Eightysix

I couldn’t resist booking in for the second Christine Manfield extravaganza at Eightysix this year. Whilst her last ‘kitchen takeover’ was Asian-themed, this time is all about India and Bhutan, in celebration of her latest book, a travel guide to the two countries. We started out with drinks – I had the ‘strawpop’ minus alcohol, with pomegranate and lychee. It was lovely and sweet, served in a small glass bottle. On the waitress’s recommendation, we started with the beetroot roti entree – the roti was perfectly puffed and crisp, deflating into soft layers of buttery goodness and enhanced by the beetroot mix on top. I loved the slight hint of heat that lingered on the back palate from the beetroot. Next up were the cauliflower pakoras – they were super moreish, cooked in a lovely batter and served with a cool raita. The cauliflower was divine, but there were also parcels of spinach leaves with lentils wrapped inside. Yum! I was very excited to try the tamarind prawns with eggplant next – sitting at the bar, we could see the giant prawns being prepared. Everything about this dish was lovely – the thick, plump prawns, the tender but not mushy eggplant and the delicate yet spicy sauce that brought the whole ensemble together. Part two is here.

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

Miss Van’s

Ah Miss Van’s, how I adore you! On this visit I branched out from my usual banh mi and went for one of the noodle salad bowls, which a colleague had raved about on our last visit. Trust me, this is something you want to order. For a very good value $12, you can get a huge bowl full of Vietnamese chicken and noodle salad perfection. I picked the ginger soy chicken option (they also have lemongrass and chilli tofu for vegetarians) and it is probably the best salad I’ve ever eaten in my life. I loved the fresh tang of the vinegary sauce, the huge quantity of incredibly fresh vegetables (bean sprouts, carrot, radish, cucumber), herbs (mint and corriander) and toasted peanuts to add even more texture. The noodles tend to hide towards the bottom, so don’t be shy mixing it up before tucking in. The chicken was so tender and the ginger soy flavour was spectacularly good – especially paired with the fried shallots on top (one of my favourite things). I can’t recommend this enough – perfectly fresh and full of flavour, this will be my go-to favourite for some time to come!

Miss Van’s, Westside Acton, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT http://www.missvans.com.au/

Kurikoan

Taiyaki is one of those quintessentially Japanese sweets that I haven’t managed to find in Australia. I don’t think we even have an equivalent, but that just means it’s more important to get it when I do go to Japan! One of my favourite places for taiyaki is Kagurazaka – Kurikoan makes them traditionally (compared to Fujiya’s take), using the fish mould and offering a range of fillings. I couldn’t help but order the red bean paste flavour, which is the original/recommended flavour. We each picked different ones (red bean paste, custard and a third one I can’t remember, maybe red bean with a nut of some sort?) and the staff were kind enough to let us dine in. I’d visited twelve months earlier and had their taiyaki set, which came with an iced tea – I’d highly recommend that option, especially in the warmer months! The taiyaki itself had a lovely slightly-crunchy, still slightly-soft shell, and the inner cavity was packed with red bean paste filling. I enjoy red bean paste as a not-too sweet option, and like taiyaki for being a light but filling snack. Give it a try when exploring Kagurazaka.

Kurikoan, Porta Kagurazaka 1F, 2-6-1 Kagurazaka, Tokyo      http://kurikoan.com/cafe.html

The Annex Cafe

I’ve walked past The Annex Cafe a few times now, but only recently got the chance to stop in and treat myself to one of their beautiful sweets! The small space is made welcoming by wooden furniture and succulents in planters on each table – otherwise there are lovely outdoor seats around the corner. The cake display cabinet is full of dietary-requirement-friendly treats, and it was hard to only pick one. Finally, I chose the lemon and raspberry cake ($7), which is gluten and dairy-free (yay!). Whilst much smaller than a slice from, say Nutrition Republic, given the density of raw cakes I probably wouldn’t have wanted it too much bigger anyway. The cake was in three layers – the coconut base, a white lemon layer and the red swirly raspberry layer, with extra coconut dusted over the top. I could clearly taste each flavour when trying the layers separately, and when combined the dominant flavour was coconut, closely followed by lemon. The raspberry seemed to fade just to add a bit of tartness to the overall taste. The whole thing was so moreish, with that fabulous texture that raw cakes have. Yum!

The Annex Cafe, 3 Waterloo Street, Glenelg SA

CBD Dumpling House

Oh dumplings, how I love you. There aren’t a huge number of restaurant offering dumplings in Canberra, but the CBD Dumpling House is (obviously) one of them. We went early on a weeknight and were seated in the window towards the back of the large, airy space. We started with a plate of prawn and pumpkin dumplings, which had a generous 14 dumplings in the serve. The prawns were whole and really tasty, with the tender pumpkin complementing the flavour nicely. The dumpling skins are a bit thick for my taste, but that was my only complaint. Dish number two was the steamed vegetables in a peanut sauce – I think this was actually the highlight of the meal, with perfectly crisp carrots, bok choy, mushrooms and broccoli that was so good it tasted creamy, doused in a heavenly peanut sauce. More please! We finished off with a plate of the shantung lamb, which is definitely not the sort of dish to have if you’re on a health kick. The pieces of spicy lamb are fried to crispy and sandwiched with fat – but gosh it tastes amazing! Reliably good food.

CBD Dumpling House, Scott’s Crossing, Canberra ACT, no website

Smoque

This is a public service announcement – Smoque offers 50c wings (yes, you read that right, 50c wings) on Monday nights for dine-in customers. Cue marching band celebratory music here. Three of us headed down to the Woden store after work to indulge – we ordered 25 wings, sides of Mexican street corn and coleslaw, and a plate of poutine (chips with gravy and curd). It was a merry feast, although my friend picked the spicy (not suicidal) wings and as much as I wanted to eat more I couldn’t – clever tactic dude, clever. The wings were freshly cooked and had a nice amount of batter without being super oily. I avoided the blue cheese dipping sauce but apparently it was great, and there were some carrot and celery sticks served with it too. The chicken was tender and fell easily off the bone – so good. The corn was a highlight, fresh and covered in delicious cheese and sauce and a bit of lime, it was a nice break from all the meat. The poutine was my favourite though – the chips were really tasty (must be made from flavoursome potatoes), and whilst I would have liked more gravy, it filled me up after I couldn’t eat any more spicy wings. Next time I’ll be getting the non-spicy ones and smashing plenty more!

Smoque, 10 Bowes Street, Phillip ACT,

Da Rosario

Lunch at Da Rosario has been on my ‘to do’ list for a while – the day we managed to go was blustry and cold, and the staff kindly offered us a seat inside at parent-restaurant Mezzalira to shelter from the weather. The menu is full of temptations, but on a work day we kept it simple – I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and my friend picked the pizza special – tomato and truffled mushroom. Both meals came out quickly and at the same time and looked like good Italian food should – simple. The food here is all about stepping back and letting the flavour combinations shine. The carbonara was delightfully creamy, but not sickeningly rich, and had cured pork cheek instead of bacon. It was fattier, but lighter too, and added just the right amount of saltiness. The dish used pecorino rather than parmesan, which meant that it complemented, rather than overpowered, the overall flavours. The portion size was generous and filling. My friend’s pizza had a thin, crispy base and minimal quantity/maximum flavour toppings. You could smell the truffled mushroom as it came out. Mmm. Perfect for satisfying an Italian food craving!

Da Rosario, 59 London Circuit, Canberra, ACT, no website