Braidwood Bakery

On the way back from the South Coast of NSW, my friends and I decide to stop in at the Braidwood Bakery for a snack to keep us going as we drove back to Canberra. There really is nothing like a good country bakery, and the one in Braidwood carries on this fine tradition of offering reliable, classic bakery food. We stopped in mid-afternoon, so decided to treat ourselves to something sweet. I ordered the small apple pie, which wasn’t actually that small! The pastry was incredible – thick, well baked and sweetened by the dusting of icing sugar on the top, biting into the crumbly pastry was a real treat. There was a good amount of apple inside, and there was plenty of sweet syrup coating it. I always like more fruit, so this pie was a little bit too heavy on the pastry side for my ideal pie, but the flavours were classic and didn’t disappoint. We ate leisurely, taking advantage of the nice weather and the outdoor seating – for a local bakery, it’s actually quite a large store with plenty of seating inside, and outside at the back. Worth a stop for tasty, reliable classics.

Braidwood Bakery, 99 Wallace Street, Braidwood NSW http://trappersbakery.com.au/?post_type=restaurant&p=3630

The Cupping Room

I met a friend visiting from Sydney for breakfast at The Cupping Room for the first time in a long time – I love eating there at breakfast time when the sunlight is streaming in! Our waitress was very friendly and happily directed me to the fresh juices to start – I chose the strawberry, apple, basil, and lime – when it arrived it looked like summer in a glass, and tasted just as refreshing. There was probably a bit too much ice for my liking, but the flavours were well-balanced and worked really well together. I chose the Heirloom Tomatoes for a lighter breakfast, and my it looked incredible on arrival – shiny, fresh tomatoes on a bed of quinoa, corn, craisins (cranberries crossed with raisins), fetta, and pepitas. The serving was large but everything was quite light and I was full but not bloated by the end. There was a great mix of textures and the craisins added lovely sweet highlights, while the pepitas had the crunch factor. The tomatoes weren’t particularly tasty themselves, but in combination with the other ingredients, including the raw onion (beware those going straight to work afterwards), they contributed to a fresh, light, dish that I would happily order again.

P.S. congratulations to Sasa Sestic for his victory in the World Barista Championships!

The Cupping Room, 1/13 University Ave, Canberra ACT  http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/

Baskin Robbins

I was first introduced to Baskin Robbins in Adelaide, but I don’t think they have many stores there now. My favourite flavour is a seasonal one called Love Potion #31, which is generally available in summer, but sometimes also pops up at random times during the year. What’s in this magic love potion, I hear you ask? Well, it starts out with white chocolate and raspberry ice creams, swirled with a raspberry ribbon and loaded with raspberry-filled dark chocolate hearts and chocolate chips. Seriously. I was delighted to see it was on offer at the Circular Quay store as I made my way back from a show at the Opera House, and grabbed a small cupful to savour. My favourite part is the dark chocolate hearts with raspberry liquid centres – the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the tartness of the raspberry balances out the sweetness of the icecream perfectly. The raspberry ripple throughout also mixes up the texture, making it one of Baskin Robbin’s more sophisticated offerings. I can’t vouch for its effectiveness as a love potion, but it sure is excellent icecream.

Baskin Robbins Circular Quay, Lot 2, Quay Grand 61-63, Macquarie Street
Sydney, NSW http://www.baskinrobbins.com.au

My’s Restaurant

On recommendation from Snow Crab Nebula, three of us decided to take a long lunch and check out the pho at My’s Restaurant in Weston. I’d never tried pho before moving to Canberra, although now it is one of my favourites and I’m always keen to try it at Vietnamese restaurants. My’s was busy but not crowded, and we were shown to a table promptly. We all ordered the rare beef pho, which came out together with a shared plate of things to add (bean sprouts, lemon, basil and chilli). Whilst the wait was a bit longer, it was considerate of them to bring all of our meals out at once. The beef was indeed just rare, and sliced perfectly thinly – there was also quite a large amount in the bowl. The noodles were soft and chewy, there was plenty of raw and spring onion and, most importantly, the broth was incredibly tasty. I am a huge fan of drinking noodle broths, and I devoured this one, although I did find myself drinking quite a lot of water for the rest of the afternoon. Definitely a new favourite and a must-visit for pho fans.

My’s Restaurant, 35 Brierly Street, Weston ACT, no website

Green Park

Friends of mine suggested Green Park as a brunch venue and I happily went along – the place was packed on a Sunday mid-morning and for good reason. The decor is, of course, a gorgeous green with plenty of plants and old books on shelves, making it feel welcoming and homely. We ordered a juice to start with, and whilst they’d run out of oranges, they offered us a detox juice. The waiter couldn’t tell us what was in it apart from ‘fruits and vegetables’ (what else is there?) but when it arrived beetroot was the obvious one. It was both mysterious and tasty! For brunch I had the smoked salmon hash, which was nicely presented with the salmon in a rosette, two hash browns and pickled beetroot. The menu had said it came with a poached egg but I didn’t get one, although what was on the plate was more than enough for me. The salmon had a lovely smoky flavour and there was plenty of it. It went well with the horseradish creme fraishe and the delicately shreded hash browns. All in all a tasty brunch in a relaxed but elegant setting.

Green Park, 815 Nicholson Street, Carlton North VIC.              www.greenparkdining.com.au

10″ Custom Pizzeria

Four of us headed out to the Hamlet in Braddon for lunch one weekday, and I was determined to try something different this visit. After much deliberation, I picked 10″ Custom Pizzeria, on the menu item the Napoletana. It sounded like a perfect pizza dream – tomato, anchovies, basil and black olives. Yes please! The lovely lady behind the counter made it in front of me and I watched it go right into the wood-fired oven. We dined in and so my pizza was served on a chopping board after being freshly cooked. It was heavenly. The base was beautifully thin and puffed up at the edges, with a lovely balance between soft and crisp. The anchovies were the star of the pizza, adding incredible flavour and saltiness that tasted better than any other pizza topping I’ve had in Canberra. I loved that you could appreciate the simple, distinct flavours of each ingredient, in authentic Italian style. I then spotted another customer with an icy drink (I’ll have what she’s having!) – a strawberry granita, served in a huge takeaway cup and full of strawberry sweetness. My friend had the pineapple and coconut one and loved it as just as much. Simple, fresh and tasty pizza, highly recommended.

10″ Custom Pizzeria, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no webiste

Adriano Zumbo Patissier

I have been a fan of Adriano Zumbo macarons for a long time. For a while, I had a tradition of trying new flavours every time I visited Sydney, but it’s been some time since I’ve stopped in. After breakfast at Sokyo at the Star, we couldn’t resist the multicolour, sweet-filled window of Zumbo’s. I’d tried all of the macaron flavours on offer, so looked further along the window to the tarts. There was an impressive array, but my eye was drawn to the peanut butter and raspberry combination called ‘Peter, Bob and John’ (PB&J). The tart was a good size and prettily presented with chunks of raspberry and peanut brittle on top. The first mouthful was silky smooth – the chocolate ganache was creamy and soft, and a perfect contrast to the sweet, slightly crispy base. The second mouthful was all about the raspberry gel (the ‘jelly’ in PB&J), which is tart compared to the sweet ganache. The peanut brittle added great textural pops, although I thought that the peanut butter flavour could have been stronger. Overall a delightful treat combining two complementary flavours. Zumbo remains the king of sweets.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW http://adrianozumbo.com/