Lilotang

I adore Lilotang, one of Canberra’s modern Japanese restaurants, and was very excited to see that they’re offering lobster rolls as part of the Night Noodle Market. Stationed right by the entrance, the staff were proudly claiming to have Canberra’s best Japanese as we approached the stall. I ordered the lobster roll ($11) and Dad went for the pork belly bun ($10) beng offered by stall-partner Chairman and Yip. Both dishes were served within 5 minutes of us ordering them, which I was super impressed by! The lobster roll looked small, but don’t let that deceive you – there’s plenty of delicious lobster filling packed within the two sides of that sweet, soft brioche bun. The mixture was designed to bring out the lobster flavour, with chives and onion added as highlights. This ranks up there with the Supernormal one as a must-try. The pork belly bun had two huge, fat strips of boiled pork belly resting atop a simple coleslaw – Dad added some hoisin sauce (help yourself at the counter) and it really brought the whole dish to life. The pork pieces were perfectly fatty and tender – an indulgence indeed.

Lilotang, Night Noodle Market Reconciliation Place, Parkes until 13 March,        http://lilotang.com.au/

Hortas

On a perfectly warm afternoon, Mum and I headed down to Port Noarlunga for lunch with a craving for fish and chips. Wandering around, we saw the beautiful location of Hortas looking out over the water and were sold. We sat out on the balcony and ordered two serves of the fish and chips. The food came out surprisingly quickly, as we were commenting that sitting on the deck felt like lounging at a friend’s place, it was so relaxing and comfortable! The plates were huge, with two pieces of beer-battered garfish, a mound of chips, a bowl of tartare sauce and a garden salad on the side. Whilst the presentation was pretty, it was a bit hard to eat on a plate with no free space. The fish was nicely battered, with the batter leaning more towards the dense side, and inside the fishmeat was perfectly cooked and tender. I found the flavour a bit unusual (just this type of fish? The Coopers beer batter?) but I enjoyed it with the lovely tartare sauce. The chips were a bit on the pale side for me, but were cooked through, and really, you just can’t go past that view.

Hortas, Port Noarlunga Jetty, Noarlunga SA, http://www.hortas.com.au/

Locale

A friend and I managed to get an outdoors table at Locale for a weeknight dinner – the waitress inside wasn’t particularly attentive and seemed a bit befuddled, but the waiter who looked after our table was friendly and professional. We started out with the hot prawns – a bowl full of prawns in a sauce with chilli (deseeded, so not particularly spicy) and tomatos, served with a delicious flatbread. There weren’t many prawns (about 7 in total), but they were perfectly cooked to tenderness, and anyone ordering this dish should lap up every drop of that sauce. Yum. We then shared a Prosciutto e Rucola pizza – buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, rocket and parmesan. We both commented on how the simple toppings was the hallmark of authentic pizza, and with such thinly shaved prosciutto and scattered rocket and parmesan, it looked to tick all the boxes. Flavour-wise, this pizza was superb – the prosciutto added plenty of salty flavour, which was enhanced by the bite of both the rocket and the parmesan. The base was lovely and thin, and the mozzarella went beautifully stringy! One between two was just right for us and we left with happy tummies.

Locale, Shop 5, Deakin Shops, Hopetoun Circuit, Deakin ACT, http://www.localepizzeria.com.au/

Hyatt Hotel

When a friend mentioned that the Hyatt was doing a series of Latin Flavours feasts from around South America, we booked in quick smart for the Argentine one. We were met with one of the best buffets I’ve ever seen in my life. There were three buffet stations, PLUS a stand from which to get your cooked goat. Swoon. I started with seafood – cold crabmeat, octopus salad and fresh prawns, plus oysters and mussels. I also fell in love with the beetroot salad. Oh my. Next was the red meat – rib eye steak in chimmichurri, goat, mini empanadas stuffed with beef and cheese, cheesy cabbage rolls and a selection of cold meats (chorizo, jamon and salami). By this point my initial goal of three savoury and two sweet rounds was seeming overly ambitious. I ditched savoury and loaded up my plate with a melt-in-your-mouth mango cake (I don’t think they have mangoes in Argentina, but who cares?), churros dipped in chocolate from the chocolate fountain, dulce de leche pancakes, strawberries and cream and quince tart. The tango demonstration was a good digestion pause before cheese to finish. There are a couple more nights left (Venezuela and Mexico) so get in quick!

Promenade Cafe, Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 120 Commonwealth Avenue ACT http://canberra.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

Sean’s Kitchen

One thing Adelaide’s newest restaurants seem to be getting right is social media. When I asked Twitter where I should try in Adelaide, and Sean’s Kitchen was an option, the restaurant tweeted me back offering to make a reservation. How’s that for service? So I booked in for lunch, and arrived to find an impressive set up, with the restaurant’s space designed to mirror Adelaide railway station, which it is attached to. The staff were attentive without being intrusive, and my king crab legs came out after a short wait. There were two legs, split, on the plate with fresh lemon and warmed lemon butter, which was a decadent but perfect accompaniment to the tender crab meat. I enjoyed the challenge of scraping every last morsel from inside the shell. We also had a serve of asparagus and the duck fat chips, both of which were delicious and I would definitely recommend. The chips were perfectly seasoned and the potato had a fabulous flavour – no sauce needed. We were impressed by the range on the wine list too, and we’re already planning to come back for the pork hock. A table is just a tweet away!

Sean’s Kitchen, Station Road, Adelaide SA                      http://www.seanskitchen.com.au/

Little NNQ

Meeting up with friends for a Gouger St dinner in Adelaide, I picked the new kid on the block – Little NNQ, the outpost of Nghi Ngan Quan. The menu is full of exciting-sounding things: DIY cold rolls, curries, and soups. I ordered the entree sized pho as a starter, which was more like a small main when it came out, full of rare beef, beef balls, onion and noodles. The broth was fabulous and not overly salty, and I was well on my way to full after drinking every last drop. I had the grilled scallops with ginger as my main, along with the orange and kumquat juice, which was served in a mason jar and had a refreshing citrus bitterness to it. The scallops came out with five on the plate drowning in sauce, accompanied by  piles of spring onion. Sadly the scallops were overdone, losing their softness to chewiness, but the sauce was spectacular and I ate a lot of it with rice. I would have been disappointed with the serving compared to my friend’s giant bowl of sour soup if I hadn’t had the entree. Verdict? Tasty dishes worth trying, despite imperfections.

Little NNQ, 125 Gouger Street Adelaide, SA, no website

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/