Hoi Polloi

I may have forgotten that stopping in at Hoi Polloi requires one to take a long lunch from work…oops. Anyway, my friend and I dined in one long weekday lunch, both keen to try something we hadn’t eaten before on the menu. I was sorely tempted by the burger (created by the awesome Bec), but instead I was drawn in by the sandwich option – essentially a reuben, with corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. The sandwich came out and I realised what a task I had ahead of me. It was huge! Not only that, but it came with a large serve of chips, which I can’t resist. To be totally honest, I found the sandwich a bit disappointing. The beef was rather bland, leaving the cheese and the sauerkraut  to do all the heavy lifting on the flavour. I know that corned beef can be like this, but I found the blandness exacerbated by the weirdly homogenous, smooth texture of the meat – it was clearly broiled. I did appreciate the good quality bread, but I probably wouldnt order this again. The chips were really tasty though, and my friend enjoyed a noodle special with tuna; one for two on this visit.

Hoi Polloi, Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.hoipolloioph.com/

Portrait Cafe

I was so impressed by the variety at the Portrait Cafe that I really struggled to pick only one things for lunch – gourmet pie? Beetroot risotto? African stew? They have it all! I ended up going for something more classic – a Cuban sandwich ($15) with grilled ham, pork belly, sweet potato, gruyere, onions, pickles, aioli and mustard. Yeah, that’s quite a lot of delicious things packed into one sandwich. Luckily they all went together perfectly – pork is a perfect meat to pair with slightly sweet things, so the soft sweet potato and the sweet burger bun complemented the double pork hit perfectly. The pork belly had so much flavour and the saltiness from the ham was amazing. I’m also a bit aioli fan, so really this was a winner on all fronts. I hadn’t realised it also came with chips, which were nicely cooked (perhaps a tad soft for my taste) and generously heaped onto the plate. This was a great value, delicious lunch, and whilst I couldn’t finish all of it, I’d definitely come back to try some of their more exotic offerings.

Portrait Cafe, National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.portrait.gov.au/content/cafe-and-shop

Manchester Press

Manchester Press’s lunch menu is all about the bagels (oh yeah), so after a delightfully perfect soy hot chocolate (seriously, I had to confirm that it was dairy-free, it tasted so good), I ordered the Reuben closed bagel ($14), with smoked pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and pickles. Also – bonus – the bagels are served with salted pretzels and a pickle. Yum! The bagel itself was firm but not too dense, and you get a sensible, serrated knife to eat it with dignity. There was so much pastrami on this bagel I couldn’t quite believe it – I particularly liked the spicy kick of the seasoning (it reminded me of spicy togarashi), but be warned that it isn’t for the faint-hearted. The meat was tender and tasty, just as it should be, and I loved the way that the pickles served in the sandwich were diced up and mixed throughout the creamy dressing. Mmm. The sauerkraut flavour was a bit lost amongst the strong tastes of the pastrami and the dressing, but there was enough of a tang to know it was there. Basically I’d happily eat this any day with no complaints – #cometocanberra?

Manchester Press, 8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne VIC, no website

The Latvian Lunchroom

I jumped at the chance to eat at The Latvian Lunchroom in the Adelaide Central Markets for something completely different. Dad and I shared two meals, starting with the Latvian Snack Plate ($12), which included three pirags (soft pastry filled with bacon, onion and pepper) and our choice of three Smalk maizītes, or open sandwiches. My favourite by far was the deviled egg with anchovy – topped with tiny bubbles of fish roe, the anchovy added a pop of salt to the creamy egg and the dense, flavoursome bread. The smoked salmon with horesradish cream was equally rich and luscious, but in comparison the sausage with mustard was a bit bland. I ordered the Beef Kotlete and Mushrooms ($14) which was incredible value – my plate was piled with sauerkraut, beetroot vinagrette, potato salad, a large beef kotlete (rissole) and some of the tastiest mushrooms I’ve had in a long time, not to mention gherkins. The kotlete was tender and wasn’t dry, and went perfectly with the tang of the sauerkraut. I honed in on the beetroot vinagrette, spiced up with dill and celery it was heavenly. There was so much food and all of it was amazing. I feel a trip to Riga coming on…

The Latvian Lunchroom, Adelaide Central Markets, Adelaide SA, thelatvianlunchroom.com.au/

Hey Jupiter

Hey Jupiter has been on my to visit list for ages – I finally got there! It was a busy weekday afternoon, and I managed to snag a seat at the two-seater bar. The waitress was really helpful and got me a watermelon, apple and mint juice ($7.50) to kick things off – it came in a gorgeous flask and whilst much darker in colour than what I would expect from fresh watermelon, it was tasty and refreshing. Now, normally I’m not a sandwich kind of girl, but sandwiches seem to be Hey Jupiter’s forte, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and ordered the pancetta sandwich ($13). Holy moly. That is one damn fine sandwich. The ingredients are top quality, from the crispy, long bread to the salty, paper-thin pancetta, and boy does it show in the flavour. The lemon-thyme mayonnaise is something rather special, and paired with the generous serving of avocado, there’s a lovely creaminess that cuts through the salt of the pancetta. The baby spinach leaves are really packed in, and I left with both taste buds and hungry stomach satisfied. Not to mention the friendly staff who are clearly adored by their regulars, making me wish I was still a local.

Hey Jupiter, 11 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide SA, no website

Double Shot

This was by far my best experience at Double Shot – I only had a short amount of time for lunch, and the waitress was very happy to point me to menu items that wouldn’t take too long to prepare. I really appreciated that level of service, and ordered one of the toasted sandwiches ($10), picking the tuna as something a bit different. As promised, my meal came out quickly and I was struck by the simple but appealing presentation on a small sandwich board. On first bite, it was clear that this was a very special toastie. The bread was lovely and flavoursome, having been pan-fried in butter to create rich, luxurious mouthfuls that hit just the right balance of crisp and soft for my taste. Inside, the sierra tuna was thickly packed in, well-mixed with capers, green olives, spanish onion and aioli. The combination was fantastic, every ingredient bringing something to the flavour party (yes, I’d invite them all again). Combined with the buttery bread, what may seem like a humble toastie is elevated into a gourmet delight. Apart from the pickle, the garnish salad was a bit thin for me, but the lettuce leaves did break up the richness nicely.

Double Shot, 18 Duff Place, Deakin ACT , http://doubleshotdeakin.com.au/

Local Press

Sometimes I feel like this blog is a bit of a love letter to Local Press. Every time I eat there I have a consistently excellent experience, and this time was no exception. Having not tried it before, I opted for the smoked leg ham toasted sandwich, while my friends tried the French toast and the porridge. The food came out quickly, and I was struck by the vibrant colours on the plate. The menu didn’t mention that the sandwich came with a salad, so that was a pleasant surprise. The fresh rocket and capsicum was a perfect way to lighten up the rich toastie. And what a toastie it was! The bread had obviously been pan-fried in butter – it oozed with deliciousness and the flavour was incredible. I chose to add a fried egg into the filling and it went really well with the thick-cut leg ham (slightly chewy, but really tasty), the fresh tomato and the tasty cheddar. The whole breakfast was so hearty and I think it would have still been super filling, even without the added egg. The other dishes looked great too – I’ll be back soon to try them out!

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/