Eightysix

Part One is here. We were served the prawns and the curried fish salad at the same time, so we left the cold salad until after we’d finished the delectable prawns (I scooped up every last bit of that heavenly sauce!). My only criticism of the night was that too many dishes came out at once, rather than being well-paced over the course of the meal. We had just started the salad when the chicken biryani was served. The salad was the dish of the night for me – the curried ocean trout was tender and flaked into perfect pieces, and the cucumber, celery, onion and green beans were incredibly refreshing after the spicy prawns. We saved a bit to finish with, then got stuck into the biryani, which had been cooked until some of the rice was crisped (like bibimbap). The chicken had some sort of yoghurt coating which was luscious and perfect, and the almonds, herbs and sultanas added hugely to the flavour. Finally, we decided to share a dessert – the coconut sago and mango. We loved the toasted coconut and sesame topping, the pops from the sago pearls, and then deliciously sweet, fresh mango. All in all another spectacular kitchen takeover. Come back again soon?

eightysix, 11 Elouera Street, Braddon ACT http://eightysix.com.au/

Eightysix

I couldn’t resist booking in for the second Christine Manfield extravaganza at Eightysix this year. Whilst her last ‘kitchen takeover’ was Asian-themed, this time is all about India and Bhutan, in celebration of her latest book, a travel guide to the two countries. We started out with drinks – I had the ‘strawpop’ minus alcohol, with pomegranate and lychee. It was lovely and sweet, served in a small glass bottle. On the waitress’s recommendation, we started with the beetroot roti entree – the roti was perfectly puffed and crisp, deflating into soft layers of buttery goodness and enhanced by the beetroot mix on top. I loved the slight hint of heat that lingered on the back palate from the beetroot. Next up were the cauliflower pakoras – they were super moreish, cooked in a lovely batter and served with a cool raita. The cauliflower was divine, but there were also parcels of spinach leaves with lentils wrapped inside. Yum! I was very excited to try the tamarind prawns with eggplant next – sitting at the bar, we could see the giant prawns being prepared. Everything about this dish was lovely – the thick, plump prawns, the tender but not mushy eggplant and the delicate yet spicy sauce that brought the whole ensemble together. Part two is here.

eightysix, 11 Elouera Street, Braddon ACT http://eightysix.com.au/

Rama’s

This was my first dine-in lunch at Rama’s – they only open for lunch on request, and we had a big group to catch up with friends visiting from Papua New Guinea. We all had the $30 per person banquet, which included a huge range of delicious dishes. We started with pappadoms and minted yoghurt, which were crispy and a perfect appetizer. Next were the samosas, which were packed full of delicious filling and came with a lovely dipping sauce, as did the bahjia after that. The food was well-paced, giving us plenty of time to chat in between courses but not leaving us hungry. I was very excited when it was curry time – there were so many choices! I started with the chicken korma and found myself coming back to it again and again. The creamy flavour was so rich and complex, without being overly spicy (we’d requested a ‘medium’ level of heat for the curries). The beef vindaloo was, unsurprisngly, quite spicy, but again it had great complexity of flavour that I absolutely loved – I just needed a bit more rice than sauce for that one! We felt so welcome it was almost like dining in someone’s home – Rama’s is a Canberra classic for a reason.

Rama’s Fiji Indian Restaurant, Shop 6, Pearce Shopping Centre, Pearce ACT         http://www.ramas.com.au/