Schnitzel Haus

When my brother came to town for a work trip, his one request was to have a good schnitzel. Rejoice, brother, said I, for a Schnitzel Haus has opened in Braddon! And off we went. The menu at the Schnitzel Haus is quite extensive, and you first need to choose what type of schnitzel you’d like (pork, chicken or veal). I opted for the veal, and picked the Mexican – schnitzel topped with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos. I was tempted by the schnitzel burgers, but decided to go the whole hog on my first visit. So, when my schnitzel came out, it was really, really big. Like, ‘how on earth am I going to eat ALL this?’ big. But man it was delicious. The crumb was wonderfully thin and the veal was lovely and tender and who doesn’t love Mexican toppings? I didn’t eat many chips – they were lovely, but were taking up much-needed schnitzel space – but I really appreciated having the salad to balance out the meat. It had a light oil dressing which was perfect. The only downside was the noise – we arrived late-ish, and it was still really hard to hear one another across the table. Other than that, it got the thumbs up from both of us.

Schnitzel Haus, Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                       http://theschnitzelhaus.com.au/braddon.html

Chat Thai

I met a couple of friends in Sydney for dinner and asked them to decide where to eat. I was super excited when they took me to Chat Thai, somewhere I hadn’t tried in the Pitt St Westfield. Chat Thai’s menu is well-designed with modern graphics and plenty of choices, and the interior of the restaurant is dimly lit with several large, share tables running down the middle. We sat at the end of one, and spent quite some time studying the menu. In the end I decided against the noodle soups, spicy salads and the curries, and went for the crab omelette on the specials menu. The omelette was massive when it came out and in the end I couldn’t finish the whole thing. It appeared to have been deep fried on the outside, leaving a golden, slightly crispy outer with a fluffy, creamy inner that had fabulous textural contrast. The fresh corriander really brought the whole thing to life, and I would have loved more of the spicy dipping sauce to go with it. By the end I did feel like it was a bit rich and oily, but the crabmeat was tender and tasty. I will be back!

Chat Thai, Westfield Sydney, Level 6, 188 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW           http://www.chatthai.com.au/

Kusina

I’d never tried Filipino food before my friend booked a group of us in for Kusina’s Boodle Feast. The Feast happens on the last Sunday of the month and the menu changes every time, so regulars get to try new things. The exciting part is that there are no plates or cutlery – you have banana leaves as plates and go back to basics eating only with your hands. We had a group of seven, so had two platters (they’re designed for four) jam packed with garlic rice, salmon, potato salad, pork belly, curry, deep-fried prawns, salted eggs, corn and fried chicken. Yep. That’s a lot of delicious food! My favourite was undoubtedly the pork belly -tender, fatty and with a delicious soy dipping sauce, it vanished quickly from our platter. The salmon had a cheesy-baked topping that was really perfect for the fish, and I liked the cold potatoes for some vegetable content. The prawns were lovely and spicy, and the chicken was so crisp I had to go back for more. The rice was completely addictive – I would have happily just had that for dinner – and the portions were well-judged for the number of people. I think I’ve found a new favourite.

Kusina, Cooleman Court, Weston ACT http://www.kusina.com.au/

The Copper Pan

On a stop at the St Ives shopping centre to pick up a few bits and pieces, Dad and I decided to grab a snacky lunch. We wandered the food court, and then discovered The Copper Pan – hello! The setup here is so lovely – lots of pot plants and a nice mix of metal and wood in the decor. The staff happily let me just order a juice, while Dad had a beef pie. My juice came out quickly in a huge mason jar with a handle and had the excellent combination of watermelon, apple and orange – it was so refreshing and the fruit had obviously been freshly cut. I do love a frothy juice and this one had plenty. Dad found his pie a bit lacking on the filling, but with a nice pastry. We didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy our snack-lunch, but I’d happily come back here for a more leisurely meal. It seemed quite family-friendly too. We picked up a couple of pastries on the way out and the caramel slice was to die for. Yep, will definitely be back!

The Copper Pan, 166 Mona Vale Rd, St Ives NSW, no website

Cow & the Moon

When you’re awarded the best gelato in the world, you have some serious bragging rights. Cow & the Moon has earned those bragging rights – but does their gelato live up to the hype? I visited on a Saturday after lunch and was delighted not to have to line up. We got a few flavours to share, starting with the sorbets – apple & wasabi and black on black (blackberry). First up, let me say that the texture of these sorbets is really something special. They’re so thick and creamy for something without dairy! Black on black was tasted just like biting into a blackberry chewy lolly – rich, a bit tart and really luscious. I expected the wasabi to hit me in the face with the apple sorbet, but instead it was beautifully subtle, rounding off the sharpness that green apple usually has and adding complexity on the back palate. Yum. We also tried the hazelnut roche (so, so good), but my highest praise went to the divine fig and walnut gelato – it tasted golden and I could have devoured bowls and bowls of it. So the answer is yes, it does live up to the hype – check them out!

Cow & the Moon, 181 Enmore Road, Enmore, NSW, no website

Kinn Thai

It’s always lovely to catch up with friends who have been overseas – deprived of good South-East Asian food in Europe, they asked to have Thai for lunch so we agreed to meet at Kinn Thai. I was very excited to see a red duck curry on the menu (it’s one of my favourites) so we ordered that along with the crispy pork belly and chicken pad thai to share. The pork belly came out first and I think it was my pick of the three – I loved the crispy skin and tomato on the top. All the flavours, including the added dressing, just worked, and I probably ate more than my share of the plate! Next was the red curry – this was the favourite for most of the table. There was a perfect balance of spiciness and flavour, with tender duck, pieces of lychee and good helpings of tomato and chilli. I would recommend this as hearty comfort food without hesitation. Finally we shared the large plate of pad thai, which had plenty of chicken and bean sprouts, and was perfect with a drizzle of lemon on top. Thai cravings very well satisfied!

Kinn Thai, 125 Bunda Street, Canberra ACT                                                    http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/

Hopetoun Tea Rooms

Stopping in at the Hopetoun Tea Rooms is becoming a Melbourne tradition for me. I am completely in love with their window display and their William Morris wallpaper, and I could happily spend days working my way through the tea menu. On this occassion, I met a friend and we managed to get a table without having to queue. The line grew quickly after we were seated, though, so you have to either time your visit well or be prepared to wait. I started with a pot of Buddha’s Finger tea – oolong with peach characteristics. The tea was strongly flavoured, and, as with all of their teas, best consumed fairly quickly, as it started to go bitter as it cooled. I couldn’t resist a big slice of cake, so picked the raspberry sponge as my snack – the piece was quite large and full of cream. The raspberries on top and throughout were plump and fresh, and added a nice tartness to the overall sweetness of the slice. The sponge was lovely and moist, and the raspberry coulis served on the side was divine. Everything here – from the cake to the decor – is lovely.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms, Block Arcade, 282 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC    http://www.hopetountearooms.com.au