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/

Joe’s Bar

On arrival at Joe’s Bar for a late dinner, the vibe was welcoming and chic, with beautiful glassware on display and an impressive array of spirits behind the bar. I started out with the Giant G&T – trust me, when they say giant, they mean giant! Served in a fishbowl glass, this classic is given a refreshing twist with housemade rhubarb syrup and pickled rhubarb, plus strawberries and fresh mint. It went nicely with the spiced popcorn brought out to the table – be warned, it’s extremely moreish! We decided to share two entrees and a main – starting with the arancini and the chicken liver parfait. The arancini were beautifully crisp on the outside and lovely and gooey inside, although we both thought they could have done with a bit more flavour – perhaps more of the dipping sauce, or some chilli? The pate was served with fresh bread and we lapped up every single mouthful – absolutely gorgeous. But the piece de resistance was the tagliata di manzo – black angus steak with crispy rocket, parmesan and balsamic. Oh my. We devoured the perfectly done steak and delighted in the balance achieved with the crisp of the rocket and sweetness of the balsamic. Next time I’ll get one of those to myself, thank you. We stayed until closing and weren’t hurried out – thanks team at Joe’s, you made a stunning first impression!

Joe’s Bar, East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston ACT, http://www.joesateast.com/

Africola

I finally made it to Africola! I was super excited to try South African food for the first time! We booked on a Friday night and were allocated outdoor seating, but we certainly weren’t neglected despite seating in front of Botanic Bar. I started with the Bluna cocktail – gin, orange wine, gooseberry and Rooibos cola combined into a light and lolly-sweet mix (yum!). Meals come with a complimentary serve of house-made flatbread and smoky goat’s curd – a perfect way to whet the appetite. Dish one was the charcoal marron served with a seaweed dressing. The marron was tender and soft and I mopped up all of the seaweed dressing – it was like the best nori in oil with a great salty hit. This dish was a real winner for flavour, but when they say entree size, they mean it. Entree two was the raw kingfish with mandarin segments, mandarin gel and goat’s curd. For me, the kingfish was the only thing that didn’t work – when I order fish I want to taste it, instead all I got was mandarin with the texture of fish, which was a bit odd. Overall I felt like the entrees were trying a bit too hard to be ‘chefy’. Part two to follow.

Africola, 4 East Terrace, Adelaide, SA                                     http://africola.com.au/

The Botanist

I will find pretty much any excuse to go to The Botanist, and staying in Kirribilli for a week gave me the perfect one to go back. We went for dinner and I started with the Strawberry Mule, which was a perfect blend of gin, ginger beer, frangelico, strawberry and lime. It was served in a tall glass and was incredibly smooth and beautifully sweet. To eat, we started with a serve of marinated olives, which were a mix of black kalamatas and green sicilians, both of which had really intense flavours. Next up was the beetroot cured salmon, which was served with avocado puree, radish and croutons – the presentation was perfection and each element worked so well together, bringing out the best in the salmon. The crispy duck with pear chutney and sesame caramel was not crispy as advertised, but the duck was moist and the pear went so well with it that we didn’t mind. Finally we had one each of the steak and chicken tacos – the steak was smokey and went beautifully with the corn and spicy sauce. The chicken was equally delicious and well-matched with the avocado and tomato. The Botanist never fails to impress.

The Botanist: 17 Willoughby St, Kirribilli NSW              http://thebotanist.com.au/

Soju Girl

We had the banquet dinner at Soju Girl for my friend’s hen’s night, and started out with cocktails. I had The Mandarin – gin, mandarin, ginger liquer, lime and ginger beer. The flavours were subtle and well-balanced, making a smooth, tangy drink that I’ll order again. We started with the betel leaf smoked trout – a fusion san choy bao-style mouthful which was a delicate explosion of flavour and one of my favourites. The zucchini flower was surprisingly filling, packed with sticky rice, and the creaminess of the eggplant pickle dish had me going back for seconds. The handmade gyoza were perfection – just the right amount of crispiness and perfect with the dipping vinegar – and the sauce accompanying the king prawn skewers was some kind of magic. We finished with the chicken katsu, which again was quite filling, and rice, so whilst all the portions were small, we didn’t leave hungry. The staff were attentive but not intrusive, and my only criticism was that the meals came out too quickly in succession, rather than being well-paced. Despite this, the banquet had great variety and flavour – I will be back again soon!

Soju Girl, 41-43 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra ACT                                               http://www.sojugirl.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/

Long Bar

After a very filling high tea, we decided we couldn’t visit Raffles and not go up to the Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling. A friend who’d studied in Singapore had recommended going if only for the novelty of the peanuts. The peanuts? Yep, it’s all about the peanuts. At every table there’s a big wooden box full of peanuts still in their shells, and the Long Bar allows you to experience the imperiousness of the colonial days, when servants would pick up the shells that the British cast on the floor. That’s right, you can, and indeed are expected to, throw your peanut shells on the floor for someone else to clean up afterwards. It’s actually pretty fun. You are also fanned by the modern equivalent of slaves with palm fronds – mechanised palm fans on the ceiling. The Singapore Sling itself is the other draw card, having been famously invented here. I’d never had one before, so it seemed like a good place to start. In the tropical temperatures, the sweet and fruity drink was refreshing and didn’t taste overly alcoholic, which could be dangerous, but was simply delicious.

Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road Singapore                http://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/long-bar/