Sean’s Kitchen

One thing Adelaide’s newest restaurants seem to be getting right is social media. When I asked Twitter where I should try in Adelaide, and Sean’s Kitchen was an option, the restaurant tweeted me back offering to make a reservation. How’s that for service? So I booked in for lunch, and arrived to find an impressive set up, with the restaurant’s space designed to mirror Adelaide railway station, which it is attached to. The staff were attentive without being intrusive, and my king crab legs came out after a short wait. There were two legs, split, on the plate with fresh lemon and warmed lemon butter, which was a decadent but perfect accompaniment to the tender crab meat. I enjoyed the challenge of scraping every last morsel from inside the shell. We also had a serve of asparagus and the duck fat chips, both of which were delicious and I would definitely recommend. The chips were perfectly seasoned and the potato had a fabulous flavour – no sauce needed. We were impressed by the range on the wine list too, and we’re already planning to come back for the pork hock. A table is just a tweet away!

Sean’s Kitchen, Station Road, Adelaide SA                      http://www.seanskitchen.com.au/

Parlour Burger

Sometimes you just need a burger. After a matinee at the Opera House, I found myself craving some beef, and remembered the diner-style addition to The Morrison that is Parlour Burger. Having eaten there in a hurry once on a work trip, I decided to pop in without the time pressure to satisfy my craving. Parlour Burger has a simple concept – five different burgers, $10 each – and has something for everyone’s tastes. I picked ‘The Original Morrison’, a beef burger with chipotle mayonnaise and decided not to have a side, despite being sorely tempted by the deep-fried pickles and the duck fat chips. You can choose to have your patty pink or cooked through – the menu recommends the pink option, so that’s what I went with. The burger came out quickly and was hot and fresh – the patty is a bit coarse, so you feel like you’re sinking your teeth into some serious meat. There’s lettuce, tomato and pickles on top, and the chipotle mayonnaise has a good amount of bite to it. Parlour delivers exactly what it promises – a cheap, filling, tasty feed served without fuss.

Parlour Burger, 225 George Street Sydney, NSW             http://www.themorrison.com.au

Bistro Nguyen’s

I’m not very adventurous when it comes to Vietnamese food, and when I saw the menu at Bistro Nguyen’s, I was overwhelmed by the choice. Whilst my friends had been there before, I hadn’t, so I chose the rare beef pho and young coconut juice as a safe pick. The juice came out in a huge glass with pieces of coconut flesh floating inside – it was sweet and coconutty and I would happily order it again. We sat outside near the sidewalk and chatted while we waited for our meals. Mine came out last and I had to ask for the accompanying bean sprouts, basil and chilli. The broth was quite pale and the beef flavour was weaker than I was expecting (especially compared to the one at My’s), but at lunchtime that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was pleased that it wasn’t an overly salty broth, but I did feel a bit bloated afterwards. Unfortunately the beef wasn’t rare but it went well dipped in the Hoisin and Sriracha sauces, and the noodles were lovely and soft. Next time I’ll be more adventurous menu-wise – Bistro Nguyen’s is a lovely lunch spot I’ll come back to.

Bistro Nguyen’s, Melbourne Building, 1/80 Alinga Street, Civic ACT                       http://www.bistronguyens.com.au

My’s Restaurant

On recommendation from Snow Crab Nebula, three of us decided to take a long lunch and check out the pho at My’s Restaurant in Weston. I’d never tried pho before moving to Canberra, although now it is one of my favourites and I’m always keen to try it at Vietnamese restaurants. My’s was busy but not crowded, and we were shown to a table promptly. We all ordered the rare beef pho, which came out together with a shared plate of things to add (bean sprouts, lemon, basil and chilli). Whilst the wait was a bit longer, it was considerate of them to bring all of our meals out at once. The beef was indeed just rare, and sliced perfectly thinly – there was also quite a large amount in the bowl. The noodles were soft and chewy, there was plenty of raw and spring onion and, most importantly, the broth was incredibly tasty. I am a huge fan of drinking noodle broths, and I devoured this one, although I did find myself drinking quite a lot of water for the rest of the afternoon. Definitely a new favourite and a must-visit for pho fans.

My’s Restaurant, 35 Brierly Street, Weston ACT, no website

10″ Custom Pizzeria

Four of us headed out to the Hamlet in Braddon for lunch one weekday, and I was determined to try something different this visit. After much deliberation, I picked 10″ Custom Pizzeria, on the menu item the Napoletana. It sounded like a perfect pizza dream – tomato, anchovies, basil and black olives. Yes please! The lovely lady behind the counter made it in front of me and I watched it go right into the wood-fired oven. We dined in and so my pizza was served on a chopping board after being freshly cooked. It was heavenly. The base was beautifully thin and puffed up at the edges, with a lovely balance between soft and crisp. The anchovies were the star of the pizza, adding incredible flavour and saltiness that tasted better than any other pizza topping I’ve had in Canberra. I loved that you could appreciate the simple, distinct flavours of each ingredient, in authentic Italian style. I then spotted another customer with an icy drink (I’ll have what she’s having!) – a strawberry granita, served in a huge takeaway cup and full of strawberry sweetness. My friend had the pineapple and coconut one and loved it as just as much. Simple, fresh and tasty pizza, highly recommended.

10″ Custom Pizzeria, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no webiste

On Flinders

Autumn is my favourite season in Canberra. The days are sunny and golden, and there are plenty of lovely spots to sit outside and enjoy the changing leaves while eating good food. The newest place to fit into this category is On Flinders, the new breakfast/lunch/dinner restaurant, funnily enough, on Flinders Way. I was too late for breakfast, but I picked a lighter-sounding lunch option (I’ll have to come back for their pizzas). I started with a huge glass of fresh orange juice (great value for only $4) and the New York Prosciutto Bruschetta, which the waitress mentioned she hadn’t tried yet. It was a good choice – the serving was massive and beautifully presented with kalamata olives, fetta, tomato ribbons and onion piled on top of the cooked prosciutto. The Turkish bread underneath was very moreish – I could have eaten a full loaf – and despite appearances was soft-centred and easy to cut. Mmm. There was plenty of everything and whilst it was an oily dish, the flavours were fresh and vibrant, and I didn’t feel bloated afterwards.  The table service was friendly and prompt and best of all I could sit and enjoy the sunshine. Perfection.

On Flinders, Shop 5 Flinder Way, Manuka ACT, no website

New Shanghai

I really love dumplings. A lot. So on a recent visit to Sydney I took the opportunity to spoil myself at New Shanghai in Chatswood Chase. There was about a 10 minute wait for a table, but once inside we were seated at benches and got stuck into ordering. My first pick was the pork xiao long bao – they’re reliably good here, with a vibrant broth and just the right amount of filling. The menu warns to open the dumpling before eating to avoid burns, and I second this advice! The soup inside is hot! Next up was the shallot pancake, which came with four pieces, perfect between two. Not even close to being healthy, these were thin, crispy and utterly delicious, although I had a bit of order envy looking at the couple next to us who had the pork belly bao – definitely getting this next time. We had two more plates of dumplings – prawn wontons with peanut butter and chilli oil, and the prawn duplings. The former were much better than the latter, with a real kick from the chilli and pieces of prawn inside providing a good textural contrast. I’ll be back to perfect my order!

New Shanghai, Chatswood Chase, 345 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW    http://www.newshanghai.com.au