Mr Papa

Mr Papa has been around for a few years now, appearing at events like The Forage regularly, but this was my first visit to their semi-permanent home at the Hamlet in Braddon. I was also Dad’s first visit to the Hamlet, so we ordered an empanada and a chanchito (pork roll) to share and give us room to try other things. The friendly ladies at Mr Papa happily chatted to Dad in Spanish while they prepared our food, and gave us a sample of the sauces they offer to try – the green one (I can’t remember the name) was to die for and we got a small tub of it for our empanada. The empanada was beautiful and fresh, with pastry that wasn’t too thick and lots of filling. The tangy lime sauce made the dish though – I’d highly recommend getting as much of it as you can because it was so, so good. The chanchito was slightly less exciting – there was a lot of bread, and whilst the pork was tender, I found that the raw onion dominated the flavour. The sweet potato slices were a great textural contrast though. I’d definitely get the empanadas again!

Mr Papa, the Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                                           http://www.mrpapa.com.au/

Sweet Bones

I was quite excited to have breakfast at Sweet Bones and see what a plate without the staples of bacon and eggs was like. We went on a weekday morning and both ordered the big breakfast – this was my second visit after trying their cupcakes and I wasn’t sure what to expect from their savoury vegan fare. I needn’t have worried. My breakfast arrived with a deceptively simple mix of hummus, tomato, avocado, lightly toasted sourdough with a side of tofu scramble.  On first bite, it was clear that this was one of the best breakfast’s I’ve had in Canberra. The hummus was beautifully flavoured with a spice I couldn’t quite pick, but it elevated a standard dip into something incredible. The sourdough had great flavour and nothing beats fresh avocado. I completely loved the tofu scramble, full of mushrooms, onions, carrot, capsicum, and topped with crispy spiced pepita and sunflower seeds, which provided great textural contrast and had me wishing there was more. Not only was every mouthful delicious, it was also really filling and I couldn’t quite polish it all off, as much as I wanted to. Seriously good, healthy food.

Sweet Bones Bakery Cafe, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT       http://sweetbonescompany.com/

Rama’s

This was my first dine-in lunch at Rama’s – they only open for lunch on request, and we had a big group to catch up with friends visiting from Papua New Guinea. We all had the $30 per person banquet, which included a huge range of delicious dishes. We started with pappadoms and minted yoghurt, which were crispy and a perfect appetizer. Next were the samosas, which were packed full of delicious filling and came with a lovely dipping sauce, as did the bahjia after that. The food was well-paced, giving us plenty of time to chat in between courses but not leaving us hungry. I was very excited when it was curry time – there were so many choices! I started with the chicken korma and found myself coming back to it again and again. The creamy flavour was so rich and complex, without being overly spicy (we’d requested a ‘medium’ level of heat for the curries). The beef vindaloo was, unsurprisngly, quite spicy, but again it had great complexity of flavour that I absolutely loved – I just needed a bit more rice than sauce for that one! We felt so welcome it was almost like dining in someone’s home – Rama’s is a Canberra classic for a reason.

Rama’s Fiji Indian Restaurant, Shop 6, Pearce Shopping Centre, Pearce ACT         http://www.ramas.com.au/

Frugii Dessert Laboratory

After my last visit to the Frugii Dessert Lab, I couldn’t resist popping in again after lunch at Hopscotch for a palate cleanser. It took me a while to convince my very-full-from-lunch colleagues, but my dedication to #icecreamthurs won out in the end (and I promised they’d get a mention – hi guys!). Frugii had two sorbet flavours on offer, so I hedged my bets and went half-half. First up: green apple sorbet. Yum, yum and yum. This one has such a crisp, clean green apple flavour – it’s not sickly sweet and it perfectly refreshing. I adored the tiny bits of green apple skin throughout, which added so much to the overall flavour (although it unfortunately led to quickly-escalating jokes about chunks – thanks guys!). Definitely one to get again. Underneath was a big scoop of flavour number two: blood plum. Eating sorbet, it turns out, is a good way to learn about unusual fruit. Having never had an actual blood plum before, I can’t tell how accurate the flavour is, but the sorbet has a lovely tart flavour that screamed ‘plum’ to me. I don’t know how they get their flavours so authentic but it really works.

Frugii Dessert Laboratory, 30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT http://www.frugii.com/

The Brathaus

I bucked the trend at my most recent visit to the Hamlet and ordered a schnitzel from a bratwurst place. Yep. That’s how I roll. It was probably my best decision of the day – the Brathaus is one of the more recent additions to the Hamlet and offers tempting sausages and schnitzel in true German style. I picked the ‘Chicken Schnitty Burger’ – not part of the main menu, but handwritten on a whiteboard out the front (so apologies if it’s not a regular menu item – it should be). The schnitzel is without a doubt the best I’ve had in Australia – plump, tender chicken with a beautifully crispy panko crumb. My friend watched them cook hers and she said the secret is that they pop it into the oven to crisp up after frying. The bun was light and whilst there was plenty of salad, it compressed down nicely and wasn’t too hard to eat. The serving size was just right for me, although you can choose to have it with chips for an extra $3.50. My friend ordered the chips (fries) and we ended up sharing them – the serving was really generous. Definitely stop in to try the schnitzel if you can, it’s a winner.

The Brathaus, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Lonsdale Street Eatery

Lonsdale Street Eatery (LSR’s alter dinner ego) is one of the many serious meat-offering establishments of Canberra. They offer BYO (no corkage charge – we also had to BYO bottle opener!) and have a lovely outdoor seating area, perfect for warmer nights. We went on the first night of their new menu, and the waitress was really lovely about tracking down details for us when we had questions. In the end, we chose the buffalo wings, the ‘pitt bull’ hot dog and the royale with cheese burger, all served in fun, branded, disposable packaging. The wings were amazingly crispy and whilst they didn’t have as much meat on them as other wings I’ve had, the flavour more than made up for it. Caution – the spicy dipping sauce was too hot even for my chilli-loving Dad. The ‘pitt bull’ hot dog was quite good – I enjoyed it more than the one I’d had at Broddogs – with a good kick from the horseradish slaw and jalapeno salsa. But the pick of the bunch was the royale with cheese – this is the mother of all cheeseburgers, with a pillowy soft bun, dense, meaty patty and oozing melty cheese. So, so good.

Lonsdale Street Eatery, 23 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                         http://lonsdalestreetroasters.com/

Brodburger

Brodburger is another Canberra institution, and one that locals either love or hate. Love for the incredibly fresh, filling and flavoursome burgers, or hate for the outlandish wait times, even after it moved from a dodgy caravan by the lake to a proper store at the Glassworks. I’m firmly in the love camp, and Brod is one of the Canberra must-visits I recommend to visitors. The classic Brodburger is a thick beef patty with the most delicious aioli, tomato, lettuce and a choice of blue, brie, swiss or cheddar cheeses. It’s incredible that such simple ingredients can be so tasty! Another favourite is the Brodchicken, which includes a moist chicken breast, bacon, avocado, and of course the aioli – this has become by go-to order, and on this occasion I ordered it with a side of chips. Note, make sure you’re really, really hungry if you plan to eat it all! I would also recommend either planning for around a 40-60 minute wait at peak times, so going when you’re not in a hurry, or pre-ordering by phone about half an hour in advance. Brod is a Canberra favourite for a reason, and most locals agree that the food makes the wait well worthwhile.

Brodburger, Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Ave, Kingston ACT   http://www.brodburger.com.au