This week, I had a meeting in Canberra and had to spend a night there.

I’m privileged to be employed and to have my travel and accommodation provided.

The meeting was held at Old Parliament House, so I was accommodated at the Hotel Kurrajong.

A photograph of a fire in the fireplace of the Hotel Kurrajong.

The Hotel Kurrajong’s restaurant is named Chifley’s Bar and Grill. It was named after Ben Chifley, the 16th prime minister of Australia. I have no idea if Mr Chifley was fond of a steak and a drink.

On the evening of my arrival, I asked for a table for one and was seated at a table in the middle of the floor.

I declined drinks apart from tap water.

I asked for the 200-gram tenderloin steak cooked medium rare and the grilled king prawns. I also asked for a béarnaise sauce. After waiting fifteen minutes, the steak arrived with the sauce and plant material that wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the menu. It took me about five minutes to get the attention of a waitstaff member. I asked about the prawns, and after a short wait, I was told they didn’t make it to the notepad. I was offered complimentary accompaniments, which I declined.

A photograph of a plate with one third occupied by plant material plus a small copper pot containing béarnaise sauce. There is also a small piece (200-grams) of tenderloin steak in the frame. It has not been seared much.

The steak was tender and easy to cut with the steak knife. It was bland, though, as was the sauce. The steak was edge-to-edge pink, so I assumed it was cooked in a water bath. Unfortunately, the searing tasted like it was waved in a flame rather than having high heat applied to the surface to get a Maillard reaction. There was no crust. While the steak was tender and easy to chew, it was bland and didn’t have the mouthfeel I hoped for.

A photograph of a plate with one third occupied by untouched plant material plus a small copper pot containing béarnaise sauce. There is also a small piece of tenderloin steak in the frame. It's been cut with a steak knife and it is edge-to-edge pink reflecting medium rare doneness.

The following day at 7 am — after a restless night — I sat at a table near a floor-to-ceiling window. I ordered a cappuccino, a plate of eggs Benedict, and an extra side of grilled bacon. Having been spoiled by the quality of coffee in Adelaide, I was disappointed; the coffee was milky and weak. The eggs, ham, and bacon, though, were good. The breakfast was filling and tasted great. I got through the entire day without eating anything after breakfast.

A photograph of eggs Benedict and an extra serve of grilled bacon. The poached eggs are atop a piece of ham on half of an English muffin. The eggs are topped with Hollandaise sauce.

A photograph of a plate with empty English muffin halves and some leafy green plant material. The remnants of softly poached egg and hollandaise sauce cover the rest of the plate.

After thoughts

I’m not a qualified chef, and I’ve never been trained to cook. I’m sure I would not cope with the requirements of working in a restaurant. That said, I prefer cooking and eating my own steak. It tastes better and it’s cheaper.

I need to eat more bacon and eggs and make more Hollandaise sauce.