Little Oink

Three friends and I adventured out to Cook in Belconnen to try Little Oink, known for its cute decor and pork-themed menu. We sat outside, and my seat had company – a lovely life-sized pig statue leaning on the bench, joining the conversation. We started with drinks – coffee for my friends, a soy hot chocolate ($5) for me. Whilst not Surry Hills-good, the hot chocolate did taste of chocolate rather than just soy and came with two marshmellows – yum! After admiring the fun menu item names (om-nom-nomlette, for example), I opted for the Jordo – a brioche roll with bacon, two eggs, cheese and tomato relish ($12), and added extra avocado for $3. The food took a while to come out, but they did serve all of our meals shortly after one another, so we didn’t mind. I had to chase up the extra avocado, and when it came out it was a reasonable serve, probably half of a small avocado. The bun was packed full – there was a lot of bacon inside and it had a really great flavour. The eggs were fluffy and cooked through, and the brioche was just the right amount of sweet. We lingered afterwards and weren’t rushed – a lovely quaint spot.

Little Oink, 22 Cook Pl, Cook ACT, no website

Urban Pantry

Urban Pantry has undergone a refresh – both to its decor and its menu. The fresh, clean-looking space has made presentation a priority (as its Instagram account attests), so I met a friend visting from Melbourne there to try the new offerings. I ordered the Chef’s Pan ($18), with a poached egg, haloumi, spinach, roast tomatoes, asparagus and mushroom, which sounded like a delicious and healthy way to start the day. Our food came out quickly, and I was smitten with my dish before I took one mouthful, it was so pretty! I broke open the egg, which was dotted with quinoa, and the perfectly runny yolk oozed out to coat the assorted vegetables – mmm. I started with the good stuff – hello haloumi! It was lightly grilled, and had a nice, strong flavour without being overly salty. Winner. Next the tomatoes, which had also been perfectly seasoned and tasted like summer. Tick. I am a huge fan of asparagus and I adored this amount, steamed just right for me (not totally soft) and cut into bite-sized pieces. The mushrooms had a really deep, earthy flavour and it was great to lighten things up with some spinach. The fancy toast served on the side was fabulous too. So, delicious all round really!

Urban Pantry, 5 Bougainville Street, Griffith ACT, http://www.urban-pantry.com.au/

Local Press

I usually stick to the breakfasty items on the menu at Local Press, but this visit was definitely at lunchtime, so I ventured into the actual lunch offerings. I was tempted by the kangaroo sirloin, but being a warm day decided for the cooler salad option – a soy ginger chicken and black sesame Vietnamese salad. The plate came out and I was impressed with the vibrant colours – getting stuck in, the salad was just as fresh as it looked. The snowpeas, capsicum and broccoli were all lovely and crisp, enhanced by the fresh mint and basil and rounded off with a good kick of chilli. The noodles were a bit underdone for my taste, although it made them easy to pick up, and I loved the fresh, tangy flavour of the vinegary sauce. The black sesame and cashews added flavour hits, but the star of the dish was the chicken – beautifully tender and packed full of flavour, these pieces were plentiful and moreish. I also had one of the cold pressed juices – orange, mandarin and passionfruit, which helped me cool down from the chilli. The citrus was sweet and refreshing, and the passionfruit added a nice bite. Lovely.

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/

Eighty Twenty

I adore those beautiful spring weekend mornings when you can feel the sun shining on your face! My friend and I enjoyed one such morning sitting outside at Eighty Twenty. Another friend had recommended trying one of the acai bowls – acai isn’t my favourite flavour, but with the delicious-sounding toppings I gave the “O” bowl, one of three options, a go. Our food came out quickly, although not at the same time, and I admired the neat presentation of the strawberries, bananas, granola and toasted coconut on top. The concept reminded me of Local Press’ smoothie bowl, with a dairy-free acai blend beneath the fruit and granola. Winning combination! The granola was the rock star of this meal – crisp, sweet and full of oats, almonds and other delicious things, every mouthful was a delight. The acai blend was lovely and refreshing, with bits of ice and banana to thicken it up. I also really loved the fresh banana and strawberry – this, combined with the icy acai and the crispy granola meant the dish ticked all the flavour an texture boxes. The portion size was just right for brunch and for $14 it was reasonable value. I can’t wait to try the other two!

Eighty Twenty, 18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, http://www.eightytwentyfood.com.au/

Ivy & The Fox

As a big fan of Fox and Bow, I was very excited to try their new store, Ivy & The Fox, at ANU. Mum and I picked a table out on the lawns in dappled sunlight. We started with drinks – I picked the El Macho, a pineapple and pear juice with lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and nopal cactus. Take the time to mix this up – on first sip, all I got was cactus, cinnamon and vanilla, but once blended with the pineapple it was a beautifully balanced juice. To eat I picked the Reuben Gonzales, with house corned silverside, pickles, mustard, swiss cheese and fries – the portion was massive! The silverside was cut very thin, which is quite different to what I would have expected, and the mustard and cheese added a lot of flavour. I appreciated the bit of salad on the side, and whilst the fries were nice, I found them a bit underdone, but I prefer mine on the crispy side. Mum loved both her Oh Darla and Road Runner. The location was second to none – with glimpses of the lake all around and just the right amount of sun and shade, I can see myself spending plenty of time here.

Ivy & The Fox, Old Canberra House, ANU, Lennox Crossing Acton, ACT, http://ivyandthefox.com/

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

Milk Crate Cafe

I rarely come to this end of Civic, but was happy to make the trek to try out Milk Crate Cafe, a slightly hidden but exciting new cafe bringing a bit of New York to Canberra. All of the seating is outdoors, spilling out onto the pavement in the little urban courtyard. The staff are really friendly and when I arrived there was a steady flow of people coming in for coffee. I ordered the Istanbul Roll, which came with poached eggs, sucuk (a spicy Turkish sausage), grilled haloumi and homemade tomato relish. The roll was presented unlike any I’ve seen before, with a crisp, flaky Turkish bread lining a tin, and the filling topped inside. Unfortunately the poached eggs were cooked through, but that was the only downside. The sausage was delightfully spicy and the tomato relish had a rich, deep flavour and stopped the dish from being dry. The grilled haloumi was thin as crispbread and had a fabulous salty kick, and I loved mopping up the relish with the unusual bread. Get the eggs right guys and this is a real winner – and at only $9.50, great value too.

Milk Crate Cafe, Shop 6, 12 Moore Street, Canberra ACT, http://milkcratecafe.com.au/