Yummy Chinese BBQ

My friend and I had been meaning to go to ‘that new hot pot place in Acton’ for a while. We went on a quiet Monday night, only to discover it was actually a BBQ place. Moving right along… We were seated and told that the endless BBQ is $35 per head, so off we went (we found out later there’s an a la carte menu too). We started with a range of BBQ skewers, which each have fairly small portions of meat on them, but were delicious nonetheless. My favourite was the first I tried – the lamb, which was dusted in what might have been cumin (?). It had a fabulous flavour and I went back a couple of times for this one. The crab was battered and reasonably ok, and we both tried the chicken hearts, which were ok, but could have done with a squeeze of lemon. I was particularly taken with the sides – my favourite was simply described as “potato”, but it was more like a sliced salad, with fresh, crunchy and slightly pickled vegetables plus a hit of corriander. The handmade rice noodles with sesame sauce were fabulous too, with a great kick of heat. Overall, we decided the meal was overpriced for the quality, but it was certainly enjoyable.

Yummy Chinese BBQ, 1 Childers Street, Acton ACT,

Smoque

Smoque is somewhere I know I can always get a reliable, good value meal, although their food wouldn’t exactly fall into the ‘healthy’ category. This visit was spontaneous, and the three of us ended up ordering the same meal and some sides to share. We were all tempted by the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, with sliced beef, rosemary aioli, caramelised onion and cheese. I ordered mine with pickles, but was disappointed that the extra pickles weren’t half-pickles like the one on the side, but tiny grated mini pickles – not worth bothering with. My friends kindly gave me their pickles (you guys are the best). That was the only disappointment though – the sandwich was incredible. Packed with far more slow-cooked, tender beef than I’d expected, the rosemary aioli was flavoursome without being overpowering, and there was a perfect filling-to-bread ratio. We also had a side of tater tots (better known as potato gems) with spring onion, sour cream and bacon bits – these were tasty but not as tasty as the hand-cut fries, which were wolfed down and went perfectly with the aioli overflow. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for a casual weeknight meal.

Smoque Woden, 10 Bowes Street, Phillip ACT                                                             http://smoque.com.au/

Wood & Coal

Being owed lunch is a wonderful thing – I’d helped my colleague out a couple of times and was promised lunch in return, so we booked into Wood & Coal. My first impression was positive – the decor is simple but tasteful, with creative tiles on the floor and a ‘balcony’ area that’s inside the mall. The menu is all about the spit-roasted meats, but there are appetising sides on offer too. We went for the lunch special, which included three different meats, tzatziki with pita bread, iceberg lettuce salad and loukoumades for dessert. So far so good. I was surprised to see that the ‘plate’ was a metal tray with divided sections (like a German bento box, my friend commented) – it seemed a bit down-market for the restaurant’s vibe. But the food removed all thoughts of plates – each meat (pork, lamb and chicken) was beautifully smoky, generously portioned and well accompanied. The pita was soft and although my serving of tzatziki was smaller than the others’ it was rich and tasty. The loukoumades were dense and very sweet – two was definitely just the right amount. We also devoured a side of the fried cauliflower – yum!

Wood & Coal, 125 Bunda Street, Civic ACT       http://www.woodandcoal.com.au/