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/

Salotto

I’ve been keen to try Salotto in Kingston since it opened last month, so when my friend came back from a long overseas trip, we headed there to catch up. We started with drinks – unfortunately my mojito, whilst a generous size, was like having a lot of rum punch you in the face – there was no subtlety and I couldn’t come close to finishing it, it was so alcoholic. We picked the gameroni all’aglio as our entree, prawns in garlic chilli oil ($18), with a side of Italian bread ($6.50). We were both quite disappointed that for the price, we only received three prawns. We did enjoy soaking the tasty oil up with the bread, but I would probably skip to the main next time. I ordered the saltimbocca for my main and this redeemed the food experience. The meal was very generously portioned and the veal was lovely and tender, perfectly matched with steamed asparagus, baby broccoli and lovely roast potatoes. Salotto does have a great atmosphere, and the staff were happy to let us sit and chat with plenty of time passing between courses, which was just perfect for the occasion.

Salotto, 25 Kennedy Street, Kingston ACT, http://salottobar.com/

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/

Fillos Souvlaki

Make way Canberra, a new venue has joined the ranks of food coma, meat sweat-inducing deliciousness. Welcome, Fillos Souvlaki! A recent addition to the Hamlet’s collective of food trucks, Fillos Souvlaki offers souvlaki as either a pita or a plate, with lamb, pork and vegetarian options. I went for the lamb pita ($12.50), and on reflection I probably should have fasted for some time prior to trying to eat it! My meal was prepared in two minutes flat – even the lady handing me the roll couldn’t believe it was ready so quickly! Inside the rather thick pita bread was a large amount of beautiful chunks of lamb, some serious chips, plenty of garlic sauce (yes!), and a nod to non-deep fried vegetables with some onion, tomato and lettuce thrown in for appearance’s sake. But we all know I’m here for the lamb. Whilst not melt-in-your-mouth, the cubes of lamb were really tasty and I didn’t mind the effort of chewing them a lot to extract the flavour. The chips were at just the right mid-point between crispy and soggy for belonging in a roll. I’d be keen to try the plate next time – bring it on!

Fillos Souvlaki, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Local Press

Sometimes I feel like this blog is a bit of a love letter to Local Press. Every time I eat there I have a consistently excellent experience, and this time was no exception. Having not tried it before, I opted for the smoked leg ham toasted sandwich, while my friends tried the French toast and the porridge. The food came out quickly, and I was struck by the vibrant colours on the plate. The menu didn’t mention that the sandwich came with a salad, so that was a pleasant surprise. The fresh rocket and capsicum was a perfect way to lighten up the rich toastie. And what a toastie it was! The bread had obviously been pan-fried in butter – it oozed with deliciousness and the flavour was incredible. I chose to add a fried egg into the filling and it went really well with the thick-cut leg ham (slightly chewy, but really tasty), the fresh tomato and the tasty cheddar. The whole breakfast was so hearty and I think it would have still been super filling, even without the added egg. The other dishes looked great too – I’ll be back soon to try them out!

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

Chez Kimchi

Dinner at Chez Kimchi was my first taste of Korean Fried Chicken (KFC). I’ve had Japanese-style variants, but this was my first authentic experience. We were very excited to explore the broad-ranging menu. We ordered the kimchi pancake, the vegetable bibimbap and the “Incredible” fried chicken, and I started out with a cup of apricot tea served hot – it was beautifully sweet and warming. We sampled the five complementary appetiser dishes – kimchi, seaweed salad, potato in a sweet sauce, pickled cabbage and a bean sprout salad – then got stuck into the kimchi pancake, which seemed a bit more like an onion pancake with kimchi sauce in the batter. There were a couple of pieces of kimchi but it wasn’t quite as kimchi-flavoured as I expected, although the portion size was generous. The KFC was next – coated in an unctuous, soy-ginger sauce, the wings were nicely battered and had plenty of meat on them. This was definitely the highlight of the meal. We thought we’d left the bibimbap long enough to make the rice go crunchy on the bottom but it hadn’t quite – this dish needed the red sauce served with it to stop it being dry, but the veggies included were a good mix. A new favourite for sure.

Chez Kimchi, Shop 11, 70-86 Bunda Street Civic, ACT, no website

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/