Up to You Restaurant

This story begins with a Living Social voucher, and a group of colleagues who love all you can eat hot pot. Hint: it ends with happy tummies. We headed out to Belco after work to try Up to You Restaurant, and were encouraged by the steam on the windows as a sign that it was warm inside. We’d booked ahead, and were seated at a long table with individual hot pot burners. We were asked for our broth choice (I opted for pork bone, although I later heard that the laksa was a winner), and then moved to the ingredient table to collect things to cook in said broth. Options included tofu, noodles, mushrooms, sweet potato and assorted greens, as well as about six sauces. When we sat back down, the broths came out along with plates of raw meat and seafood to cook – the beef, lamb and pork was paper-thin, so cooked quickly, whereas the seafood was frozen and took much longer. My favourites were the shiitake mushrooms, which were so flavoursome dunked in peanut sauce (mmm), and the beef, also smothered in sauce. Unlimited hot pot? Definitely a happy ending.

Up to You Restaurant, 114 Emu Bank, Belconnen, no website

Mikla

After enjoying the views from the bar, we moved down a floor to the restaurant, where we had been told the ‘tasting menu’ (degustation) was well worth the price tag. Mikla is known for modern Turkish with an emphasis on local produce, and it showed – not only were the ingredients fresh and flavoursome, but all of the matching wines were local too. We had seven courses, with highlights including the crispy sardines adhered to olive oil bread, the salted and dried beef tenderloin, and the caramelised rice pudding with sour apple sorbet for dessert. Each course had its own distinct flavours, and we felt that the progression from entrees to main to cheese to dessert was well paced over our three hours there. In between courses we oggled the spectacular views as Istanbul put on weekend fireworks and the haunting call to prayer echoed through the city. The staff spoke excellent English and were very accommodating – they happily wrote out a list of all the wines we’d had so I could remember them. I would definitely recommend Mikla as a memorable, modern Istanbul food experience with views to die for.

Mikla, Cafe Marmara Pera, Meşrutiyet Cd No:1, 34430 Beyoğlu, Turkey http://www.miklarestaurant.com/en

Ochacha

When you Google ‘best Japanese in Cairns’, Ochacha is the first place to come up on the listing, and for good reason. I went on a Monday, which is lucky because they are closed on Tuesdays, for both lunch and dinner. I dined alone at lunch, and had a lovely chat in Japanese with the waitress who was visiting on a working holiday. It was a particularly hot day, so I opted for the zaru udon, cold udon noodles in a dipping sauce. The meal was so refreshing – the noodles were beautifully chewy and the flavour of the sauce took me right back to Japan. Having had such a nice lunch, I took my friend back there for dinner, and we feasted on sushi and sashimi. The aburi salmon nigiri sushi was the highlight, although I was impressed by the relatively large pieces of salmon and tuna sashimi on the two plates I ordered. The miso soup was hot, flavoursome and not too salty. My friend also ordered the chicken katsudon and we were both stuffed full of delicious Japanese food by the end. A must-visit for Japanese food fans.

Ochaha Modern Japanese Dining, 34 Lake Street, Cairns QLD, no website

Capitol Bar and Grill

I was looking forward to this dinner for quite some time before it happened. The QT hotel in New Acton has only recently opened under that brand, and with it came the Capitol Bar and Grill, promising excellence in steak. Challenge accepted. I went with three friends who are equally appreciative of a slab of beef, so we each ordered something different and decided to share a range of sides. I chose the 200g Eye/Ox Fillet from Tasmania, which I ordered medium-rare, along with a serve of the garlic and rosemary potatoes. We munched on a range of tasty breads while we waited for our slice of beef perfection. When the mains arrived they were worth the wait – my beef was so tender and flavoursome, and was perfectly enhanced by the horseradish cream picked out from the range of condiments on offer. The highlight of the side dishes was the mac and cheese, quite possibly the best I’ve ever eaten out. Despite being stuffed full, we pushed through for an apple tarte tartin to share for dessert – again very much worth the pre-warned 20 minute wait. Not an inexpensive meal, but we weren’t rushed and could savour every delicious mouthful.

Capitol Bar and Grill,  1 London Circuit Canberra, ACT   http://www.qtcanberra.com.au/food-drink/capitol-bar-grill/

Shoya

A lot of my friends are foodies. This usually works out well for me, especially when I visit cities they’ve lived in. Shoya was a fancy dinner choice booked by a colleague, and I feel like I now owe him a very good Adelaide recommendation in return. For me, the dinner at Shoya was all about the sashimi. Yes we had other things, including some excellent ageashi tofu, my first taste of abalone and some very tender, tasty beef.  But having visited my favourite sushi bar in Japan recently, finding some good quality, well-sized pieces of raw fish in Australia was such a delight. Each piece was perfectly cut and melted in your mouth – the tuna was a particular highlight and I think I ended up eating more than my fair share. In fact, when it came around to ordering dessert, I looked at my friends and meekly suggested another sashimi plate instead. Luckily they agreed, and we all left with very happy tummies.

Shoya, 25 Market Lane, Melbourne VIC                                         http://www.shoya.com.au

Gryphons

I can’t help but think of Alice in Wonderland when I come here, even though the pub’s name is the only link to Lewis Carroll.  I’ve only eaten here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, but both times I’ve been unable to resist the same item on the menu  – the American pulled pork burger. Mmm. There are a lot of places to eat pulled pork in Canberra – it seems to have become fashionable since Smoque opened – but this one is still one of my favourites. The pork is so flavoursome and not overly greasy/oily as others can be.  The colesaw is fresh and crispy (the way I like it), and the chips are crunchy on the outside and soft inside – although they could do with some sauce.  The staff were very friendly and the pub has a warm atmosphere with a mix of comfy lounges, raised tables with stools and formal dining tables. My friends ordered two pizzas to share between two, and the large size defeated them – luckily takeaway boxes were on hand.  Maybe I’ll have to try something different next time – curiouser and curiouser!

Gryphons: 16 Barker Street, Griffith ACT                 http://gryphons.com.au/home

Ryo’s Noodles

I would eat Japanese food for dinner every night if I could. Especially in winter, when you want nothing more than a big, hot, steaming bowl of noodle soup. So that’s exactly what I sought out in Sydney. I’d read that the lines at Ryo’s Noodles can be out the door, so I went early on a weeknight, and didn’t have to wait. It’s a no frills place, with a handwritten copy of the menu on the wall in Japanese on white sheets of paper, as is common in Japanese izakaya (traditional pubs).  I went for the popular tonkotsu ramen and a bottle of ramune (Japanese lemonade). The ramen came out quickly and was hot and hearty. The pork was fatty and melted in your mouth, the broth was full of flavour and the noodles had just the right amount of bite. It was a bit salty, which I didn’t notice until afterwards, but it definitely satisfied my craving for ramen!

Ryo’s Noodles: 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest NSW