The Brathaus

I bucked the trend at my most recent visit to the Hamlet and ordered a schnitzel from a bratwurst place. Yep. That’s how I roll. It was probably my best decision of the day – the Brathaus is one of the more recent additions to the Hamlet and offers tempting sausages and schnitzel in true German style. I picked the ‘Chicken Schnitty Burger’ – not part of the main menu, but handwritten on a whiteboard out the front (so apologies if it’s not a regular menu item – it should be). The schnitzel is without a doubt the best I’ve had in Australia – plump, tender chicken with a beautifully crispy panko crumb. My friend watched them cook hers and she said the secret is that they pop it into the oven to crisp up after frying. The bun was light and whilst there was plenty of salad, it compressed down nicely and wasn’t too hard to eat. The serving size was just right for me, although you can choose to have it with chips for an extra $3.50. My friend ordered the chips (fries) and we ended up sharing them – the serving was really generous. Definitely stop in to try the schnitzel if you can, it’s a winner.

The Brathaus, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Chuckle Park

I’d wanted to visit Chuckle Park’s lantern-strung alley since I’d wandered past in 2012. It took me a while, but I got there for dinner one fine Melbourne evening – another of my solo dining experiences. I was lucky enough to get a table, and went up to the caravan to order. Sadly they’d run out of the meatball soup I’d wanted to try, but offered to make a meatball wrap instead. I ordered that with a cider, and took my number back to my table. The wrap came out fairly quickly, and it looked hearty and warm. On first bite this was confirmed – the wrap itself was a bit crispy and the filling, whilst a bit oily, was piping hot. The meatballs had a great kick to them and were not stingy on flavour. There was plenty of oozing, melty cheese inside, along with spinach and, of course, the meatball sauce. Each mouthful was delicious and the whole serve was so filling that I couldn’t quite finish it. My only criticism is that Chuckle Park allows smoking, which I felt detracted from my dining experience, otherwise I’d be back in a heartbeat.

Chuckle Park Bar and Cafe, 322 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC                http://www.chucklepark.com.au/

10″ Custom Pizzeria

Four of us headed out to the Hamlet in Braddon for lunch one weekday, and I was determined to try something different this visit. After much deliberation, I picked 10″ Custom Pizzeria, on the menu item the Napoletana. It sounded like a perfect pizza dream – tomato, anchovies, basil and black olives. Yes please! The lovely lady behind the counter made it in front of me and I watched it go right into the wood-fired oven. We dined in and so my pizza was served on a chopping board after being freshly cooked. It was heavenly. The base was beautifully thin and puffed up at the edges, with a lovely balance between soft and crisp. The anchovies were the star of the pizza, adding incredible flavour and saltiness that tasted better than any other pizza topping I’ve had in Canberra. I loved that you could appreciate the simple, distinct flavours of each ingredient, in authentic Italian style. I then spotted another customer with an icy drink (I’ll have what she’s having!) – a strawberry granita, served in a huge takeaway cup and full of strawberry sweetness. My friend had the pineapple and coconut one and loved it as just as much. Simple, fresh and tasty pizza, highly recommended.

10″ Custom Pizzeria, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no webiste

The Mandalay Bus

As part of my birthday week celebrations I organised dinner with a group of friends at the Mandalay Bus. The bus is an iconic fixture in Canberra, and is somewhat notorious for pumping tunes loudly from its location at the top of Lonsdale Street. The menu is a mish-mash of fried food and Burmese curries, so I picked one of each to try. I couldn’t resist the waffle cut fries, which came in a generous serving and were crispy and well-seasoned. Friends had the chilli cheese version and enjoyed them too. Actually, I think most of the group ordered a serve of the fries, and we all nibbled on them throughout the night! For the Burmese dish, I ordered the pumpkin curry, which was also incredibly good – the soft, creamy pumpkin contrasted perfectly with the assortment of seeds scattered on top (pepitas, sunflower seeds, and others I didn’t recognise). The curry was mild but had plenty of flavour and after all those fries I couldn’t quite finish my bowl. I’d recommend rugging up as the nights cool down – milk crates aren’t the warmest seats but the casual community vibe and the fabulous street food makes it worth the effort.

The Mandalay Bus, Haig Park Carpark, Corner Lonsdale St and Girrahween St, Braddon ACT, no website

Broddogs

Broddogs is one of the more prominent, well-known food trucks at The Hamlet, originally set up in Belconnen, and I couldn’t go past it for my first visit to the food truck enclave. On recommendation from Fine Eating, I went for the Omi Dog – vienna frankfurt with a salad of onion, gruyere and mayonnaise dressing – and a side of chips. I waited about 5 minutes for my order (not bad at all really) and the first thing I noticed when sitting to eat was that the bun of the hot dog was hot, but the filling wasn’t. It made for an interesting contrast, with the sausage sliced up and mixed through the cold salad. I liked the raw onion flavour cutting through the otherwise creamy salad, but probably won’t order it again on a work day! The hot dog was very filling and the bun was nice and soft. Note to self: the serve of chips is massive and should be shared. They’re the same shoestring fries as Brodburger, with some magically delicious seasoning and no dipping sauce required. Whilst not as blow-your-mind good as Brodburger, Broddogs offers an affordable, filling hot dog served fast.

Broddogs, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

Chasing Mr Morris

Donuts are something that I associate with my childhood – my brother was (actually, still is) a donut fiend and as such it was often the treat we would end up getting from the local shops. It has been many years since I’ve had a good iced donut, so when I visited The Hamlet and saw that Chasing Mr Morris (whose Instagram account I adore) had beautiful iced donuts, I was in. I picked the Earl Grey flavour for myself, and picked up a couple of Salted Caramel for my colleagues. On first bite, I was instantly transported back into childhood – that familiar donut flavour is right up front, with just the right hint of cinnamon and buttery richness. Mmm. I found that the Earl Grey flavour was quite subtle – I had expected stronger bergamot overtones – but that this didn’t stop me devouring every crumb. My colleague found the same with the Salted Caramel – the salty flavour only started to come through towards the end – but from all accounts it was equally delicious. Chasing Mr Morris has a fabulous food truck, full of succulents and granny blankets, and is doing an awesome job bringing donuts back!

Chasing Mr Morris, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

N2 Extreme Gelato

I’m in denial that summer is over, so over the next few weeks I’m going to share icecream reviews every Thursday (#icecreamthurs). Mmm, icecream. I’ve been super excited about Good Food Month’s Night Noodle Market coming to Canberra and so a few foodie friends and I went for opening night. N2 have come from Melbourne to be part of the market and they brought two options to share with us on the menu – the Ferrero Reveal and the Brokeback Moment. I chose the former, with Nutella gelato, crushed hazelnuts, a rice bubble choc top and a warm chocolate ganache syringe. The choc top was quite solid and there was plenty of chocolate – with the rice bubbles it actually tasted like coco pops (yum) and I tried to save it to mix through the gelato underneath. The ganache in the syringe had gone a bit cold, so was tough to extract, but it added a rich decadence that wasn’t over the top. The gelato itself was creamy and had a strong Nutella flavour, which didn’t fade, and there was plenty of it in the small cup. Only a few more nights left to go back and have it again!

N2 Extreme Gelato, Enlighten Night Noodle Market until 8 March, http://n2extremegelato.com.au/