seem like a humble toastie is elevated into a gourmet delight. Apart from the pickle, the garnish salad was a bit thin for me, but the lettuce leaves did break up the richness nicely.

Double Shot, 18 Duff Place, Deakin ACT , http://doubleshotdeakin.com.au/

The Fish Can

Canberra seems to have gone mad for bao, the latest foodie trend to sweep Instagram, and The Fish Can are giving the people what they want. We went on a warm weekend afternoon and there was a significant queue of people waiting to order and collect their bao. We ordered a couple of different fillings to try – pork belly, soft shell crab and fried chicken. Yes, it’s a small shipping container/food truck, so we did have to wait a while, but the bao were dished up fresh, and whilst this isn’t fine dining (the bao wrappers don’t really compare to somewhere like XO), it is tasty and filling food. The pork belly bao is packed full of tender, fatty meat, refreshing cucumber and sprigs of coriander to lift the whole combo – I liked it, rather than loved it. Next up was the soft shell crab – mmm. Cooked in tempura batter and dished up with coleslaw and crushed peanuts, this was one I’d come back for. But my ultimate favourite was the ‘Chican’ -fried chicken breat with aioli, crushed peanuts and coriander. The chicken was so perfectly tender inside and crispy on the outside, combined with the crispy peanuts and spicy aioli to make a real winner.

The Fish Can, Westside, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT

Space Kitchen

I know I’m a bit slow jumping on the Space Kitchen bandwagon, but let’s just spend a moment appreciating what a beautiful bandwagon this is. Located on the ground floor of Skypark, Space brings together industrial and urban chic, with a dose of Ricardo’s desserts thrown in for good measure. I couldn’t go past a fresh juice, so started with the orange, pear, pineapple and passionfruit combo ($6.9), which was beautifully balanced and sweet. To eat, I picked the super-Instagrammable (that’s totally a word) Space Benedict. Now don’t imagine your classic eggs benedict people, this is something on a whole other level. Obviously the presentation is to die for – Space sets the bar high, and the taste doesn’t disappoint. The perfectly poached eggs oozed out over the plate, mixing with the beetroot hollandaise to make a perfect sauce for the crumbed pork croquette that makes up the majority of the dish. Whilst rich, the pork is lovely and tender and has a great amount of flavour on its own, let alone with the hollandaise or pea puree, not to mention the addd textural elements of a crumbled brioche mixed with pork crackling. My only suggestion would be something else to help mop up all those saucy elements – otherwise, I’ll be back again soon!

Space Kitchen, Skypark, corner of Furzer and Worgan Streets, Phillip ACT, no website

Little Oink

Three friends and I adventured out to Cook in Belconnen to try Little Oink, known for its cute decor and pork-themed menu. We sat outside, and my seat had company – a lovely life-sized pig statue leaning on the bench, joining the conversation. We started with drinks – coffee for my friends, a soy hot chocolate ($5) for me. Whilst not Surry Hills-good, the hot chocolate did taste of chocolate rather than just soy and came with two marshmellows – yum! After admiring the fun menu item names (om-nom-nomlette, for example), I opted for the Jordo – a brioche roll with bacon, two eggs, cheese and tomato relish ($12), and added extra avocado for $3. The food took a while to come out, but they did serve all of our meals shortly after one another, so we didn’t mind. I had to chase up the extra avocado, and when it came out it was a reasonable serve, probably half of a small avocado. The bun was packed full – there was a lot of bacon inside and it had a really great flavour. The eggs were fluffy and cooked through, and the brioche was just the right amount of sweet. We lingered afterwards and weren’t rushed – a lovely quaint spot.

Little Oink, 22 Cook Pl, Cook ACT, no website