Ivy & The Fox

As a big fan of Fox and Bow, I was very excited to try their new store, Ivy & The Fox, at ANU. Mum and I picked a table out on the lawns in dappled sunlight. We started with drinks – I picked the El Macho, a pineapple and pear juice with lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and nopal cactus. Take the time to mix this up – on first sip, all I got was cactus, cinnamon and vanilla, but once blended with the pineapple it was a beautifully balanced juice. To eat I picked the Reuben Gonzales, with house corned silverside, pickles, mustard, swiss cheese and fries – the portion was massive! The silverside was cut very thin, which is quite different to what I would have expected, and the mustard and cheese added a lot of flavour. I appreciated the bit of salad on the side, and whilst the fries were nice, I found them a bit underdone, but I prefer mine on the crispy side. Mum loved both her Oh Darla and Road Runner. The location was second to none – with glimpses of the lake all around and just the right amount of sun and shade, I can see myself spending plenty of time here.

Ivy & The Fox, Old Canberra House, ANU, Lennox Crossing Acton, ACT, http://ivyandthefox.com/

Fillos Souvlaki

Make way Canberra, a new venue has joined the ranks of food coma, meat sweat-inducing deliciousness. Welcome, Fillos Souvlaki! A recent addition to the Hamlet’s collective of food trucks, Fillos Souvlaki offers souvlaki as either a pita or a plate, with lamb, pork and vegetarian options. I went for the lamb pita ($12.50), and on reflection I probably should have fasted for some time prior to trying to eat it! My meal was prepared in two minutes flat – even the lady handing me the roll couldn’t believe it was ready so quickly! Inside the rather thick pita bread was a large amount of beautiful chunks of lamb, some serious chips, plenty of garlic sauce (yes!), and a nod to non-deep fried vegetables with some onion, tomato and lettuce thrown in for appearance’s sake. But we all know I’m here for the lamb. Whilst not melt-in-your-mouth, the cubes of lamb were really tasty and I didn’t mind the effort of chewing them a lot to extract the flavour. The chips were at just the right mid-point between crispy and soggy for belonging in a roll. I’d be keen to try the plate next time – bring it on!

Fillos Souvlaki, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Me & Mrs Jones

I haven’t been to Me & Mrs Jones in years, and I have very fond memories of their shantung lamb burger from way back when. With that memory in mind, I picked from the sandwiches part of the menu on this weekday visit with a group of friends. I was actually running late for lunch, and when I arrived the waitress took my order of the ‘Finger Lickin’ Chicken’. Amazingly, my meal came out with everyone else’s (hats off to the kitchen staff!) and it looked fabulous. Of course, it tasted fabulous too. The chips were lovely and soft inside and I’m a sucker for a good aioli – this one didn’t let me down. I ended up cutting the burger in half to eat, and whilst it was a bit messy, I devoured every mouthful! The chicken was really plump and tender, but the real magic came from whatever honey sauce had been drizzled on top. Hello deliciousness! The coleslaw added a nice bit of fresh crunch, and I’m a fan of traditional soft burger buns used here. Friends had the beef burger and I don’t think it’ll be too long until I come back to try that. Fabulous food and impressive service.

Me & Mrs Jones, 26 Giles Street, Kingston ACT, http://www.mmjones.com.au/

Ekibenya

There’s really nothing like grabbing an obento and going on an adventure. We picked ours up at Shinjuku station and took them out to the lovely Inokashira-koen in Kichijoji to soak up the sunshine in the park. I remembered that Ekbenya, near the JR line exits close to the South-East exit, had some delicious options, so that’s where we went. I picked a square bento with a big range of ingredients (to try as much as possible), and was really happy with this choice. I love being able to mix between the fish (which flaked perfectly and went really well with the steamed greens), three serves of rice with different flavourings, veggies (pumpkin, lotus root, carrot), and pickles. All bento are served cold, so the different textures are really important for variety. This one ticked all the boxes, although I was sorely tempted by the kid’s one shaped like a bullet train! Surprisingly, the highlight of the bento was the dessert – a little yuzu jelly, which was so juicy and deliciously citrusy that I would have gladly eaten another handful. Whilst there are so many great restaurants in Tokyo, don’t forget to try the local, humble bento!

Ekibenya, Shinjuku JR station, near South-East exit, Shinjuku Tokyo      http://www.nre.co.jp/shop/brand/ekibenya/

Akiba

A friend of mine had his farewell lunch at Akiba, and I was very excited to go back for the first time in a long time. For $34 per person (food only), we were treated to a feast of delicious plates. I started out with the strawberry and mint ‘Akipop’, which was as refreshing and sweet as I remember. First course was the kingfish sashimi, topped with spicy sauce and mayonnaise – the fish wasn’t melt in your mouth tender, but the flavours packed a punch. We all adored course two – the pork belly buns. Yum. Yum. Yum. The pork was sweet and sticky and the Asian slaw was really fresh. They were much bigger than I was expecting too. Next up were a couple of plates of prawn dumplings with lovely thin skins, but the highlight of the meal was the Japanese fried chicken, topped with parmesan and served with Sriracha and Japanese mayonnaise. The pieces were so crispy and moreish = perfection. The beef short rib was incredibly tender (easy to eat with chopsticks), and had a really rich flavour that left us fighting over the last pieces. We ended the feast with a couple of noodle dishes, although I didn’t love these like I did the share plates. Until next time, Akiba.

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

Saigon Foodies

I’ve only stopped in at Saigon Foodies once before, and was so impressed with their banh mi that I decided to head back and try out their pho. It’s a small store with no frills but a real sense of welcome. They clearly have their regulars, and I can see why! I ordered the beef pho ($12) to dine in, and took a seat by the window to watch the world go by. Before long, my pho additions were brought out (bean sprouts, lemon, basil and hoisin sauce) and then, voila, the steaming hot bowl of pho. Having never been to Vietnam, I can’t say how authentic it was, but compared to other pho I’ve had in Canberra, I found the broth really light and simple – I would have preferred a bit more flavour. The amount of beef was very generous and combined with the hoisin, that’s where the real taste was hiding. The noodles appeared handmade, although I didn’t get to ask them to confirm, as they were all different thicknesses, and were beautifully silky. The bowl was more than enough for lunch – I think their banh mi is still my favourite though.

Saigon Foodies, 42 Giles Street, Kingston ACT

Bookplate

My team organised a lunch at Bookplate, the cafe at the National Library of Australia, which has come under new ownership this year. The menu is varied and extensive, making it hard to pick just one thing. One of my favourite lighter meals is a caesar salad, which was my pick on this visit. Whilst you have to order at the counter, meals are brought out to you – we sat under the beautiful stained glass windows. The salad was elegantly presented in a reasonable-sized bowl. This caesar was all about the individual flavours – the pancetta was beautifully crispy and salty, the lettuce really fresh, and the spring onion added a kick. I am a sucker for good croutons, and these were right up there, although a little hard to cut. My only complaint was the lack of dressing – a good, oily caesar dressing would have gone better than the sparing daubs of a creamy version. For dessert I ordered one of the giant hazelnut meringues in the cake cabinet – it was heavenly! There was a lovely balance of crispy outer and gooey inner and the hazelnut flavour was just perfect throughout. Oh yes, I’ll be back.

Bookplate, National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes ACT       http://bookplate.com.au/