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 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
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
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
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
I could hear the top ‘crack’ when Bron broke through with her spoon.
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.
If you have any comments or questions please send me a comment in the space below.
It’s a Thursday night in Canberra; Bron and I have a reservation at Temporada on Moore Street in Civic. Earlier in the week, Bron suggested we go there for dinner. Over the last few months I’d read some reviews from fellow Canberra bloggers who mostly seemed to enjoy their dining experience (I’ve provided a list of reviews at the bottom of this post). I made an on-line booking through dimmi which was quick and easy. A day or so later I received an e-mail requesting confirmation of our reservation. When we arrived, the reservation was in the system and we were shown to a table. Now if only I can get dimmi to accept a voice print so people know how to pronounce my last name. It’s Lum as in Yum (and not Lum as in loom, although I have been told when pronounced loom it’s like a Scottish word for chimney).
As we enter we notice a couple of people with Canon DSLR cameras and manfrotto tripods undertaking a photo shoot. My attention immediately goes to their equipment and what they’re doing. Bron suggests I go and invite them to join us which I know means stop looking around and focus attention where it should be.
The menu we’re shown is slightly different to the on-line menu, I immediately notice there is pork belly available, and not only is pork belly available but it is accompanied with Brussels sprouts and bacon. I love Brussels sprouts and bacon!
The starters consist of several varieties of oysters plus some really nice sounding entrée dishes. I go for the soft shelled crab roll and Bron selects the venison scotch egg.
The main course dishes have a good selection of seafood including sea perch and crab, flounder and a seafood plate for two. I choose the pork belly (of course) and Bron selects the roasted flounder.
After our meal order is taken I look around and notice the central bar with surrounding tables. The ceiling is split level with a fairly high portion. The lighting is mainly tungsten and while reasonably lit everything had a yellow hue. Bron was impressed with the decorations. The floors are fairly hard and just after 7 pm you can tell noise will be a factor as the place fills up. Closer to 8 pm the restaurant is nearly full and we can hear the conversations of diners on tables closeby and also those who are raising their voices on larger tables hoping to be heard above the din. The tables are also very close together and as Bron says, “It’s too close if you have to turn sideways to get past the table next to yours.”
That said because I’m partially deaf I just accept I won’t understand a lot of what is spoken and the noise drives my tinnitus to moderate levels of discomfort. This is true of course for any venue where there is low level noise.
When our entrées arrive I’m surprised by the look of soft shelled crab slider, it looks slightly rude with legs spread apart and the chilli dressing appropriately flowing.
Soft shelled crab roll, sprout salad and chilli dressing
Bron’s venison scotch egg looks very nice. She said it was cooked perfectly with a soft yolk and the right size for an entrée. I’ve never eaten a scotch egg. I must do it next time.
Venison scotch egg, sauce gribiche
After the entrée course we’re treated to locally baked sourdough bread and butter flavoured with charcoal salt. It’s quite delicious.
The one complaint I’d have about our service on the evening is the delivery of our main course dishes. Mine came out first with a fennel, hazelnut and orange salad and then we waited about seven minutes for Bron’s flounder to arrive at the table. The aroma of the pork belly and bacon was too much for me and I started eating before Bron’s dish arrived.
The pork belly was delicious and after an excessively salty experience at Onred recently I bit into the pork crackling hoping for a pleasant experience. I wasn’t disappointed. The crackling was really good. Possibly up there with my Mum’s. The Brussels sprouts and bacon were fantastic as was the fennel salad which went really nicely with the pork.
Bangalow pork belly, Brussels sprouts and bacon
Bron’s main was the roasted flounder which it was huge and big enough for both of us. It would have been nice if the waiter had explained to us that the main meals were for sharing (Bron heard him say this to our near neighbours). While not normally liking capers, Bron said when combined with the burnt butter it was a perfect accompaniment with a perfectly balanced dish.
Bron was kind enough to share with me some of her flounder. It was really nicely cooked and the burnt butter just gave it a beautiful taste. I’d happily eat that if we return, although picking bones, which is inevitable with flounder isn’t fun at a nice restaurant. I always feel a little self conscious.
Bron loved her dessert and was intrigued with the structure of her deconstructed dish. The tube held the sweet potato while the rectangular prism of orange that you’d assume was the sweet potato was the baked apple in thin slivers.
Baked apple and sweet potato terrine, rum and raisin ice cream, almond crumb
Final words from Bron. The wine selection was interesting, and very international although a little disappointing that there weren’t more local wines. It was a brilliant dining experience. Great ambiance, fantastic decor. Great food. Expert service.
For me, all in all it was a great meal and a great evening. I rate it highly and would definitely recommend Canberra residents and visitors try out Temporada in Civic.
I’m now going to try something new. I’ve noticed a few other local bloggers use a rating system for their dining experiences. For example, the CBRfoodie, aka Elias uses Canberra Raiders beanies. Being a pathologist I’m going to start rating my dining experiences with colonies of my favourite bacterium, viz., Chromobacterium violaceum, it has the prettiest colours of any bacterium on agar.
Here’s a joke. Q. What is the collective noun for a group of microbiologists? A. A colony!
Not far from the Rydges Camperdown on Missendon Road is Papaya Thai Eatery and Cafe. It’s not a flash looking place but it was close and I was hungry.
Papaya Thai Eatery and cafe
The menu reminds me a little of Chong Co Thai in Canberra. I chose the salt and pepper calamari for an entrée and the soft shelled crab as a main meal.
Deep fried calamari
The calamari wasn’t really salty or peppery. In fact it was just deep fried, not that there was anything wrong with that. I enjoyed eating it. The squid pieces were a little big and therefore chewy but not tough. The salad had a nice tang to it. I finished it off.
Soft shelled crab
The soft shelled crab was delicious. The vegetables were nicely cooked and still crunchy. The chilli wasn’t too hot but it had nice heat. The crab itself was done is a spicy sauce with a good hit of peanut paste to make it retain its flavour while masticating.
I’d happily eat a quick meal here again. I was satisfied with the portion size and the service was quick and friendly. Not too bad for a suburban Thai restaurant.
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