Lonsdale Street Eatery

Lonsdale Street Eatery (LSR’s alter dinner ego) is one of the many serious meat-offering establishments of Canberra. They offer BYO (no corkage charge – we also had to BYO bottle opener!) and have a lovely outdoor seating area, perfect for warmer nights. We went on the first night of their new menu, and the waitress was really lovely about tracking down details for us when we had questions. In the end, we chose the buffalo wings, the ‘pitt bull’ hot dog and the royale with cheese burger, all served in fun, branded, disposable packaging. The wings were amazingly crispy and whilst they didn’t have as much meat on them as other wings I’ve had, the flavour more than made up for it. Caution – the spicy dipping sauce was too hot even for my chilli-loving Dad. The ‘pitt bull’ hot dog was quite good – I enjoyed it more than the one I’d had at Broddogs – with a good kick from the horseradish slaw and jalapeno salsa. But the pick of the bunch was the royale with cheese – this is the mother of all cheeseburgers, with a pillowy soft bun, dense, meaty patty and oozing melty cheese. So, so good.

Lonsdale Street Eatery, 23 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                         http://lonsdalestreetroasters.com/

Elemental

After reading a couple of fellow blogger reviews, I was excited to try the bone broth at Elemental. I know it won’t appeal to everyone, but being a noodle soup/broth nut, I figured this beverage would be perfect for me. Sadly, on arrival, it was the first thing we were told wasn’t available from the menu. Cue sad face. Instead, I ordered an earl grey tea and the brisket sub, with sweet potato, shaved fennel and lemon aioli. The tea was loose leaf and a bit more fragrant than I like my earl grey, but you could remove the infuser to stop overbrewing. My dish was served on a giant stoneware plate, the fennel and beef piled high atop a roasted half-sweet potato with a rocket and tomato salad on the side. The naked burger and the quesedilla my friends ordered looked a bit dwarfed on the large plates, but they assured me both were filling and delicious. Whilst the brisket wasn’t as tender as others I’ve had, there was a lot of it, and a mouthful with all of the elements (beef, aioli, sweet potato and fennel) was perfection. I guess I’ll just have to come back to try the bone broth!

Elemental, Ori building, 30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                                  elementalcafe.wix.com/elementalcafe

Smoque

Smoque is somewhere I know I can always get a reliable, good value meal, although their food wouldn’t exactly fall into the ‘healthy’ category. This visit was spontaneous, and the three of us ended up ordering the same meal and some sides to share. We were all tempted by the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, with sliced beef, rosemary aioli, caramelised onion and cheese. I ordered mine with pickles, but was disappointed that the extra pickles weren’t half-pickles like the one on the side, but tiny grated mini pickles – not worth bothering with. My friends kindly gave me their pickles (you guys are the best). That was the only disappointment though – the sandwich was incredible. Packed with far more slow-cooked, tender beef than I’d expected, the rosemary aioli was flavoursome without being overpowering, and there was a perfect filling-to-bread ratio. We also had a side of tater tots (better known as potato gems) with spring onion, sour cream and bacon bits – these were tasty but not as tasty as the hand-cut fries, which were wolfed down and went perfectly with the aioli overflow. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for a casual weeknight meal.

Smoque Woden, 10 Bowes Street, Phillip ACT                                                             http://smoque.com.au/

Reuben Hills

Surry Hills is definitely Sydney’s Braddon (read: hipster central) and as such has more cafes than you can poke a stick at. Chosen for their unique menu, I met a friend at Reuben Hills to try a South American-themed brunch. It turned out that my friend had already visited once before, and recommended the ‘NOT Reuben’ – their take on the reuben sandwich, which is a favourite of mine. Meal decided. We also both ordered the cold pressed juice – beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger, lemon and apple – which came out quickly in a large glass with a wedge of orange, and felt very healthy to drink. The NOT Reuben arrived in a plastic tray (diner-style) and was huge! I only managed to finish half of it, but it was a scrumptious half. The brisket was crusty and thick but melted in your mouth, and the pickled slaw was packed in, fresh and crispy. Without a doubt the horseradish mayonnaise brought the whole thing to life and the rye was gently toasted = perfect. They also kindly gave me a takeaway container for the other half. A thoroughly lovely place to enjoy a lazy weekend morning.

Reuben Hills, 61 Albion Street, Surry Hills, NSW    http://www.reubenhills.com.au/

Wood & Coal

Being owed lunch is a wonderful thing – I’d helped my colleague out a couple of times and was promised lunch in return, so we booked into Wood & Coal. My first impression was positive – the decor is simple but tasteful, with creative tiles on the floor and a ‘balcony’ area that’s inside the mall. The menu is all about the spit-roasted meats, but there are appetising sides on offer too. We went for the lunch special, which included three different meats, tzatziki with pita bread, iceberg lettuce salad and loukoumades for dessert. So far so good. I was surprised to see that the ‘plate’ was a metal tray with divided sections (like a German bento box, my friend commented) – it seemed a bit down-market for the restaurant’s vibe. But the food removed all thoughts of plates – each meat (pork, lamb and chicken) was beautifully smoky, generously portioned and well accompanied. The pita was soft and although my serving of tzatziki was smaller than the others’ it was rich and tasty. The loukoumades were dense and very sweet – two was definitely just the right amount. We also devoured a side of the fried cauliflower – yum!

Wood & Coal, 125 Bunda Street, Civic ACT       http://www.woodandcoal.com.au/

Delectaballs

My next choice at Fork on the Road was the sliders from Delectaballs. There were a few flavours on offer, but I opted for the Moroccan lamb with minted yoghurt. While they were being freshly cooked, the lovely gentleman wearing an ‘I like big balls and I cannot lie’ cap chatted to each customer and then used my order to demonstrate to someone who didn’t know what a slider is. My model sliders were well-sized and oozing with tomato sauce and the minted yoghurt, so were good advertising! I was expecting the bun to be a bit too much, but it cushioned the giant meatball nicely and was thankfully quite light. The meatball itself was perfect – well-cooked, high quality lamb mince with a mix of spices I couldn’t quite pick. There was just the right amount of sauce to prevent the slider from being dry, and the rocket made me feel slightly healthier about eating such a big serve of meat! I was surprised by how filling the slider was – I needed a good digestion pause before trying the next thing. Next time I think I’d try the eggplant and parmesan slider – I’m definitely a fan of Delectaballs!

Delectaballs, changing locations around Adelaide, SA                    http://www.delectaballs.com.au

 

Ox Eatery

When pondering what to eat for dinner, ‘a whole suckling pig’ isn’t really a common option. When your friends are moving to Indonesia, suddenly this becomes possible. We gathered a group of twelve together for the farewell and booked in for a suckling pig feast at Ox Eatery. When the pig came off the spit it was quite the spectacle – the chef carved the animal with a giant cleaver and reconstructed it on the largest serving platter I’ve ever seen, piling the meat up high and creating a shell of crackling. The platter was brought alongside our table and potatos, steamed green beans and corn has been added around the pig. We got stuck in – the crackling was served cold in thick, crispy slices that everyone happily ate with their hands. The pork itself was incredibly tender, and had been coated with a light apple sauce that added a hint of sweetness to the meat. Each of the accompaniments were delicious – the potatos were deep fried and perfectly soft inside, and both the beans and corn were beautifully buttery. Whilst we couldn’t finish the pig, it was certainly a meal to remember!

Ox Eatery at East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston ACT                   http://oxeatery.com.au/