Buvette

Buvette’s Petit Feast has become the hottest new thing for Canberra foodies to indulge in – and what a treat! My friend and I booked a few weeks in advance and were delighted by the whole experience ($65pp). I’ll post about the sweets separately, but on arrival you start with the savoury course, served with a glass of rose and a separate plate with your oyster. The oysters were huge, although they had probably the strongest oceanic flavour of any oyster I’ve ever had, so it might not be to everyone’s tastes. We started with the finger sandwiches – the top two were salmon, the bottom two tomato and cheese – which had been made fresh and were both light and tasty. Next up was the spinach and zucchini quiche, which had very short, sweet pastry and a luxurious, silky-smooth filling. Yum. The tiny beef pies were elegant and flavoursome, but I was particularly excited for the cold meats. The jamon definitely stole the show (my friend’s pick of the whole feast) and was closely followed by the guyere cheese, which was so tasty we kept our leftovers for the doggie bag. The manager came to check on each table (very classy) and told us it was imported from France. The olives were also a nice respite from the richer items. Stay tuned for the sweet course…

Buvette, Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT, http://buvette.com.au/

Beef & Barley

My last visit to Beef & Barley was just after they had opened, so when I popped by for a solo dinner, I was excited to see that the menu had evolved and grown. Unable to resist the lure of a beef burger with chorizo, I ordered the Atomic Boss ($18.50), with fried onion, smoked mozzarella, pickles, tomato relish, rocket and a choice of house BBQ or ‘fire’ sauce (I went for BBQ). All burgers come with a side of sweet coleslaw and beer-battered chips, and I was delighted to see that they’ve wound back the sugar on the chips, compared to my last visit. The slaw was crunchy and covered in a creamy (thousand island?) dressing, which helped cut through the richness of the burger. Whilst not the most glamorous thing to eat, the burger was utterly delicious – I LOVED the combination of a good quality, perfectly cooked patty, plus the really smoky, spicy hit of the chorizo. This wasn’t supermarket-grade chorizo, and its quality smokiness really worked well with the house BBQ sauce. I couldn’t finish all my chips, but they were crisp and tasty and, really, I enjoyed this meal. A lot.

Beef & Barley, Corner of Eyre Street and Kingston Waterfront, Kingston ACT, http://www.beefandbarley.com.au

 

Hoi Polloi

I may have forgotten that stopping in at Hoi Polloi requires one to take a long lunch from work…oops. Anyway, my friend and I dined in one long weekday lunch, both keen to try something we hadn’t eaten before on the menu. I was sorely tempted by the burger (created by the awesome Bec), but instead I was drawn in by the sandwich option – essentially a reuben, with corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. The sandwich came out and I realised what a task I had ahead of me. It was huge! Not only that, but it came with a large serve of chips, which I can’t resist. To be totally honest, I found the sandwich a bit disappointing. The beef was rather bland, leaving the cheese and the sauerkraut  to do all the heavy lifting on the flavour. I know that corned beef can be like this, but I found the blandness exacerbated by the weirdly homogenous, smooth texture of the meat – it was clearly broiled. I did appreciate the good quality bread, but I probably wouldnt order this again. The chips were really tasty though, and my friend enjoyed a noodle special with tuna; one for two on this visit.

Hoi Polloi, Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.hoipolloioph.com/

7th and Bake

I’m not the most outgoing person, but I was really looking forward to meeting Bec from Inexplicable Wanderlust in person, after months of reading one another’s blogs. We had breakfast at 7th and Bake, which was drenched in autumn sunlight despite the chilly air. Perusing the menu, I landed on the Hot Smoked Salmon ($19.90), served with smashed avocado, a hash brown, poached eggs, watercress and a honey and lime dressing. The plate was beautifully presented, and we both spent a good few minutes photographing our food unashamedly, as only food bloggers can. The salmon was indeed hot, although the heat seemed to mask some of the smoked flavour. The meat was perfectly cooked, flaking into soft pieces, and the portion was quite large, making it great value for money. The eggs were poached perfectly, and ran nicely into the crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside hash brown, one of my favourite breakfast things. The avocado was the only disappointment, tasting more like a lemon-drenched avocado dip than fresh avocado, but otherwise I enjoyed every bite of this meal, not to mention the great conversation. Worth a visit – I hear their pastries are excellent too.

7th and Bake, 144/41 Eastlake Parade, Kingston ACT,

Red Brick Espresso

Not being a coffee drinker, Red Brick wasn’t too high on my foodie list, but a friend invited me there for a catch up and so off I went. The brunch menu is actually quite good, with a few breakfasty options and a few lunchy options. I chose a classic fried egg and bacon roll ($10.90), mostly because it was served with kewpie mayonnaise! We sat inside, admiring the texta-art scene drawn on the wall, showing the local shops. I also drooled a bit over the danishes and pastries at the counter, but decided to be good. This time. The roll came out fairly quickly, and I was very happy to see egg yolk oozing down the side (yay!). The toasted brioche bun was quite substantial, and I was pleased by the amount of bacon included in the serve. The bacon was a bit fatty, but there was enough crispy bits mixed in to not be a problem. Rocket is my favourite ‘leafy green thing’, particularly when paired with creamy kewpie, which brings out the sharp bitey flavour of the rocket. Overall this was a nice breakfast, although nothing particularly outstanding. I’d come back to try the lunchy options.

Red Brick Espresso, Shop 4/35 Curtin Place, Curtin ACT, http://redbrickespresso.com.au/

79 & Fine

79 & Fine has recently opened in Hobart Place, bringing a flavour of the Hamptons to Canberra. The space is warm and inviting, and I was drawn to the pastry display like a bee to nectar. Mmm. Pastries. Instead, I did the grown up thing and had a bacon and egg roll ($10), plus an orange and apple juice ($7). The staff were really friendly and welcoming, bringing over the concise menu (two breakfast options) on a board for us to choose. When my friends’ orders of smashed avo ($16) came out, I had a bit of order envy (so beautifully presented), but my roll was huge when it arrived. Served on a toasted brioche bun, the roll has “double bacon” and plenty of egg scramble, plus lashings of BBQ sauce and aioli. The ingredients are simple but they work well together in a hearty, comforting way – there’s just enough sauce without it oozing out and the bacon was cooked with the right balance of crisp and tender. I really enjoyed my juice too, with plenty of froth and a crisp, clean orange and apple flavour. I can’t wait until they add the lobster roll to the lunch menu – I’ll be back soon!

79 & Fine, 1 Hobart Place, Canberra ACT, http://www.79andfine.com.au/

Pressed Juices

On an unexpectedly warm autumn day, I found myself craving juice. I always enjoy stopping in at Pressed Juices, with their pretty display fridge and fun, fresh flavours. I hadn’t tried any of their new autumn menu, so the lady kindly allowed me to sample a couple of flavours. The Pink Lemonade had a really zesty flavour, with a strong buzz of lemon and ginger overlaying the strawberry flavour, which I really enjoyed. But I was sucked in my the ingredients list for the Antiox 2 ($9.50) – hello orange, raspberry, pomegranate and tumeric! Orange and raspberry and two of my favourite flavours, and, really, who can go past pomegranate? I took this juice home and devoured it pretty quickly – the serve was two full glasses. The citrus zest of the orange is smoothed out nicely by the tartness of the raspberry and pomegranate, making a surprisingly even flavour profile. The tumeric was hard to split out, but I think it definitely contributed to the well-rounded flavour of the juice. I love the freshness of the juices here – there’s nothing artificial, so you need to drink them within a couple of days of purchase (if you can wait that long!). Once again, Pressed has impressed.

Pressed Juices, 14-16 Franklin Street, Manuka ACT, http://www.pressedjuices.com.au/