Manchester Press

This is exactly the kind of place I wanted to eat at on my visit to Melbourne – a little place hiding on a narrow laneway, but full of life, funky decor and good food. I actually stumbled across it by accident on my laneway wanderings, and quickly decided to come back for breakfast the next day. The cafe is large and airy, with huge communal tables and lovely indoor plants dotted around the place. Whilst Manchester Press is mostly about the coffee, their food menu is all about the bagels. After much consideration, I opted for the fruit and nut bagel, which was served with mixed berry marscapone, fresh strawberries and crushed pistachios. After ordering, I was given a letterpress wood cut out ‘U’ as my table number, which was a nice touch to the Press theme. When the bagel came out I was amazed by the generous amount of marscapone and pistachio – the bagel was dense and nicely toasted, and the texture of the pistachios contrasted the smooth marscapone and the juicy strawberries perfectly. It was a great way to start the day, and the kind of place that sums up all the good things about Melbourne.

Manchester Press, 8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC, no website

Hideout

Walking back from a meeting, my colleague suggested popping in to Hideout for a coffee. It was a glorious warm afternoon and not being in any hurry to get back to the office, I agreed. Hideout wasn’t high on my ‘to visit’ list – they don’t have a large food offering, so it really is all about the coffee, which I don’t drink – but on this day I was more than happy to go along. The staff were very friendly and the service was impressive – we ordered at the counter (flat white for my colleague, soy hot chocolate for me), and our drinks came to the table in the blink of an eye. We took a seat next to the impressive bookshelf wall full of second-hand volumes, and when it arrived my hot chocolate was impressively tasty, with a lovely rich froth on the top. There are very few places in Canberra that can make soy taste good (experiences have ranged from ‘can’t taste any chocolate’ to ‘tastes like cardboard’), but for Canberra Hideout does well. It also came with two marshmellows, which was a nice bonus. The verdict? Cozy, tasty and inviting.  Hideout is aptly named.

Hideout, 6 National Circuit, Barton ACT                         http://www.hideoutcoffee.com.au

Old Parliament House

There’s not a lot on offer to eat in the Parliamentary Triangle, so when an opportunity to try something different arises, it ‘s pretty exciting. When my friend and I saw that the cafe at Old Parliament House was offering high tea, we booked in quick smart and prepared for an unusually indulgent lunch break. As with most high teas, we started with finger sandwiches – my friend is vegetarian and they happily provided cucumber and egg sandwiches for her, while I enjoyed the smoked salmon (always my favourite). We then progressed to the scones, where there were strangely three scones when we’d booked for two people. The scones were not as risen as some I’ve had but there was a good amount of jam and cream and they weren’t too heavy. The dessert tier at the top of the tray was the highlight, with five different pieces each! We sampled mini raspberry friands (beautifully buttery and tart), custard tarts, a nut brownie, a light, layered caramel slice and a handmade nougat. By then we’d had a bit of sweet overdose, but it was a fantastic selection with unusual choices, proving that it’s always worth trying something new.

Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes, ACT     http://moadoph.gov.au/visiting/cafe/

Dong Bang

I was on a quest in Seoul. Having done lots of research before going, I’d discovered that Korea has an equivalent to the Japanese taiyaki, a sweet full of red bean paste in the shape of a fish. The Korean equivalent… isn’t. In fact, the Korean equivalent is known as “poop bread”, because it is shaped as a turd. Who could resist? So I wrote down the train stations dong bang (poop bread in Korean) was meant to be available and set off on my quest. Sadly, the stall had closed at the station I went to, and I despaired of ever finding the mythical poop bread. But, lo and behold, exploring an outdoor mall in Insadong, we walked right up to the top of the spiral (like a knight climbing the spiral stairs to a fairytale tower) and what was there but a stall making fresh, steaming poop bread! I was so excited to buy one that the stall owner produced a huge pink poop bread hat for me to take a photo wearing. Yep. Not even joking. The poop bread itself was well-toasted on the outside and full of delicious red bean paste, the perfect prize at the end of a succesful quest.

Dong Bang, Ssamji-gil, Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, no website

Mint

There’s really nothing like sitting in a garden bar on a summer night, especially when you’ve managed to escape work early! We headed over to Mint at about 4:30pm on a weekday for a friend’s farewell, and arrived to an empty bar, giving us a monopoly on service and our pick of the tables. I ordered a Hendrick’s and tonic, which was poured into a long glass with great care and served with a wedge of cucumber. Unfortunately, the tonic tasted a bit watered-down, but the measure of gin was full and the service friendly. After lounging around for a couple of hours, we got peckish, so ordered a plate of hot wings and the pepperoni pizza. They came out promptly, and in serves of 6 (6 wings, 6 slices of pizza). The wings were quite salty but the dipping sauce was delicious and there was quite a bit of meat on each one. The pizza was the highlight though, with a perfectly thin, crispy base and minimal but tasty toppings in true Italian style: rich tomato, completely melted cheese and spicy pepperoni. I’ll be back to try their other pizzas and chill out in the leafy green space.

Mint Garden Bar, Gorman House Arts Centre, Batman Street, Braddon ACT http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au/mint-garden-bar/

T2B

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love tea. Quite a lot. So when I heard that one of my favourite tea brands, T2, had opened an experimental ‘brew bar’ making blends of their huge range of teas I had to stop in. T2B offers a range of products, but on arriving at the store in the Queen Victoria Building, my eye was immediately drawn to the bottled iced teas sitting in a tray of ice built into the front counter. The lady who served me was very helpful when I asked about what was in the ‘Peachy Dream’ brew – Turkish Apple for sweetness, Peach Sencha for the peach flavour and Red, Green and Dreamy rooibos (South African tea) for more peachy sweetness. I’d never tried rooibos before, so the lady kindly let me smell the rooibos first (such great service!). The iced tea comes in a generously sized bottle and on first sip was a great choice. Apart from being beautifully refreshing, the balance of flavours was delightful – the peach flavour was stong but not artificial and it was sweet without being sickly. Highly recommended for service, flavour and value.

T2B, Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, Sydney NSW    http://www.t2tea.com/brewbar/

Akiba

Part Two: Next up I was a bit spoilt – the chef shared out a sample of the kingfish sashimi – it had a surprisingly tropical flavour, probably due to the coconut and corriander – followed by the kimchi and oyster pancake I’d ordered. Now, don’t get too excited, it isn’t okonomiyaki, but it’s still delicious (and covered in bonito flakes, yum!). The main flavour isn’t kimchi, as you would expect, but the sriracha sauce, and whilst it’s a small serving, it’s quite filling. I thought I could fit one more thing in, and while I deliberated, the chef dished me up a Sydney rock oyster with black vinegar and ginger wine. He explained that they used to use this combination on pork at Sage, and were just mucking around with flavours for the oysters. It’s a winner – very refreshing and vibrant, much like the attitude and vibe at Akiba. My final dish was the pork jowl pancake with pickled white peach – this was unexpectedly creamy and rich and I preferred it to the kimchi one. Akiba made a fantastic impression (and the chefs are great for conversation!), being both considerate to a solo diner and so obviously energetic and excited about their food. Definitely a new Canberra landmark.

Akiba, 40 Bunda Street, Canberra ACT                                     http://www.akiba.com.au/