The Knox

I heard about The Knox opening on Instagram and stopped by to check it out after visiting the Capital Regional Farmer’s Market on a Saturday morning. On arrival I went to photograph their sign and a lady seated nearby started chatting with me – turns out she’s responsible for the beautiful pots of herbs and veggies dotted around the courtyard! The vibe here is casual and comfortable, with fun, modern decor and a kid-friendly space. We only had stomach space for a snack, but the brunch mains looked fabulous! I ordered a muesli bar ($2.50) from the display cabinet and a watermelon, orange, apple and kiwi fruit juice ($7), and Dad picked the Portuguese tart ($3). Impressively, all the bakery items are made in house. The juice arrived first in a large milk bottle – there had to be at least 500ml of juice in there, making it great value. There was minimal ice and fresh mint and it was basically spring in a bottle. Absolutely delicious. The muesli bar was exactly what I wanted – a healthy-ish, slightly sweet snack, packed with pepitas, dried apple, honey and other good bits in a perfectly-sized bar. Dad devoured his Portuguese tart and we both agreed that another visit is essential for breakfast soon.

The Knox, 1/13 Watson Place, Watson ACT

Ink Bake Grill

Ok, so maybe this post is cheating a bit. I organised a lunch at Ink Bake Grill, but sadly ended up getting stuck at work, so didn’t visit the restaurant. But, one of my lovely friends brought me back a pastry, so here’s what I thought of that, until I can break free of the office and head out there (they’re only open on weekdays). The pastry my friend chose, knowing my love for raspberry, was a raspberry danish, and it was a really great size. The outer pastry was incredibly flaky and crisp, but amazingly not too messy (meaning I wasn’t embarassed eating it at my desk!). The custard inside was really luxurious and rich, and there was plenty of it so no complaints from me. Finally the raspberries dotted in the centre packed in so much flavour I couldn’t believe that was coming from so few pieces! They had a real bite, but weren’t as tart as unbaked raspberries, and they melted a bit into the custard. Mmm. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to try some of their burgers, bao and tacos too.

Ink Bake Grill, Shop 3, 7 Geils Court, Deakin ACT, http://www.inkbakegrill.com.au/welcome.html

Muse

It’s hard to keep up with all the new cafes opening in Canberra, but when I heard about Muse, a cafe/restaurant/bookshop, it went to the top of the list. We booked in on a Sunday morning and were all delighted by the space; despite the industrial feel with concrete floors, it wasn’t very noisy and fresh flowers added a nice style element. The menu had some exciting options, and I went with the most unusual – brown rice with avocado, beef tapa, chilli jam and a fried egg. As it came to the table, we could all smell the garlic rice aroma and I was delighted to see that the dish looked like bibimbap. I wasn’t disappointed flavour-wise – the beef was a bit sweet and tender, the fried egg was oozy and salty, and the garlic rice was a dream. I appreciated the fresh carrot to break up the heaviness of the rest of the dish. Our drinks arrived much later than our food, but I loved my fresh lemon and ginger tea – it was literally those two things in hot water and was the perfect digestive at the end of a lovely breakfast. I can’t wait to come back!

Muse, East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston ACT  http://www.musecanberra.com.au/#welcome

Self Preservation

I met a friend from high school at Self Preservation for a quick breakfast – it was a lovely little spot to catch up. We sat inside at a low table with little stools, and I ordered the bacon and eggs and a Primavera green juice, which came out in a lovely little jar. The juice had kale, broccoli, silverbeet, cucumber, apple, lime and basil – it was smooth and light, without any one flavour dominating and was a good serving size, although it started to separate if left for too long. The food was beautifully presented and I couldn’t believe how thick the bacon was! It had a scrumptious honey mustard glaze and was very sweet – such a great combination! Unfortunately the eggs were only just runny, but the hollandaise was really rich and delicious. Whilst the meal was a bit salty overall, I particularly liked the super-juicy roasted tomatoes – the skins were blistered so you didn’t lose the juice when picking them up with a fork. The staff were very friendly – apparently I reminded the waitress of her best friend in Ireland! – and the cafe itself was a perfect setting for a long natter. (Note: sadly, this particular bacon and eggs doesn’t seem to be on the menu anymore).

Self Preservation, 70 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                              http://www.selfpreservation.com.au/

Barrio

Some places just scream ‘Instagram me!’, and Barrio in Braddon’s Ori building has to be one of them. From the hexagonal tiles to the branded high stools, Barrio is a New York-style tiny cafe that I would love to while away an afternoon  in. A friend and I went for breakfast, so I started out with a dairy-free hot cocoa, which came out in a large camping-type mug and was made with nut milk produced in-house. I expected sweet but being cocoa, not hot chocolate, it was definitely not sweet. The nut milk has a dense froth, but it was warming and went well with the food. I had the rye with avocado and togorashi seasoning – it came out on bread you couldn’t cut with the butter knife provided, but oh the flavour! There was plenty of avocado and the seasoning was very generous – lots of sesame and just a hint of spice at the back of the throat. I loved the strips of nori on top too, but what really blew me away was the olive oil. Yep, not your traditional highlight, but the quality and flavour of the oil on that bread was out of this world. Give it a try.

Barrio, 59/30 Londale Street, Braddon ACT                                  http://www.barriocc.com/

48 Flavours

I recently spent a long weekend in Adelaide and was amazed to see how many new places have opened on Gouger Street since my last visit. 48 Flavours is one of those. The franchise has grown from Mildura and the Adelaide store is the second outlet. As the name explains, the store offers 48 flavours of icecream/sorbet, including fun flavours like blood orange, black sesame, and limoncello. Whilst not all of the sorbet flavours were on offer when I visited (I would have loved to try the pomegranate or peach flavour), they did have a good selection, including lychee, green apple, mango, lemon, Red Bull and pineapple. I ordered a double scoop in a cup ($5.50) with lychee and my staple favourite, raspberry. The serving size was very generous and there was an even amount of both flavours. The lychee was really refreshing and the more genuine of the two flavours – yes, it was sweet, but the flavour was somehow juicy like a lychee, which I enjoyed. The raspberry flavour was a bit more synthetic – it reminded me more of a Redskin lolly than of fresh raspberry – but was still lovely. Both sorbets had a grainy texture, but I’d go back to try more of their impressive flavour range.

48 Flavours, 78 Gouger Street, Adelaide SA                     http://www.48flavours.com.au/

Sweet Bones

I was quite excited to have breakfast at Sweet Bones and see what a plate without the staples of bacon and eggs was like. We went on a weekday morning and both ordered the big breakfast – this was my second visit after trying their cupcakes and I wasn’t sure what to expect from their savoury vegan fare. I needn’t have worried. My breakfast arrived with a deceptively simple mix of hummus, tomato, avocado, lightly toasted sourdough with a side of tofu scramble.  On first bite, it was clear that this was one of the best breakfast’s I’ve had in Canberra. The hummus was beautifully flavoured with a spice I couldn’t quite pick, but it elevated a standard dip into something incredible. The sourdough had great flavour and nothing beats fresh avocado. I completely loved the tofu scramble, full of mushrooms, onions, carrot, capsicum, and topped with crispy spiced pepita and sunflower seeds, which provided great textural contrast and had me wishing there was more. Not only was every mouthful delicious, it was also really filling and I couldn’t quite polish it all off, as much as I wanted to. Seriously good, healthy food.

Sweet Bones Bakery Cafe, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT       http://sweetbonescompany.com/