The Gods Cafe & Bar

The Gods is so lovely! I loved working in this space, and was very excited to try my mango smoothie ($7) and P-Y-T-T-I-P-A-N-N-A (verbatim from the menu, $16), a Swedish-style breakfast with stir-fry potatos, bacon and onion, with beetroot and a fried egg. Ok, so it’s not exactly the healthiest breakfast, particularly for the carb-conscious, but there is an elegant simplicity to these flavours that I can imagine being the perfect start to a chilly Swedish (or Canberra) morning. The fried egg was cooked perfectly, oozy and runny, coating the potato which might otherwise have been a bit plain. The sprinkle of spring onions adds a great bit of bite to the dish, the bacon contributes a kick of salt and I loved the tender, flavoursome slices of beetroot that balance out the other, heavier ingredients. The sourdough toast is coated luxuriously in butter too. Oh, and the mango smoothie was spectacular – definitely worth ordering, the texture wasn’t icy at all and the mango flavour was intense and fresh. Yum! The staff were attentive without being intrusive, clearing plates and happily letting me linger to write.

The Gods Cafe & Bar, Building 16 ANU Arts Centre, Union Court, Acton ACT, http://www.thegodscafe.com.au

Lolo and Lola

Canberra is entirely to blame for my love of Filipino food – luckily, Lolo and Lola can help me feed the habit started by Kusina! The latest shipping container store to open at Westside, Lolo and Lola (formerly Waterhouse Bakery) offer fresh Filipino dishes and cakes with a menu that changes daily. I went on a Friday and ordered the Grilled Pork Tocino ($12) – cured sweet pork slices served with rice and a tomato salad – to takeaway. The portion size is fantastic – exactly the right amount of food for lunch, and I was impressed by the amount of pork in the serve. The meat was amazingly delicious – sweet as the menu says, but also very tender. The spring onion sprinkled on top helped to lift the flavour and I loved the way some of the sweet coating from the pork oozed onto the rice, which I’m sure was infused with garlic (yum). The tomato salad had wedges of fresh tomato, slices of red onion and cucumber  it was really refreshing to contrast the heavier pork and rice, but I’ll save this dish for weekends as the raw onion was strong and not ideal for going back to work! I’d very happily order this dish again and can’t wait to try more from the exciting menu!

Lolo and Lola, Westside Acton, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT, no website

Gondola Gondola

Gondola Gondola is my new happy place. I started with the Weaboo cocktail ($18) – rum, yuzu liqueur, nashi pear shrub, lime, mint and soda. This drink was basically refreshment in a glass, well-balanced and perfect for a hot day. Up first  was the salt and pepper bean curd ($12), fried so lightly that it formed the thinnest, most perfect skin over the soft curd inside. It’s super salty (in a good way), and the salad it’s served on packs some heat and epic ginger action! There were a generous 6 pieces to enjoy. Next up was the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake, $22) with pork mince, prawn and sprouts, served with lettuce, purple leaves, mint, coriander, carrot and pickled cabbage. Whilst it looked big, this was a fairly light dish – a bit like san choi bao in that you wrap the ingredients in the lettuce and add sauce. Messy, but a great mix of textures and flavours – the coriander in particular brings it all to life. Finally, we had the bun cha ($22), which was our pick of the night – the pork was utter perfection, with a super crispy skin and tender meat, plus the noodles were fabulous! Everything here is packed full of flavour and perfect – take me back!

Gondola Gondola, 1 Peel Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.gondolagondola.com.au

Remi Food & Wine Bar

I dined as a guest of Remi Food & Wine Bar. Tucked away in the sleek ground floor of 14 Moore Street, Remi has recently come under new management and offers a great value menu breakfast. I chose a comfort food favourite, shakshuka ($14) and a glass of fresh orange juice ($6), made from oranges from Leeton NSW. The juice was served with ice in a large glass, and the shakshuka was nicely presented on a wooden board with a huge pile of sourdough. I was surprised at the generous three eggs included in the dish and only one of the three had just gone past the point of being poached; the other two oozed perfectly into the tomato sauce. The dish itself was full of spinach and tomato, and whilst I would have liked a greater kick of heat, there was great depth of flavour and the sauce was well seasoned. The sourdough was excellent quality and again, I was surprised by how much was included. The service was friendly and prompt, leaving me with the impression of a good, mid-range breakfast venue doing simple classics well.

Remi Food & Wine Bar, 14 Moore Street, Civic ACT, no website

 

Old Chang Kee

Another ‘wish-I-was-in-Singapore’ flashback! I am a bit of a snacker, and no more so when I’m in a country for the first time, burning energy exploring and trying to find stomach space to eat all of the things. As such, when we arrived in Singapore and had waited a good hour for an issue with our hotel booking to be resolved, I was on a mission to find some food. Luckily, we didn’t have to go far. Old Chang Kee’s street-side booth beckoned, luring us with delicious curry scents and the promise of trying a local snack food. I ordered a single curry puff, which was presented piping hot in a bright yellow bag, which I let cool a bit before tasting. I was surprised at how thick the pastry was, but was immediately converted by the incredible filling. A dense mix of chicken, egg and potato, the curry filling was fantastically rich and spicy and jam-packed into the shell. By then I was appreciating the spice-neutralising effect of the thick pastry – although it wasn’t an unpleasant amount of spice – and the mix of textures. The puff was really filling and a perfect snack for the hungry traveller.

Old Chang Kee, Paragon Shopping Centre, 290 Orchard Road #B1-10 Singapore   http://www.oldchangkee.com/

Avesta

Avesta has opened in the space previously occupied by Pheast, adding a meat/smokehouse and Kurdish flavour to the menu. We had a group of 12 booked for lunch, and were told to sit anywhere (no table prepared for us), so we gathered the outdoor tables and set up to enjoy the warm afternoon. Things here are still a bit new – staff are still getting to know the menu and the register system, but after a long ordering process, the food came out quite quickly. I ordered the Qaisy ($25.50), a Kurdish beef and apricot dish served with almond and raisin garnished rice. The portion was the perfect size for lunch and I really enjoyed the plentiful, tender pieces of beef. The apricots had leeched their flavour into the sauce, leaving their hydrated forms with little more than texture, but the sauce had a lovely depth of flavour (but no heat). The rice was perfectly cooked and I liked being able to dip my spoon of rice into the sauce, rather than having it all in one bowl. The almonds and raisins added great texture and I would have happily added more on top. The food was slightly pricey for what it is, but everyone enjoyed their meals.

Avesta, 2 Furneaux Street, Griffith ACT, http://www.avesta.net.au/

Burganomix

Adelaide is definitely going through a burger phase, and personally, I hope it’s here to stay. The latest addition to the burger scene is Burganomix, offering classic, fresh burgers the way I remember them from my childhood. I ordered the Nomix ($16), basically the burger with the lot – patty, mayo, beetroot, fried egg, tomato, lettuce, pineapple, pancetta, onion, pickles (seriously, as if the beetroot and pineapple wasn’t enough of my favourite things on burgers) and chutney. Phew. Served on a cradboard tray with a small handful of fries, the burger was huge – both hands required! This is what burgers used to be like, packed full of fresh ingredients to the point where it’s hard to eat without making a mess. The patty was thin, but nicely herbed, and somehow all the fillings went together. Ok, she’s not the most sophisticated dame at the ball, but damn that burger was delicious. And the fries were perfect – soft inside, crispy outside. Don’t forget to say hi to Jack, the friendly proprietor, who takes the time to chat to all his customers. Yep, everything here is good and old-fashioned, just the way I like it.

Burganomix, 2/1 Colley Terrace, Glenelg SA, http://www.burganomix.com.au/