Little Brooklyn

Merry Christmas!  Here’s some #burgerweek goodness to help the celebrations! Little Brooklyn is one of those lovely places I always mean to spend more time at but rarely end up visiting, so I was excited to go back with friends for a catch up lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We started with a jug of sangria ($25), which was reasonably sized and packed full of fruit (oranges, blueberries and strawberries plus mint). I found it a little bit weak, given the amount of ice, but it was refreshing and tasty. For lunch I ordered the Big Brooklyn Burger, with angus beef, bacon, cheese, pickles, caramelised onion & brooklyn ketchup. I do love a good burger, and this didn’t disappoint. The beef patty was really thick and cooked to perfection (slightly pink inside, lovely!). Adding to the flavour, there were plenty of pickle slices (one of my favourite things), loads of ketchup and even more tastiness from the bacon. I also really loved the chips, which came with a small bowl of aioli, and the meal was so filling that I couldn’t quite finish my burger. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere relaxed – keep doing your good thing guys.

Little Brooklyn, 14 Jardine Street, Kingston ACT, http://www.cocu.com.au/little-brooklyn/

Miss Van’s

Ah Miss Van’s, how I adore you! On this visit I branched out from my usual banh mi and went for one of the noodle salad bowls, which a colleague had raved about on our last visit. Trust me, this is something you want to order. For a very good value $12, you can get a huge bowl full of Vietnamese chicken and noodle salad perfection. I picked the ginger soy chicken option (they also have lemongrass and chilli tofu for vegetarians) and it is probably the best salad I’ve ever eaten in my life. I loved the fresh tang of the vinegary sauce, the huge quantity of incredibly fresh vegetables (bean sprouts, carrot, radish, cucumber), herbs (mint and corriander) and toasted peanuts to add even more texture. The noodles tend to hide towards the bottom, so don’t be shy mixing it up before tucking in. The chicken was so tender and the ginger soy flavour was spectacularly good – especially paired with the fried shallots on top (one of my favourite things). I can’t recommend this enough – perfectly fresh and full of flavour, this will be my go-to favourite for some time to come!

Miss Van’s, Westside Acton, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT http://www.missvans.com.au/

Kusina

I’d never tried Filipino food before my friend booked a group of us in for Kusina’s Boodle Feast. The Feast happens on the last Sunday of the month and the menu changes every time, so regulars get to try new things. The exciting part is that there are no plates or cutlery – you have banana leaves as plates and go back to basics eating only with your hands. We had a group of seven, so had two platters (they’re designed for four) jam packed with garlic rice, salmon, potato salad, pork belly, curry, deep-fried prawns, salted eggs, corn and fried chicken. Yep. That’s a lot of delicious food! My favourite was undoubtedly the pork belly -tender, fatty and with a delicious soy dipping sauce, it vanished quickly from our platter. The salmon had a cheesy-baked topping that was really perfect for the fish, and I liked the cold potatoes for some vegetable content. The prawns were lovely and spicy, and the chicken was so crisp I had to go back for more. The rice was completely addictive – I would have happily just had that for dinner – and the portions were well-judged for the number of people. I think I’ve found a new favourite.

Kusina, Cooleman Court, Weston ACT http://www.kusina.com.au/

Double Drummer

My colleague wanted to schedule a working lunch and so we went to Double Drummer, snapping up an outdoor table that had plenty of sunshine despite the chill in the air. I usually order something hot, but I decided to be a bit adventurous this time and try the chicken parmigiana roll from the sandwich bar. The staff kindly toasted it for me and brought it out to the table quite quickly, considering how busy they were. The bread was beautiful and crusty, but not teeth-breakingly so, and every bit of the roll was packed with filling (yes!). The chicken parmi hadn’t been warmed from the toasting, but was crispy and golden nonetheless, although not quite as tender in parts as I’d hoped. It went perfectly with the shaved parmesan cheese, thick tomato sugo and – my favourite – the grilled eggplant layered on top. The fresh spinach leaves added some nice crunch and I only just managed to finish the whole roll. Double Drummer’s food is great value in the Parliamentary Triangle – try it for tasty cafeteria-style meals.

Double Drummer, Ground Floor Courtyard, 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT http://thedoubledrummer.com.au/

Opera Bar

I’m beginning to see why people like living in Sydney. Leaving Canberra on a chilly 14 degree day, I arrived in Sydney to a balmy 27 degrees for the ballet at the Opera House. It was perfect weather to meet up with my friend in between performances (I went to the matinee, she to the evening show) and so we decided to go to the Opera Bar. We sat near the band, but the sound wasn’t up too loud and their song choices were quite mellow. We wanted a light snack and so ordered a serve of the soft shell crab and kimchi bao to share. I waited for quite a while at the bar to collect our drinks; my friend’s berry mocktail looked amazing, full of muddled blueberries, lychee and mint, I would definitely try it next time. The bao came out fairly quickly and whilst the bun itself was a bit dry and thin (not light and fluffy like they should be), I couldn’t fault the filling – crispy deep-fried soft shell crab, with kewpie mayonnaise, corriander and spicy kimchi. Perfect for a warm evening catch up.

Opera Bar, Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW                http://operabar.com.au/

The Brathaus

I bucked the trend at my most recent visit to the Hamlet and ordered a schnitzel from a bratwurst place. Yep. That’s how I roll. It was probably my best decision of the day – the Brathaus is one of the more recent additions to the Hamlet and offers tempting sausages and schnitzel in true German style. I picked the ‘Chicken Schnitty Burger’ – not part of the main menu, but handwritten on a whiteboard out the front (so apologies if it’s not a regular menu item – it should be). The schnitzel is without a doubt the best I’ve had in Australia – plump, tender chicken with a beautifully crispy panko crumb. My friend watched them cook hers and she said the secret is that they pop it into the oven to crisp up after frying. The bun was light and whilst there was plenty of salad, it compressed down nicely and wasn’t too hard to eat. The serving size was just right for me, although you can choose to have it with chips for an extra $3.50. My friend ordered the chips (fries) and we ended up sharing them – the serving was really generous. Definitely stop in to try the schnitzel if you can, it’s a winner.

The Brathaus, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Chuckle Park

I’d wanted to visit Chuckle Park’s lantern-strung alley since I’d wandered past in 2012. It took me a while, but I got there for dinner one fine Melbourne evening – another of my solo dining experiences. I was lucky enough to get a table, and went up to the caravan to order. Sadly they’d run out of the meatball soup I’d wanted to try, but offered to make a meatball wrap instead. I ordered that with a cider, and took my number back to my table. The wrap came out fairly quickly, and it looked hearty and warm. On first bite this was confirmed – the wrap itself was a bit crispy and the filling, whilst a bit oily, was piping hot. The meatballs had a great kick to them and were not stingy on flavour. There was plenty of oozing, melty cheese inside, along with spinach and, of course, the meatball sauce. Each mouthful was delicious and the whole serve was so filling that I couldn’t quite finish it. My only criticism is that Chuckle Park allows smoking, which I felt detracted from my dining experience, otherwise I’d be back in a heartbeat.

Chuckle Park Bar and Cafe, 322 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC                http://www.chucklepark.com.au/