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My top 10 Canberra restaurants

Posted by Gary

Part 2: My top 10 Canberra restaurants

Part 1 listed the first 5 Canberra restaurants in the list of my top 10 Canberra restaurants. To recap, we’ve eaten out a lot in 2014 and I thought I’d end 2014 with a list of my top 10 Canberra restaurants. Well maybe not the top 10 Canberra restaurant but 10 restaurants I really liked. 

I’m not necessarily focussing on fine dining either. I like to think a local suburban cafe can mix it with my top 10 Canberra restaurants. So in no particular order Yummy Lummy’s the remaining top 10 Canberra restaurants are:

6. Malaysian Chapter in Belconnen

Part of the eating out plan this year has been to use Bron’s entertainment book. Malaysian Chapter was a late edition and I’m glad Bron acted on the e-mail notifying her that Malaysian Chapter had been added to the book. I’m a sucker for a rendang and enjoyed the meal enormously. 

The Yummy Lummy review can be found here.

 

7. Mecca Bah in Griffith

While I don’t normally accept freebies, I was invited by the Mecca Bah‘s Maître d’ to enjoy a meal on him. I’m glad I said yes because I really like meat served on a stick. We’ve dined at the Mecca Bah nearly half a dozen times and each time we’ve really enjoyed the meal. The service is always friendly and the food well cooked. I’d happily recommend the Mecca Bah to anyone visiting and wanting a consistently good meal.

The latest Yummy Lummy review is found here.

 

8. Black fire in Braddon

Do you like well cooked, carved and served whole animals like pigs? If you answered yes, then Black fire is for you. This is also the place where I experienced my first finger limes. The roast pork I inhaled was fantastic that night. I’m still looking for friends to enjoy a whole suckling pig dinner. 

The Yummy Lummy review is here.

 

9. Wild duck in Kingston

I’m not sure if you use Dimmi but I reckon it’s a great way to reserve a table. The one requirement for our dinner at Wild Duck was to eat duck. Wild Duck describes itself as fine Asian cuisine. The menu however is not your typical Chinese restaurant. It’s more of an abstract of traditional dishes cooked beautifully with flavour as a priority.

The Yummy Lummy review is here.

 

10. Olive at Mawson in Mawson

Olive at Mawson is a suburban family run place in the Southlands shopping centre in Mawson. The service here sets it apart from many other places. Friendly and like a family dinner the owners and staff serve the meals with love. The dishes are all generous in proportions but not too large. Unlike some places that specialise in quantity, Olive at Mawson is all quality. I fell in love with the lamb shoulder and of course they also serve olives. 

The Yummy Lummy review is here.

 

So there you go, my top 10 Canberra restaurants. 

What are your favourite Canberra restaurants? Please tell me in the comments below  

 

As a bonus here is a YouTube video of some of my Christmas meals. This is my first attempt at a Lightroom slideshow. I hope you enjoy it. I haven’t added music. That will come when I figure out how. If you want more information about these images, check out my Instagram feed.

Wild Duck Restaurant Review

Posted by Gary

There was one requirement, at Wild Duck we needed to eat duck

It’s been a busy week and Bron and I had a reservation at Wild Duck on a Thursday night. The reservation process was dead easy with Dimmi (electronic reservation). What I like about Dimmi is the reservation gets locked in and confirmation/reminder e-mails are sent which gives me reassurance.

We had agreed beforehand like we did at Olive at Mawson, that since it’s Wild Duck we need to eat duck (at Olive at Mawson we agreed someone had to eat an olive dish).

Wild Duck describes itself as fine Asian cuisine. The menu however is not your typical Chinese restaurant. It’s more of an abstract of traditional dishes cooked beautifully with flavour as a priority.

We decided on mains before we settled on entrées. We chose the pork belly and lamb ribs for mains after thinking about the ocean trout and spatchcock. To begin dinner we agreed on duck in rice wrappers and king prawns.

Roast duck rice paper rolls. Chinese roast duck, cucumber, spring onion in Vietnamese style rice paper roll served with Hoi Sin sauce.
Roast duck rice paper rolls. Chinese roast duck, cucumber, spring onion in Vietnamese style rice paper roll served with Hoi Sin sauce.

These wraps were served on a cute duck plate

Wild duck

King prawns and green pawpaw. Pan fried King Prawns with Cajun spice, served with a Thai style Green Pawpaw and Granny Smith apple salad.
King prawns and green pawpaw. Pan fried King Prawns with Cajun spice, served with a Thai style Green Pawpaw and Granny Smith apple salad.

The duck rolls were pretty good. The sauce that came with it was superb. I found the pieces of duck meat were quite large and rather than being a negative, I loved having a nice big piece of tender duck meat with skin on it. The prawns were nicely cooked. They were coated in a lovely spicy mix which was complemented nicely with the refreshing shredded green pawpaw and green apple.

 

Pork belly in lotus leaf. Slowly cooked pork belly with 3 kinds of soy sauce, rock sugar and mixed spices, wrapped in Lotus leaves with sticky rice.
Pork belly in lotus leaf. Slowly cooked pork belly with 3 kinds of soy sauce, rock sugar and mixed spices, wrapped in Lotus leaves with sticky rice.
Manhan lamb ribs. Slow cooked Lamb Ribs in ‘One Hundred’ spices, finished on the grill, served with aged Chinese vinegar caramelised Banana chillies and soy caramelised Leeks.
Manhan lamb ribs. Slow cooked Lamb Ribs in ‘One Hundred’ spices, finished on the grill, served with aged Chinese vinegar caramelised Banana chillies and soy caramelised leeks.

Both these dishes were fantastic. The pork belly was tender and sweet and accompanied with some lovely sticky rice that had soaked up all the lovely pork juices. The lamb ribs had the most tender meat ever. A spoon would have separated the meat from the bones. The flavour was amazing. The fat had been rendered out and gave the meat a lovely unctuous texture. The nice thing about sharing the meal was that we could eat a small amount from each dish and go back for more. I started with the pork then had some lamb and then pork and finished with lamb. I commented that I wish I had finished on the pork because the sweetness would have been perfect for me. Bron loved the lamb and said she was happy to finish with the lamb because it was a dish she wasn’t expecting in that she’d eaten pork belly many times before but this was the first time she’d eaten lamb ribs. Both dishes were fabulous and I’d happily go back and eat them again.

 

Black sticky rice. Cinnamon infused black sticky rice with salted coconut custard on top. Vanilla meringue and Persian candy floss.
Black sticky rice. Cinnamon infused black sticky rice with salted coconut custard on top. Vanilla meringue and Persian candy floss. Thanks Bron for shooting this photograph.
Banana split with a twist. Bitter chocolate glaze, lotus seeds on rum and almond crumble, served with coconut ice cream.
Banana split with a twist. Bitter chocolate glaze, lotus seeds on rum and almond crumble, served with coconut ice cream.

Bron chose the sticky rice and I said I’d probably go with the five texture mousse and summer berries. As our requests were being taken I quickly changed my mind and asked for the banana split. Bron just stared at me (death stare). She had (been hoping) hoped to check out some of the mousse and berries. There was a bit of face palming lol

All in all it was a good night. The setting is very pleasant and not too noisy. The service was great, it was friendly and attentive but not too in your face. We both commented on the timing of the dishes. We were not left waiting long between courses and if I had one reservation it would be to leave a few more minutes between courses.

I’m happy to recommend Wild Duck to anyone living in or visiting Canberra. 

So now for a rating. 4.5 out of 5 colonies 🙂 Fantastic. I’ll be back.

 

Wild duck | Wild duck menu | Wild duck entrées | Wild duck mains | Wild duck desserts

 

Wild Duck on Urbanspoon

Address: Shop 77-78/71 Giles Street, Kingston ACT 2604

Telephone: 02 6232 7997

Hours: Sunday Closed; Monday 12-2.30 pm, 5.30–10.30 pm; Tuesday 12-2.30 pm, 5.30–10.30 pm; Wednesday 12-2.30 pm, 5.30–10.30 pm; Thursday 12-2.30 pm, 5.30–10.30 pm; Friday 12-2.30 pm, 5.30–10.30 pm; Saturday 5.30–10.30 pm

Reservations: http://dimmi.com.au

 
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Devonshire tea at the Australian national botanical gardens

Posted by Gary

A gorgeous day in Canberra for a walk and Devonshire tea

After breakfast (see an image below), Bron and I agreed we’d go out around lunch time for a wander around the botanical gardens and then have a bite to eat.

 

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The botanical gardens reflects parts of Australia’s natural native flora. We walked through the new red centre area as well as the rain forest valley. 

After the walk we went to Floresco for a bite to eat. At first I was thinking a pie floater with mushy peas and mashed potato in a bowl of pea soup. The thing that put me off was it was served with napolitano sauce. Then we spied Devonshire tea and agreed. As we approached the counter Bron noticed a tart with a macaron shell on top. We got one of those too. 

2014-08-24_12.33.23_005_GARY_LUM Macaron tart

Floresco in the Gardens on Urbanspoon

 

The Australian national botanical gardens is a good place for a walk on a nice day. After a nice walk, you can get refreshment from Floresco in the Gardens.

 
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Saturday night dinner. Wagyu scotch fillet steak with bearnaise served with duck fat potatoes, sweet potatoes with panko crumbs and pear and walnut along with brocccoli.
Saturday night dinner. Bron cooked wagyu scotch fillet steak with bearnaise served with duck fat potatoes, sweet potatoes with panko crumbs and pear and walnut along with broccoli.
Sunday breakfast. Scrambled eggs with truffle oil and tarragon.
Sunday breakfast. Bron cooked scrambled eggs with truffle oil and tarragon.

 

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Breakfast at Silo Bakery Kingston

Posted by Gary

Our first breakfast at Silo Bakery

It’s Saturday morning and we need breakfast. Bron suggested Silo Bakery and Cafe in Kingston. It also meant we could visit the Essential Ingredient too. 

The menu is pretty good as is the coffee 🙂 

Breakfast is served 7 am to 11.30 am

Orange juice, sunrise juice, vegetable or special juice of the day 6
Fresh bloody Mary 8
Bircher muesli, pear juice, almond milk and blueberries 9
Banana, goji berries, honey and labna with toasted raisin bread 9
Vegan breakfast 17
Nut and seed flatbread with tomato, rocket, avocado and cashew hummus
Scrambled eggs and truffle 18
Eggs florentine 17
Poached eggs on grilled crostini with spinach, parmesan and olive oil
Welsh rarebit, egg, bacon and spinach 17
Corned beef and sweet potato hash with a fried egg and mustard cream 16
Tartiflette with mushroom toast 17
Zoolbia with warm autumn fruits and yoghurt 13
Chilli jam, tomato and poached eggs 17
Gruyere omelette 14
Breakfast cheese selection 22
A selection of three mild cheeses with bread
Croissant or brioche with jam 4
Sourdough toast, raisin toast or baguette with jam 7
Ham and cheese croissant 8
All bread, pastries and jams are made at Silo.

 

Bron asked for the scrambled eggs and truffle and I asked for the corned beef hash. 

Scrambled eggs with truffles at Silo Bakery, Kingston
Scrambled eggs with truffles at Silo Bakery, Kingston

 

Scrambled eggs with truffles at Silo Bakery, Kingston
Scrambled eggs with truffles at Silo Bakery, Kingston

 

Saturday breakfast at Silo Bakery. Corned beef hash.
Saturday breakfast at Silo Bakery. Corned beef hash.

 

Saturday breakfast at Silo Bakery. Corned beef hash.
Saturday breakfast at Silo Bakery. Corned beef hash.

We were both pretty happy with our meals. The service is friendly and relatively quick. The place gets busy though so if you want a table get there early or be prepared to wait. If the wait is too long the good thing about Kingston is the number of restaurants open for breakfast so you won’t go hungry 😉  

 

 
Silo Bakery on Urbanspoon

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Olive at Mawson Thanks @Oliveatmawson

Posted by Gary

Restaurant Review for Olive at Mawson

On Wednesday night Bron and I dined at Olive at Mawson. We’d been thinking about eating here for many months. Bron had mentioned the owners used to own the Trattoria at the Hellenic Club in Woden. Bron and her work mates like eating at the Trattoria and wondered what their restaurant in Mawson would be like. 

The restaurant is located in the Southlands Shopping Centre in Mawson. It’s a bit hidden away so if you see Coffee Guru and then Thai@Mawson just veer right and you’ll soon come across Olive at Mawson.

 

After entering we’re shown to our table which is nicely appointed with a linen table cloth and linen napkins. The restaurant itself is nicely decked out and has a nice atmosphere. The lighting is slightly dimmed but bright enough to see what you’re eating. For me, I was happy because the light was sufficient for decent food photography with a point and shoot camera.

After a short interval we’re provided with water and menus. There are specials as well. I had looked at the on-line menu in the afternoon and had thought about oysters but then on the specials menu I saw crispy soft shelled crab.

For an entrée Bron asked for crispy fried olives and I asked for the crispy soft shelled crab. Bron said she thought since we’re eating at Olive at Mawson one of us should have olives.

For a main course Bron asked for the lamb cutlets from the specials menu and I asked for the slowly cooked shoulder of lamb.

While we chatted about this and that we noticed the friendliness of the wait staff and the owners who were also on the floor. It’s nice to hear a good loud laugh.

 

Fried olives at Olove at Mawson
Fried olives at Olive at Mawson

Extra large green olives, filled with roasted capsicum, feta and side of aioli

The olives were delicious. The outer coating was crisp and inside the olive was warm and full of flavour.

 

Soft shelled crab at Olive at Mawson
Soft shelled crab at Olive at Mawson

The crab was crispy and the salad that complemented the crab was refreshing and included sun dried tomatoes and artichokes. I loved this entrée. I’d happily eat it again.

 

Lamb cutlets at Olive at Mawson
Lamb cutlets at Olive at Mawson

Junee Lamb Cutlets with semi dried tomato, haloumi cheese, oregano and wrappy in crispy filo pastry.

Bron enjoyed these and she was generous enough to share one with me. It was gorgeous, it made me think Lamb Wellington.

 

Lamb shoulder at Olive at Mawson
Lamb shoulder at Olive at Mawson

Lamb shoulder

Slow cooked lamb shoulder served with steamed greens, lemon oregano potatoes, and a side of garlic yogurt sauce

This was a truly remarkable dish. The meat was amazing and so full of flavour. I’d eat this time and time again. 

I hope you notice the ample pepper on each dish. The owner came and ground pepper on each dish. It was very aromatic. 

 

Crème brûlée at Olive at Mawson
Crème brûlée at Olive at Mawson

I could hear the top ‘crack’ when Bron broke through with her spoon.

Ice creams at Olive at Mawson
Ice creams at Olive at Mawson

These four different ice creams were delicious.

I’m happy to rate this a five out of five. Outstanding. I’ll be back multiple times.

If you live in Canberra you need to check out Olive at Mawson.

Olive at Mawson on Urbanspoon

 
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