The Cupping Room

This was my first visit to The Cupping Room for lunch – finally, I could try their famous burgers! The spring menu is full of delights, and I couldn’t go past the lure of a Korean fried chicken burger with kimchi ($20) – swoon. I started with the strawberry, apple and mint juice, which was beautifully presented in a large glass and was really refreshing – strawberry and mint belong together! The burger arrived shortly afterwards and was piled nice and high with white kimchi and the fried chicken. I was expecting the chicken skin to be really crispy, but instead it was more slightly chewy to get through to the succulent meat inside. There was some magical sauce drizzled on top that brought a bit of spice to the party, since the kimchi wasn’t overly hot (thank goodness, given how much there was!). Some fresh cabbage added a bit of crunch too. I loved the fries, which were lovely and crisp and served with a generous portion of aioli – no scrimping here. Overall this was an excellent, if slightly too filling, lunch and I’d definitely come back to have it again.

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

Parlour Wine Room

When we got to Parlour, the first question my colleague asked me was ‘did you order the burger?’ I’ve got a bit of a reputation for always picking the burger, but in this case it was completely justified. Whilst not part of the $16 lunch specials (a meal and glass of wine/beer included), the Parlour Burger was excellent value for $18, served with shoestring fries in the cutest little pot. The burger itself was very tasty, with the patty cooked to be just a touch pink (perfect), and a great charring on the outside. The beef was coarse but not too coarse, and I particularly enjoyed the slathering of cheese on top. What made this burger stand out was the onion ring smack bang in the middle. Yep. Hello deep-fried oniony goodness (none of this reconstituted business, thank you very much). And the bacon – that was pretty great too. Not to mention that the tomato was thoughtfully sandwiched in between the patty and lettuce, so that it didn’t make the soft brioche bun soggy. I probably shouldn’t have, but I finished all of the shoestring fries – gosh they were good, with a perfect amount of crispy outside and soft inside. No criticisms here at all.

Parlour Wine Room, 16 Kendall Lane, Acton ACT  http://www.parlour.net.au/

Bobo’s Diner

I have blogged many times about the need for a good, hearty burger, and that was exactly what I felt like when I met my colleagues at Bobo’s Diner in Frankston. They decided to share a plate of ribs, but I was sucked in by the promise of beef, cheese, lettuce and Bobo’s burger sauce that was ‘the original’. The food came out quickly and whilst the filling of my burger huddled like an island amid the sea of bun, once I got to that filling it was oh so good. The patty was wonderfully thick and packed full of ground beef (definitely not beef mince). The cheese and burger sauce added a huge amount of flavour and I actually did really like the soft but slightly crisped bun. The chips were tasty but nothing to write home about – they needed sauce and whilst the mustard on the table was tempting, I went for plain old tomato instead. My colleagues enjoyed the flavour of the ribs but were disappointed that there wasn’t more meat on them. The diner is open until late, and the staff happily let us work away as we ate.

Bobo’s Diner, 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC                                          http://www.bobosdiner.com.au/

Me & Mrs Jones

I haven’t been to Me & Mrs Jones in years, and I have very fond memories of their shantung lamb burger from way back when. With that memory in mind, I picked from the sandwiches part of the menu on this weekday visit with a group of friends. I was actually running late for lunch, and when I arrived the waitress took my order of the ‘Finger Lickin’ Chicken’. Amazingly, my meal came out with everyone else’s (hats off to the kitchen staff!) and it looked fabulous. Of course, it tasted fabulous too. The chips were lovely and soft inside and I’m a sucker for a good aioli – this one didn’t let me down. I ended up cutting the burger in half to eat, and whilst it was a bit messy, I devoured every mouthful! The chicken was really plump and tender, but the real magic came from whatever honey sauce had been drizzled on top. Hello deliciousness! The coleslaw added a nice bit of fresh crunch, and I’m a fan of traditional soft burger buns used here. Friends had the beef burger and I don’t think it’ll be too long until I come back to try that. Fabulous food and impressive service.

Me & Mrs Jones, 26 Giles Street, Kingston ACT, http://www.mmjones.com.au/

Miss Peaches

Miss Peaches promises soul food, and that’s what we went seeking on a chilly Wednesday night. Bringing Southern American to Newtown, Miss Peaches takes up the space formerly occupied by the Marly Bar. We arrived as they opened, and snagged a table overlooking the street, after admiring the art in the hallway. Their cocktail list sounds fantastic (will have to go back for that), but we got right into the food. I ordered the smoked brisket po’boy, which comes with onions, pickles, mustard and gravy, as well as a serve of fries. The po’boy itself was a good size, and was packed with thickly-shredded brisket doused in gravy. Mmm. I am a huge fan of pickles and there was a very generous amount in the roll, which was light and just the right thickness. It’s not an elegant meal to eat, but dipping the fries into the gravy was particularly satisfying and delicious. Dad tried the gumbo – it was very spicy, but had a great complex flavour that I would probably have enjoyed more with a touch less spice. We were there very early, but I can imagine a really great atmosphere with some live music on a weekend. Soul food? Fo’ sho’.

Miss Peaches, 201 Missenden Road, Newtown, Sydney    http://www.misspeaches.com.au/

The Grounds of Alexandria

My last visit to the Grounds was about a year ago, so we booked in for a Friday lunch at the Cafe (having tried The Potting Shed last time). We were seated on the porch outside, where we could soak up the sun and watch the world go by. I started out with a berry smoothie (dairy-free), with berries, coconut flesh and coconut water. I found all that coconut a little overpowering for a smoothie called ‘berry’, but it had a good texture and was a reasonable size. For lunch, I fulfilled my usual stereotype  – my collegue always teases me for ordering the burger but I just couldn’t go past it! The ‘Ground’ Burger has a beef brisket patty, cheese, lettuce, pickles and mayo and came with a serve of chips. Oh man, those chips. They were perfect – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served with an amazing aioli. The burger itself was everything a good burger should be – it reminded me a bit of my beloved royale with cheese at Lonsdale Street Eatery – and had plenty of pickles. The beef was very high quality and the cheese and mayo were lovely and oozy. Let’s do that again sometime soon.

The Grounds of Alexandria, Shop 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, NSW    http://groundsroasters.com/

Patissez

There should be a special category of foodie award for people who get out of bed and manage to successfully leave the house when it’s -6 degrees outside for the sake of food. Just saying. Four brave souls, this one included, met for a 9am breakfast at Patissez on an icy Canberra morning. I started with a soy hot chocolate (probably sits around the middle of the Canberra pack, needed a bit more chocolate flavour) and picked the ‘Porky’ sandwich to eat. I’d heard the portions were big, but I wasn’t prepared for the GIANT BURGER that turned up. The brioche bun was quite crumbly so I ended up eating with cutlery. The overall flavours were great – super morish bacon jam, fried egg, fresh rocket and tomato sauce – but the pulled pork itself was a little disappointing (it didn’t have a lot of flavour). Unfortunately my meal arrived long before the rest, and my friend who got her meal last then had to wait another 5 minutes for a spoon to be able to eat said meal, which dampened the otherwise warm and friendly service experience. With a few tweaks this could be an excellent breakfast destination.

Patissez, Shop 2/21 “The Lawns” Bougainville Street, Manuka ACT, no website