The One

Last time we went to Westside, my friend got a sandwich from The One and I promised myself I would get it on my next visit. So, instead of making a beeline for Miss Van’s, I branched out. The One offers a range of meat-packed sandwiches and tacos, and I was tempted by the promise of pickles on their Cubanos – slow-cooked pork, pickles, onion, leg honey ham, mustard and cheese, toasted. I chose the large size ($12.50), but it ended up being large enough for two lunches (!) so I would probably get the small size ($8.50) next time. This sandwich was to die for. I LOVED IT. Firstly the pork. There was LOTS of it – I’m talking tender, tasty, melt-in-your-mouth – and it went perfectly with the slightly sweet honey ham. There were plenty of bits of pickle throughout, and what really kicked the whole thing into the ‘out of this world good’ category was the mustard. I really loved the buttered American-style bun too. Ok, I loved everything about it, and, bonus, I got to enjoy the second half the next day. Get on it people, this is the real deal.

The One, Westside Acton, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT       https://www.westsideactonpark.com.au/the-one/

The Grounds of Alexandria

My last visit to the Grounds was about a year ago, so we booked in for a Friday lunch at the Cafe (having tried The Potting Shed last time). We were seated on the porch outside, where we could soak up the sun and watch the world go by. I started out with a berry smoothie (dairy-free), with berries, coconut flesh and coconut water. I found all that coconut a little overpowering for a smoothie called ‘berry’, but it had a good texture and was a reasonable size. For lunch, I fulfilled my usual stereotype  – my collegue always teases me for ordering the burger but I just couldn’t go past it! The ‘Ground’ Burger has a beef brisket patty, cheese, lettuce, pickles and mayo and came with a serve of chips. Oh man, those chips. They were perfect – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served with an amazing aioli. The burger itself was everything a good burger should be – it reminded me a bit of my beloved royale with cheese at Lonsdale Street Eatery – and had plenty of pickles. The beef was very high quality and the cheese and mayo were lovely and oozy. Let’s do that again sometime soon.

The Grounds of Alexandria, Shop 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, NSW    http://groundsroasters.com/

Fox and Bow

Oh my. I fell completely in love with this little cafe and can’t wait to go back. The menu is exciting and I couldn’t go past one of their amazing-sounding smoothies to start off. The ‘Ohhh Darla’ (love that movie!) was perfection – watermelon, pear and berries with gelato (maybe blackcurrant flavoured?) – it had great depth and balance, and lasted me nicely over the course of my lunch. The staff kindly reduced the dairy content for me too on request – great service! I went for one of the more lunch-like options and ordered the ‘Road Runner Beep Beep’. Oh my. It was amazing. The Portuguese grilled chicken was wedged between a lightly toasted bun (no crumbles, not too thick to cut! Yay!) and topped with just the right amount of jalapenos to give it a good amount of kick. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked and tender, and the guacamole was really generous, along with plenty of rocket for some crunch. There was also a serve of pickled something (cabbage? onion?) that tasted a bit like coleslaw – yum! Oh, did I mention that the sandwich came with a box of perfectly crisp, thick-cut chips? The seasoning was perfect, with a touch of rosemary. And the atmosphere was fantastic. Love, love, love.

Fox and Box, 4 Farrer Place, Farrer ACT                               http://www.foxandbow.com.au/

Miss Van’s

Oh, hello amazing Vietnamese food within walking distance of work! Yay! I was very excited to have a team lunch at Westside Acton on one of Canberra’s typically cold but sunny winter days. Whilst I was tempted by the pho, I used my friend’s food philosophy and ordered what I felt like, not what I thought I should have, and that was banh mi. For $8 you get a pork banh mi packed full of fresh ingredients. I thought the roll looked a bit small, but it was very full and actually turned out to be the perfect size for lunch. The incredible crispiness of the bread really stood out compared to other banh mi I’ve had – this one was just super crispy and delicious. I also really loved the fresh veggies – carrot, cucumber and pickled onion – plus the rich flavour of the pate. And the coriander. Everything was enhanced by the mix of mayonnaise and chilli sauce which lifted the flavours into something else. The pork itself was flavoured with five-spice, which helped build the layers of flavour. Even though I was full, I would have happily made stomach space for another. This place is seriously good.

Miss Van’s, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT                    http://www.missvans.com.au/

Bourke Street Bakery

Ah Bourke Street Bakery, it has been some time! On my last visit I couldn’t go past the soup of the day, and being another wintery day, I just stuck with what I knew (although I had some order envy about Dad’s reuben sandwich, which looked fantastic!). The cauliflour soup came out in a large bowl with a garnish of parsley, chives and pepper, all of which complemented the soup perfectly. Cauliflour soup is something that everyone should try at least once – there’s a lovely creaminess and heartiness that comes from its unique texture, and Bourke Street Bakery knows how to put that flavour on show. It’s also not a perfectly pureed soup, so there’s still some texture in there, and with such a generous portion size, you won’t leave hungry. The soup was served with a wedge of sourdough bread and a little tray of butter (such a luxury!) – it was perfect both by itself and dunked into the soup. I picked the homemade lemonade to have with my soup and it was really refreshing and not sickly sweet. Perfect for a chilly winter’s day.

Bourke St Bakery, Shop 7/19-25 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay, NSW http://bourkestreetbakery.com.au/

Terrace Cafe

On the hunt for a close by, warm place for lunch, my colleagues and I stopped in at the newly refurbished Terrace Cafe at Old Parliament House. Their menu offers great value, with most items between $10-$15. There are some fabulous new artworks up of the building, including a striking one taken at night, and little terrariums on the indoor tables. I ordered the curry of the day for lunch, which was a lamb Indian curry. Our food came out quite quickly and it looked beautiful – the curry was full of meat in a bowl, and the serve included flatbread wedges, rice and yoghurt, as well as some finely julienned carrot. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and had clearly been slow-cooked to perfection. I found the curry had just the right amount of heat, although it was a little bit oily for my preference. The sauce had a tomato base but I couldn’t quite pick the type of curry. The flatbread was great for mopping up the sauce and whilst I didn’t eat much of the rice, it was good to have on the plate. I also really enjoyed the fresh carrot and would have liked more! Looking forward to trying more of the menu next time.

Terrace Cafe, Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes ACT http://moadoph.gov.au/visiting/cafe/

Spicy Ginger Cuisine

So, it turns out Mr Shabu Shabu isn’t open for lunch on weekends, but luckily Spicy Ginger is, beause my friend and I were very hungry by the time I realised my mistake! Unfortunately the staff forgot about us after we were seated, but once they realised our order was taken quickly and we were given complimentary soft drinks with apologies. We started out with the san choy bao, which was utterly delicious – the crispy lettuce was packed with filling and every bite was perfection. I would come back for this alone, and I think it was the dish we both enjoyed most. Next up was the mongolian beef, which was a large serving packed with tender beef in an unctuous, salty sauce. The portion was quite large, but we had also ordered the braised eggplant in hotpot. I have a weakness for eggplant, and this was a really excellent way to serve it. The eggplant was soft and incredibly tasty, with another amazing sauce (hoi sin?). Three dishes definitely stopped us, and the staff kindly gave us takeaway containers so nothing went to waste. Just lovely.

Spicy Ginger Cuisine, 25 Childers Street, Acton ACT                           http://www.spicygingercafe.com/