332 Manhattan

I’ve never been to New York (it’s next on my list), but somehow I don’t imagine it to be anything like the lovely cosy space at 332 Manhattan. We went for breakfast on a weekday and were delighted by the warm wooden furniture, the shelves piled with cookbooks and local produce, and the yummy-sounding breakfast menu. I started out with a fresh-squeezed orange juice (enjoyed to the sounds of my friend bragging about the role reversal of her being on time and our other friend arriving later), which was served in a good sized glass bottle and wasn’t overly sweet. I picked the prosciutto and fried eggs dish, which was the first to come out – we hardly waited any time at all and whilst our meals didn’t come at the same time, they were obviously fresh from the kitchen. My fried eggs had beautifully runny centres, the proscuitto was fresh (not fried) and there was plenty of it: tick, tick! There were also roasted tomatoes and garlic and rosemary potatoes, two of my favourite things on a big breakfast plate. Everything was tasty without being heavy on the stomach – I can’t yet compare to a real Manhattan experience, but for Canberra this is a very good feed.

332 Manhattan, 240 Bunda Street, Civic ACT, no website

The Mandalay Bus

As part of my birthday week celebrations I organised dinner with a group of friends at the Mandalay Bus. The bus is an iconic fixture in Canberra, and is somewhat notorious for pumping tunes loudly from its location at the top of Lonsdale Street. The menu is a mish-mash of fried food and Burmese curries, so I picked one of each to try. I couldn’t resist the waffle cut fries, which came in a generous serving and were crispy and well-seasoned. Friends had the chilli cheese version and enjoyed them too. Actually, I think most of the group ordered a serve of the fries, and we all nibbled on them throughout the night! For the Burmese dish, I ordered the pumpkin curry, which was also incredibly good – the soft, creamy pumpkin contrasted perfectly with the assortment of seeds scattered on top (pepitas, sunflower seeds, and others I didn’t recognise). The curry was mild but had plenty of flavour and after all those fries I couldn’t quite finish my bowl. I’d recommend rugging up as the nights cool down – milk crates aren’t the warmest seats but the casual community vibe and the fabulous street food makes it worth the effort.

The Mandalay Bus, Haig Park Carpark, Corner Lonsdale St and Girrahween St, Braddon ACT, no website

Broddogs

Broddogs is one of the more prominent, well-known food trucks at The Hamlet, originally set up in Belconnen, and I couldn’t go past it for my first visit to the food truck enclave. On recommendation from Fine Eating, I went for the Omi Dog – vienna frankfurt with a salad of onion, gruyere and mayonnaise dressing – and a side of chips. I waited about 5 minutes for my order (not bad at all really) and the first thing I noticed when sitting to eat was that the bun of the hot dog was hot, but the filling wasn’t. It made for an interesting contrast, with the sausage sliced up and mixed through the cold salad. I liked the raw onion flavour cutting through the otherwise creamy salad, but probably won’t order it again on a work day! The hot dog was very filling and the bun was nice and soft. Note to self: the serve of chips is massive and should be shared. They’re the same shoestring fries as Brodburger, with some magically delicious seasoning and no dipping sauce required. Whilst not as blow-your-mind good as Brodburger, Broddogs offers an affordable, filling hot dog served fast.

Broddogs, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

The Rum Bar

I met a friend for drinks at The Rum Bar on a Tuesday night and we were delighted to discover that they also offer 2-for-1 tapas on Tuesdays, making their dishes very good value. After ordering our drinks (wine for my friend, Captain Morgans with Coke and lime for me – try it, it’s amazing!), we browsed the food menu and picked one plate each to share. The food didn’t take too long to come out, and it was no hardship sitting outside admiring the waterfront while we waited. The pork belly with pumpkin, walnuts and ricotta salata came out first – it was beautifully presented on a stone plate with the pumpkin puree smeared underneath the two pieces of pork. We cut them up to share and I thought the pops of nutty flavour really made the dish. The pork itself was lovely and tender with a comforting roast flavour. Our other dish was the octopus with almond gazpacho, olives, compressed cucumber and tomatoes. I adore octopus and these pieces were thick but very tender, and went perfectly with the almond gazpacho. The olives were very small but the cucumber added a fun flavour (more like a pickle). I really enjoyed the light food and the fabulous view – try it sometime.

The Rum Bar, 6/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT                                      therumbar.com.au

Smoque

Smoque is somewhere I know I can always get a reliable, good value meal, although their food wouldn’t exactly fall into the ‘healthy’ category. This visit was spontaneous, and the three of us ended up ordering the same meal and some sides to share. We were all tempted by the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, with sliced beef, rosemary aioli, caramelised onion and cheese. I ordered mine with pickles, but was disappointed that the extra pickles weren’t half-pickles like the one on the side, but tiny grated mini pickles – not worth bothering with. My friends kindly gave me their pickles (you guys are the best). That was the only disappointment though – the sandwich was incredible. Packed with far more slow-cooked, tender beef than I’d expected, the rosemary aioli was flavoursome without being overpowering, and there was a perfect filling-to-bread ratio. We also had a side of tater tots (better known as potato gems) with spring onion, sour cream and bacon bits – these were tasty but not as tasty as the hand-cut fries, which were wolfed down and went perfectly with the aioli overflow. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for a casual weeknight meal.

Smoque Woden, 10 Bowes Street, Phillip ACT                                                             http://smoque.com.au/

Elk and Pea

Elk and Pea isn’t the first place I would think of for dinner, but when a friend wanted to try somewhere different to eat, off we went. We got a table without a booking easily on a weeknight and ordered a plate of wedges and the jerk chicken to share. This turned out a) to be an excellent decision and b) to be a heck of a lot of food. The wedges were beautifully presented, covered in corriander, tomato, cabbage, radish and sour cream (hello!), and drizzled with lime, they were scrumptiously soft and we couldn’t help but graze on them all night. We were warned that the chicken could be a 45min wait, but it came out in about 20mins and was visually very impressive. The chicken was hidden under a mountain of fresh salad, with cucumber, radish, carrot and cabbage, which was so light and contrasted the rich jerk chicken perfectly. The chicken itself was melt-in-your-mouth tender and is by far the best chicken dish I’ve eaten at a restaurant anywhere. Even better, underneath was the most delicious almond puree – denser than mash but very tasty. There was a fight over who got what for leftovers. I will be back!

Elk and Pea, 21 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT                http://www.elkandpea.com.au/

Lilotang

Dinner at Lilotang was a fine dining experience. Yes, it is pricy, and yes, the portions are small, but if you go in with that expectation, you will be in for a treat flavour-wise. My friend and I started with the avocado, okra and tuna sashimi ‘small plate’, which had just the right amount of wasabi to coax the best out of the delicate tuna cubes. Next was the umami vegetables served in an orange pot, which was my favourite dish – it took me right back to Japan. The vegetables were roasted to perfection, but what made this plate special was the miso sauce and the infused orange flavour that came from being served in a hollowed-out orange. Magic. Next we tried the chicken thigh and wagyu beef robata – both were incredibly tender and had a lovely charocal flavour. Round two of small plates was the baby octopus salad – perfectly balanced flavours – and the kara-age quail, which had a citrus and sesame sauce that was to die for. We finished with the snapper sashimi, which was fresh and just the right note to end on. A meal at Lilotang is all about the flavour – treat yourself!

Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, 1 Burbury Close, Barton ACT                                  http://lilotang.com.au/