Akiba

Akiba is a standing favourite of mine, and I hadn’t been back for a while, so stopped in with friends for a long weekday lunch. We were seated in the nicely-heated outdoor area, and had plenty of time to peruse the menu before someone came to take our order. We started with the kimchi and angasi pancakes (serve of 4), which were topped with sriracha sauce and bonito flakes. Whilst small, the pancakes packed a punch and whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal. Next up was one of my favourites from Akiba – the fried chicken. Hello mounds of deep-fried chicken goodness topped with a tonne of cheese! Alone the chicken is a bit dry, but with the added sauces (not 100% sure what they are – one is a spicy chilli, the other is a mayonnaise of some sort, but they look deceptively like ketchup and mustard respectively!) the whole thing lifts up another notch. We fought rather politely over the last pieces. Finally we shared a plate of Singapore noodles, which was a real highlight. The ingredients were fresh and there were tonnes of prawns and the portion was really generous. Really great food for sharing.

Akiba, 40 Bunda Street, Civic ACT, http://www.akiba.com.au/

Jimmy Grants

Hello, souva of my dreams. Greek food isn’t really a big thing in Canberra, so on this visit to Melbourne it was near the top of my list. I stood in queue at a busy lunchtime and ordered the Mr Papadopoulos ($12.5), a souva with lamb, mustard aioli, chips, onion and parsley, with a side of chips ($4.50) served with fetta and oregano (swoon). The food did take a while, but was clearly cooked fresh, and served nicely for dine-in enjoyment on an Emporium plate. I must confess, this souva had the nicest, softest pita wrap of any souva I’ve had (including the one at Gazi), and it wasn’t overly dense. That left me free to enjoy the melt-in-your-mouth, smoky pieces of lamb, which were plentiful and utterly divine. The parsley and onion added a tabouleh-esque touch, and the chips within were great, although not quite as great as the side of chips. Oh my, I was so full from the souva (which I couldn’t finish), but I kept shovelling those chips in. Yum. The fetta was lovely and salty, the chips crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside… A very filling and very tasty lunch. Greek food craving  satisfied.

Jimmy Grants, Emporium Melbourne, Level Three, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC, http://jimmygrants.com.au/

PappaRich

I haven’t been to PappaRich in years, but on a chilly day I stopped by on a whim for lunch. It took a while for me to attract attention to order, but when I did, went for the Roti Canai with Tandoori Chicken ($15.90), plus a lychee soda ($4.90). The lychee soda came out first in a huge glass with a few whole lychees inside. This is quite a sweet drink, with refreshing lime and a nice fizz to it. The roti arrived shortly after, with a reasonable-sized portion of chicken, the roti itself, and two dipping sauces – one a spicy sort of chutney, the other a cooling raita. Let me say, the roti is to die for. Soft, fluffy and easy to break apart, this was a pure delight to eat and next time I might just order a tonne of roti. Yum, yum, yum. The chicken had a great tandoori flavour, without being very spicy, and whilst the piece looked big on the plate, there wasn’t a huge amount of meat on it. Both the chutney and raita were fabulous, well-matched and served in just the right quantity for my liking. But really, the roti was the highlight.

PappaRich, Canberra Centre, 148 Bunda Street, Civic ACT http://www.papparich.net.au/

Vincent

Barton has really started coming into its own with the opening of the Macquarie Place centre – I had a long lunch at Vincent with a friend, taking advantage of their share plate menu. We started with the Pork Croquettes with Gribiche ($14 for 3) – these were perfectly crumbed on the outside and utterly delightful on the inside, with really tender pork and plenty of flavour. The gribiche (like a tartare sauce) was the perfect match and we devoured these greedily. Dish two was the Pork Belly with Cauliflower, Fennel and Currant ($20). Basically this was autumn on a plate, with sweetness from the currants, tang from the pickled fennel and a rich, earthiness from the pork paired with the cauliflower. The flavours were pefectly balanced and the pork fat was nicely rendered. Finally, we enjoyed the Lamb Rump with Date Chutney, Aubergine and Fetta ($26). The lamb was cooked to perfection and everything with it was a sensory delight. I loved the rich flavour of the pureed aubergine, the sweetness of the chutney and the quenelle of creamy fetta. Sophisticated, seasonal food perfect for sharing.

Vincent, 48 Macquarie Street, Barton ACT, http://www.vincentrestaurant.com.au

3seeds

I dined as a guest of the Truffle Festival; all opinions remain my own. Following an incredible truffle hunt (see my Instagram for the full story), we returned to Tarago Truffles for a 3-course truffle lunch by staff from 3seeds Cooking School. First up was the most delicious cauliflower, parsnip and truffle soup – I went back for seconds (and thirds – shh, don’t tell anyone!). The soup was beuatifully creamy and had a generous amount of truffle inside; enough that you could distinctly taste the truffle itself. This was paired with a slice of bread with truffle butter on top. If you haven’t tried truffle butter before, get on that bandwagon now! The folk at 3seeds really know how to make the most out of this magical ingredient. The second course was the divine portobello mushroom tart, topped with truffle salt. The pastry was so buttery and rich, and the whole portobello mushroom was really plump and tender. Finally, we indulged in a sticky fig pudding, served in a caramel sauce with truffle butter – again, the truffle just lifted all the flavours, while still being present enough to taste. We were also treated to some insider tips on how to make the most out of a truffle; the perfect way to end a truffle-themed day!

3seeds Cookng School, Fyshwick Markets, corner of Dalby & Mildura Streets, Fyshwick ACT, http://3seeds.com.au/

Shimbashi

Shimbashi is a favourite of mine – they offer consistently authentic quick Japanese food, although I must admit, I do have a ‘go to’ order that I pretty much always pick. This visit was no exception – we stuck with the teriyaki salmon set, which includes quite a decent-sized bowl of teriyaki salmon on a bed of rice, plus a plate of soba or udon served either hot or cold. The teriyaki sauce on the salmon isn’t your average out-of-a-bottle sauce – it’s sophisticated, having just the right amount of sweetness without being too much. The salmon is perfectly cooked into heavenly flakes, and the Japanese rice is so tasty with the extra sauce. The soba is handmade, so has a nice springy texture, and the soba sauce is again just right – well-balanced and not too salty. I particularly like the tempura bits you are served to scatter on top, and the spring onion adds great flavour to the dish overall. There’s a reason I keep ordering this dish – it’s great value, has great flavour and takes me back to Tokyo. What more could I ask for?

Shimbashi Soba & Sake Bar, 17 Liverpool Street, Melbourne VIC, http://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.net/

Burger Theory

Adelaideans are so lucky – you guys are going through a serious burger craze, and you get fun places like Burger Theory! Firstly a food truck, now a bricks-and-mortar store (sound familiar?), Burger Theory is everything that a burger place should be; no frills, fresh-cooked and full of energy. We both ordered the Pearl’s Cheeseburger ($11) and shared a side of fries ($4). Yes, at first glance the burgers look small, but good things come in small packages! Firstly, let me say that these are rock-star patties – utterly delicious and perfectly cooked, this is everything that a self-respecting burger patty should aspire to be. Burger Theory has also won my heart by targeting my ultimate weakness. Pickles. You guys, there are a LOT of pickles on this burger. Not just a couple of shredded bits, or two lonely slices, but a whole base covered in thick sliced pickle goodness. This is obviously amped up to “winner” by the ketchup and mustard sauce combo. The fries were excellent too, crisp outside and soft inside, I didn’t think they needed sauce and we devoured them pretty quickly. So heart-eyes emoji all around, basically. #cometocanberra?

Burger Theory, 8-10 Union Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.burgertheory.com/