Chasing Mr Morris

Donuts are something that I associate with my childhood – my brother was (actually, still is) a donut fiend and as such it was often the treat we would end up getting from the local shops. It has been many years since I’ve had a good iced donut, so when I visited The Hamlet and saw that Chasing Mr Morris (whose Instagram account I adore) had beautiful iced donuts, I was in. I picked the Earl Grey flavour for myself, and picked up a couple of Salted Caramel for my colleagues. On first bite, I was instantly transported back into childhood – that familiar donut flavour is right up front, with just the right hint of cinnamon and buttery richness. Mmm. I found that the Earl Grey flavour was quite subtle – I had expected stronger bergamot overtones – but that this didn’t stop me devouring every crumb. My colleague found the same with the Salted Caramel – the salty flavour only started to come through towards the end – but from all accounts it was equally delicious. Chasing Mr Morris has a fabulous food truck, full of succulents and granny blankets, and is doing an awesome job bringing donuts back!

Chasing Mr Morris, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

N2 Extreme Gelato

I’m in denial that summer is over, so over the next few weeks I’m going to share icecream reviews every Thursday (#icecreamthurs). Mmm, icecream. I’ve been super excited about Good Food Month’s Night Noodle Market coming to Canberra and so a few foodie friends and I went for opening night. N2 have come from Melbourne to be part of the market and they brought two options to share with us on the menu – the Ferrero Reveal and the Brokeback Moment. I chose the former, with Nutella gelato, crushed hazelnuts, a rice bubble choc top and a warm chocolate ganache syringe. The choc top was quite solid and there was plenty of chocolate – with the rice bubbles it actually tasted like coco pops (yum) and I tried to save it to mix through the gelato underneath. The ganache in the syringe had gone a bit cold, so was tough to extract, but it added a rich decadence that wasn’t over the top. The gelato itself was creamy and had a strong Nutella flavour, which didn’t fade, and there was plenty of it in the small cup. Only a few more nights left to go back and have it again!

N2 Extreme Gelato, Enlighten Night Noodle Market until 8 March, http://n2extremegelato.com.au/

 

Mocan & Green Grout

Being a crazy plant lady, Mocan & Green Grout is a happy place for me. I love the hanging baskets and veggie garden out the front, and the wooden interior with the giant share table in the middle. There’s just something cozy about it. On this visit, I was meeting friends for breakfast and had trouble picking what to eat – so many delicious-sounding options! I ended up chosing the ‘smashed eggs’, which came with mushroom, goat’s curd and black garlic. It was hard to imagine what that would look like, but when it came out I was very glad I’d picked it. The presentation was immaculate, with the part-scrambled, part-poached eggs I’d enjoyed so much at Wharf One making the majority of the meal, served with slices of radish, toast and lettuce leaves, as well as a dust that I couldn’t quite pick (it was a bit peppery). The black garlic was like a paste and lifted the flavour of the eggs, although the mushrooms were so tasty they didn’t need much to shine. The toast was a bit too crispy for me, but the sourdough was tasty and overall it was quite an excellent meal. I’ll be back for more soon.

Mocan & Green Grout, 1/19 Marcus Clarke Street, New Acton, ACT http://mocanandgreengrout.com/

Ostani

There were a couple of food options at the Night Market at the Realm complex, but my friend and I couldn’t go past the sliders on offer from Ostani. Before the queue got too long, we ordered one of each of the two flavours – BBQ pork and chipotle beef. They were obviously well prepared for churning out food quickly, and we only waited about five minutes before our orders were ready (so fast!). I tried the pork first – it was incredibly tender and really did just melt in your mouth. On my last mouthful I had a lovely hit of corriander, which would have been perfect if it had been throughout. The brioche bun wasn’t overly sweet, but the pork and I want to say char-sui sauce had an overall sweet flavour. The beef was fantastic too, with quite thick chunks and a rich tomatoey sauce. For fast street food, we were very impressed with the quality – two was also just the right amount to leave room for dessert! The market itself was lovely – not overly crowded, with plenty of variety among the stalls and fabulous live music all creating the perfect atmosphere for a summer evening.

Ostani, Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT                                   http://www.ostani.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/

Hippo Co

I don’t often go out for drinks, but on this occassion a few of us wanted to keep the party going after attending our friend’s wedding. We were quite dressed up, so decided to head into town and try the cocktails at Hippo. The bartender explained that they’re usually more of a ‘winter bar’, but throughout our time there, plenty of groups arrived and settled in for the evening. The cocktail menu had a number of options that ticked boxes for me – I prefer a gin base, and so went with the ‘Charlie Chaplin’, which, according to the bartender, pre-dates the Cosmopolitan and is a better cocktail. I’d have to agree. He carefully constructed the drink, including squeezing fresh lime into the mix of sloe gin and apricot brandy, having rubbed the skin across the outer rim of the glass, which resembled the 1920s-style champagne glasses.  The cocktail itself was lovely and light, with a complex flavour that ended with an overtone of lime. I happily nursed mine, but felt that it did taste better initially when it was colder than later in the evening. I could have easily sipped several – I will be back soon to do just that!

Hippo Co, 7 Garema Place, Canberra ACT,                            http://hippoco.com.au/

Akiba

I raved about Akiba on my lunch excursion, but it seems word hasn’t got out yet that they’re open for breakfast. The menu was very limited – only three food items – but that made the choice an easy one. I picked the ‘aki-bun’, a breakfast bao with bacon, egg and pickled fennel. The waiter explained that they’d just set up their juicer to make fresh juice, so I ordered a juice with all of their fruit (you can choose your combination) – orange, apple, pineapple and grapefruit. The food arrived first, and my first impresison was that it was a small meal, which is fine for $6. The yolk of the fried egg was beautifully runny, and there were three strips of lean bacon inside the springy bao. I found the spicy rice seasoning a bit overpowering and quite strong for breakfast, but it did complement the pickled fennel well. Our juices arrived towards the end of the meal (we weren’t charged for them due to the long wait) – I couldn’t taste any pineapple, but the other flavours were clear and fresh. I think having the juice with the meal would have tempered the spiciness, so I’ll be back to try the other two items as they settle into the breakfast service.

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