Mr Crackles

Normally I’m not really a sandwich/roll kind of person. I’d much rather eat the filling itself as 100% of the meal, rather than 40% filling and 60% bread. However, my Dad was so excited to go to a pork and crackling-themed place when we were in Sydney that even I started to consider how good a roll jam-packed with meat could be. Mr Crackles is a small store that caters largely for takeaway, but which has a couple of seats for dine in. I opted for the ‘chicken katsu’ roll with a cup of crackling. The roll is quite substantial, and yes, the filling-to-roll ratio isn’t quite as good as I’d like, but it was better than 2:3. The filling had a bit of bite with wasabi mayonnaise mixed into the coleslaw. The chicken was lovely and crisp on the outside and tender inside, and in reasonably sized pieces. The cup of crackling was generously sized, although I’d expected it to be served hot and it wasn’t – it was a bit tough to break to share, but was very tasty. I’m not entirely converted to rolls, but food coma aside, I’d definitely come back to try another one.

Mr Crackles, 155 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW     http://www.mrcrackles.com.au/

Akiba

Part Two: Next up I was a bit spoilt – the chef shared out a sample of the kingfish sashimi – it had a surprisingly tropical flavour, probably due to the coconut and corriander – followed by the kimchi and oyster pancake I’d ordered. Now, don’t get too excited, it isn’t okonomiyaki, but it’s still delicious (and covered in bonito flakes, yum!). The main flavour isn’t kimchi, as you would expect, but the sriracha sauce, and whilst it’s a small serving, it’s quite filling. I thought I could fit one more thing in, and while I deliberated, the chef dished me up a Sydney rock oyster with black vinegar and ginger wine. He explained that they used to use this combination on pork at Sage, and were just mucking around with flavours for the oysters. It’s a winner – very refreshing and vibrant, much like the attitude and vibe at Akiba. My final dish was the pork jowl pancake with pickled white peach – this was unexpectedly creamy and rich and I preferred it to the kimchi one. Akiba made a fantastic impression (and the chefs are great for conversation!), being both considerate to a solo diner and so obviously energetic and excited about their food. Definitely a new Canberra landmark.

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

Akiba

Part One: There are times when you have a spectacular food experience. There are also times when you have excellent service. Akiba has both, and the combination is really quite something. Going for a solo lunch (apparently solo dining has become a thing), I was warmly welcomed and seated at the ‘raw bar’, the waitress explained, so I could watch and chat to the chef. This was very thoughtful and set the tone for my whole meal. I started with the strawberry and mint ‘Aki Pop’ – a soft drink served in a pre-opened bottle. It was sweet and refreshing, and I’m keen to go back to try their cocktails on the basis of this being so tasty. My first dish was the sashimi yellowfin tuna served with wasabi pannacotta and organic soy sauce – I watched the chef prepare it with care, including slicing the tuna delicately. There was a lot of both the soy sauce and the pannacotta, which, with the crunch of the fried onion crisps, was tasty, but which masked the tuna flavour a bit. When it came through though, there was a fantastic balance and richness to the dish that I loved. Everything sang of quality and care. To be continued…

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

Honeycomb

Honeycomb is the kind of place I wish was my local cafe. Set on a corner at a roundabout in Darlinghurst, it’s a great people-watching spot with fresh, modern decor with a yellow theme. This is carried through their chairs and table flowers with an elegant simplicity. Needless to say I was pretty excited to try the food. On weekends, Honeycomb does all day breakfast, so when we arrived for lunch at 12:30, I could still order poached eggs – it’s great to eat somewhere that caters to what you feel like eating. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the avocado with za’atar was a fantastic mix of textures. Unfortunately the bread was very crusty and hard to cut, but the egg softened it a little. After brunch, we ordered a plate of doughnuts with dulce du leche, which were little bites of happiness – the doughnuts were small spheres dusted in plenty of cinnamon sugar, which were truly decadent with the addition of the sweet dulce de leche. The only downside of the whole experience was that you had to leer awkwardly across the tables sitting in front of the specials menu blackboard wall to see the options. Apart from that, another #cometocanberra campaign needed.

Honeycomb, 354 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, Sydney NSW http://www.honeycombrestaurant.com.au/

ETC

If there was one place that can claim to have started my love of breakfast, it is this one. ETC (East Terrace Continental, for non-Adelaideans) is one of the first places I went to for breakfast back in 2008, when a friend of mine and I started going on ‘breakfast adventures’ in the city. Since then it hasn’t changed a bit – they’re still serving breakfast all day and doing it superbly well. ETC has a cozy feel to it – wooden floors, tables and chairs make it inviting in both summer when the doors are opened and winter when it’s windy outside. They offer both breakfast and lunch, as well as a specials board which often includes the best bits. Whilst their eggs benedict is my usual staple, this time I decided to try their ‘chill bar’, a traditional Turkish breakfast with poached eggs, garlic yoghurt, paprika butter, mushrooms and toast. As always, the eggs were perfectly poached and oozed into the yoghurt/butter bowl. The mushrooms had a little bit of bite to them; the toast had just the right amount of crisp and tasted of sesame (yum). ETC is a go-to for reliably good food and atmosphere, any time of year.

ETC, 6 East Terrace, Adelaide SA                                              http://etccafe.com.au/

Double Drummer

Given the number of people who work in the Parliamentary Triangle, you would think that someone would have come up with a concept like Double Drummer before. Essentially, it’s a lovely large cafeteria with practical but fun style (e.g. green flamingo upholstery), serving home-style meals at very good prices (for Canberra) to large numbers of office workers, and it has only been around since mid-2014. I must admit, this is another place where I end up always ordering the same thing – how can you go past a golden, crispy chicken schnitzel? The schnitzel is offered with a choice of two sides, which is food for thought when lining up at the counter (there’s always a line at lunchtime). My favourites are the chips and Caesar – the chips are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, whilst the Caesar has nicely sized pieces of lettuce with just the right amount of dressing and croutons. The schnitzel itself is the stuff of food comas – a huge piece of tender chicken coated in a crispy deep-fried shell. The menu stretches from sandwiches to soups though, so I might have to be more adventurous next time…

Double Drummer, Ground Floor Courtyard, 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT   http://thedoubledrummer.com.au/

Parlour Wine Room

I remember watching the smoke pillar rising up into the air when Parlour, amongst other venues, caught fire in 2011. I was disappointed, having heard great things about it, but never having been, so was pleasantly surprised when it re-opened in late 2013. It took me another eight months to get there, but I did for a Sunday lunch catch up with a friend. We had the lunch deal, $16 for a meal and glass of house wine, which is very good value in Canberra. On this occasion I chose comfort food – the pappardelle with pork belly and sofrito (which is apparently a red sauce). The pasta was handmade and silky, and the pieces of pork were tender and full of flavour, although spread a little thinly. The parmesan had a good amount of bite to it, and the glass of house red matched reasonably well. My friend ordered the calamari, which was beautifully presented but appeared to be a much smaller serving than the pasta. We were impressed by the cozy atmosphere, and were considerately seated away from the four or five other diners. Definitely one to come back to.

Parlour Wine Room, 16 Kendall Lane, Newacton Pavilion, Canberra ACT http://www.parlour.net.au/