Patissez

I was super excited to try Patissez’s raspberry and pomegranate galettes after drooling over them on their Instagram feed, but alas, they had sold out when I arrived. The staff were really friendly and helpful, and when I asked for another fruity cake to try, the pointed me at this one – a raspberry and lychee dacquois. As you can see, it’s pretty, and yep, it tastes amazing. Let me walk you through it. The garnish on top is a fresh raspberry and a cluster of caramel popcorn -the popcorn doesn’t relate to any other flavours in the cake, but it’s really tasty! The red outer layer is a raspberry gel of some kind, and it’s really thick and stretchy – quite an unusual texture. The raspberry flavour is excellent though, and it matches the lychee cream filling perfectly. The lychee cream is really authentic and I couldn’t believe how light and fluffy it was – but hidden inside is a layer of more raspberry and pistachio cake – as if it could get any better! The flavours and textures all worked together really well and the dacquois was just the right size for an afternoon treat.

Patissez, Shop 2/21 “The Lawns” Bougainville Street, Manuka ACT, no website

Guzman y Gomez

Before heading out for drinks, my friend and I stopped in for a quick meal at Guzman y Gomez in town. I first tried Guzman’s in Newtown many years ago and was struck by how different the authentic Mexican flavours were to standard Mexican fare available at the time. The menu has all of the standard options – nachos, tacos, burriots, quesadillas, etc. – but somehow they always taste better here. On this visit I went for the burrito bowl, which is the equivalent of getting icecream in a cup not a cone (i.e. less messy). I chose the mild chicken filling and added guacamole. Our food came out very quickly, and the portion size was good value for money – there was a lot in that bowl! I particularly liked the fresh salsa mix (tomato, corriander, and onion), which complemented the black beans well. The chicken had a good flavour to it and there was a fair amount included in between the rice. It was mild, though, as promised. The guacamole lifted the whole meal – I would definitely recommend adding it, despite the extra charge. The service was friendly and we got the filling, tasty and affordable meal we’d gone in for.

Guzman y Gomez, Bunda Street, Canberra ACT                                 https://www.guzmanygomez.com/

Elemental

This was my second visit to Elemental in Braddon, and I was even more impressed on this visit than last time, not least because… the bone broth was available! Yay! I think they must use chicken bones, as the flavour was far lighter and less rich than I was expecting – in fact, it tasted much like my first (and only) homemade attempt at making ramen from scratch. Whilst it wasn’t quite what I was expecting/hoping for, it was still hearty and warming on a chilly day. I picked the quesadillas for something a bit different – they were delicious! There were two of them served with a fried eggs, fresh guacamole and harissa. The flavour inside the quesadillas was more what I would expect from a curry – the ‘spicy chicken’ lived up to its name, and I didn’t end up using much harissa as it was spicy enough for me. The flavour was fantastic though – the chicken combined with a lime leaf jam and coconut cheese was heavenly, and the fried egg oozed perfectly over the top. I was particularly taken with the guacamole (cubed not mushed) and was really impressed with the friendly service. Elemental is going from strength to strength.

Elemental, Ori building, 30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT elementalcafe.wix.com/elementalcafe

Double Drummer

My colleague wanted to schedule a working lunch and so we went to Double Drummer, snapping up an outdoor table that had plenty of sunshine despite the chill in the air. I usually order something hot, but I decided to be a bit adventurous this time and try the chicken parmigiana roll from the sandwich bar. The staff kindly toasted it for me and brought it out to the table quite quickly, considering how busy they were. The bread was beautiful and crusty, but not teeth-breakingly so, and every bit of the roll was packed with filling (yes!). The chicken parmi hadn’t been warmed from the toasting, but was crispy and golden nonetheless, although not quite as tender in parts as I’d hoped. It went perfectly with the shaved parmesan cheese, thick tomato sugo and – my favourite – the grilled eggplant layered on top. The fresh spinach leaves added some nice crunch and I only just managed to finish the whole roll. Double Drummer’s food is great value in the Parliamentary Triangle – try it for tasty cafeteria-style meals.

Double Drummer, Ground Floor Courtyard, 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT http://thedoubledrummer.com.au/

The Merchant

Meeting my friend on the Kingston Foreshore for lunch, but having skipped breakfast, I was very excited to discover that The Merchant offers breakfast until 3pm. I started out with a soy hot chocolate, which was large but tasted like soy with a hint of chocolate – I wouldn’t order it again. After much deliberation (the pizetteas sounded so tempting!) I used my friend’s excellent food philosophy of ordering what you feel like (scrambled eggs), rather than what you think you should have (pizza). So the ‘bacon & egg pocket’ it was – I ordered it with a side of avocado. The pocket itself was a huge ciabatta (my favourite), packed to the brim with bacon, scrambled eggs and a small amount of tomato relish. The quantities were perfectly balanced – any more relish and it would have been too sweet, a little less and it could have been dry. The eggs were beautifully fluffy and exactly how I like them (on the soft side), and the bacon was nicely (not overly) done. I was disappointed in the tiny amount of avocado – $5 for that measly portion? Never again – but overall the meal was incredibly filling and tasty. So, like last time, the verdict is tasty, but still room for improvement.

The Merchant, 3/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT         http://www.themerchant.com.au

Mocan & Green Grout

This was my second visit to Mocan & Green Grout, and my first time eating there for lunch. My friend and I popped in on the way to a meeting, and so had just under an hour to chow down. We started with drinks – I ordered a soy hot chocolate and was excited that I could actually taste the chocolate and not just the soy! We both ordered the duck sandwich for lunch, but sadly our order was misplaced. With 20 minutes until our meeting, the waitress realised what had happened and we were brought our very freshly prepared meal (without charge and with apologies). The sandwich is fairly small, but we both felt that the brioche bun was a clever way to make it filling, my friend wishing it was a bao instead. I liked the brioche’s softness and sweetness, which contrasted well with the tang of the pickled cucumber and corriander. There was plenty of duck inside, which was tender and very tasty, well-matched with the hoisin mayonnaise. I particularly liked the contrasting textures of each of the ingredients, and despite the delay I felt it was definitely worth the wait.

Mocan & Green Grout, 1/19 Marcus Clarke Street, New Acton, ACT mocanandgreengrout.com/

Eightysix

Part one of this review is here. My dish of the night would have to be the next plate – if you’re going over the next couple of days, please be brave and try the sichuan wallaby tartare! The meat was out-of-this-world good, tender and coated in a complex dressing that was elevated to a whole new level with the crisp garlic flakes. The garlic actually created a creamy coating in the inside of your mouth, which made each mouthful of meat just that bit better. Our last savoury plate was the sweet & sour lamb, which we ordered because we kept getting wafts of as it was plated in front of us! The flavour packed into the masterstock was really something else. I told Christine how much we were enjoying it and she summed it up perfectly with a knowing smile -“finger licking good!”. The lamb was amazingly tender and the perfect note to finish on. Well, until dessert! We picked the ‘sugar daddy’ – a chocolate praline mousse and candied cumquats. The mousse was inside a chocolate pastry tart shell, and overall the chocolate part of the dessert wasn’t as sweet as I expected, but that was ideal as the cumquats, both syrup and freeze-dried versions, added a great tart-sweetness. It was a real privelige not only to enjoy such a diverse yet complementary meal, but also to watch a real master at work in the kitchen. I stick by our comment in the guest book – “make her stay!!!”.

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