My once in a lifetime trip to the Flute Bakery

I don’t get very many days off. And even less so when the day isn’t an official public holiday when everything is closed. There’s a place that has been on my bucket list for a long time but in the three years I have been in Canberra, I have never been able to make it at a time when it isn’t closed (pretty much any time it is convenient).

The Flute Bakery in Fyshwick is touted as arguably the best bakery in Canberra. It’s open 8am-3pm weekdays and have no EFTPOS facilities. And it’s in the middle of an industrial/car workshop area making it hard to find a place to park. Bloody hell. Are they trying to scare people away or what? But to no avail because when I woke up this morning (having planned the trip weeks before) it was all I wanted to do.

The bakery wasn’t as hard to find as I thought it would be but the signage is modest, neutral and French-looking (not very eye-catching, really). The road is a busy one; parking on the street is near impossible (even for a master reverse parallel parker like me) and by no means should you use the customer parking for the Good Guys/pet store even though it is directly across the road (ahem).

The alfresco area at the front of the bakery looks like it would be a lovely place to enjoy a morning coffee and treat in the sun. Inside, it is simple in French bakery way. I’m surprise to find a line of about six people ahead of me. Remember, this is 11am on a Monday!

I looked around. Everyone was about 30 years older than me and I was not surprised. Unless you are a retiree or in a another role that doesn’t require you to be at work from 9-5, then it’s unlikely you’ve had the pleasure of coming here. I’m still confused as to why they don’t open weekends (almost as confused as to why Silo doesn’t open Sundays) but when I see how busy it is, it dawns on me. If this is a Monday, how would this place handle a Saturday or Sunday morning? It probably couldn’t.

After joining the line, I look at the cake counter and panic. There’s barely anything left! This is not good. So from the end of the line, I do that awkward thing where you lean over to see the cakes more clearly while ridiculously still holding one leg in place to keep your mark in the queue. I almost fell over three times.

Flute Bakery

The line was moving but cakes were disappearing at a remarkably rapid rate. I was on edge so when the nice man finally asked if he could help anyone, I almost pushed a retiree to the ground to get to him.

The people serving were really lovely and once I got to the front of the queue (and by then I just picked from the scraps they had left) they packed everything quickly and I was out in a few minutes. I left the bakery $30 poorer but heavier with cakes, macarons, a pie and a loaf of multi-grain sourdough (despite complaining to the boyfriend over the weekend about how over sourdough I was).

I rushed home with my loot and quickly put everything on nice clean plates so I could photograph them. Oh comon, we all know this is what happens. These things don’t fall out of their packets looking like this.

First victim is the chicken and leek pie (as it’s approaching lunch time) and it is delicious. The pastry is flakey and buttery; filling creamy and thick. And you know what? Massive chunks of real chicken inside. This is a real pleasure to eat – no tomato sauce required!

Chicken and leek pie from Flute Bakery

The Madagascan vanilla and hazelnut salted caramel macarons were some of the best I have ever had (yes, even ones in France!); formed perfectly with gorgeous creamy fillings. The salted caramel could have done with more salt but otherwise was very good.

 

Macarons

At this point, I’d had enough. Despite increasingly (to my chagrin) becoming more of a sweet tooth, I have a surprisingly low sugar tolerance. That is, I can’t have very many sweet things at once; it’s just too much for me.

Later tonight, I decided to try the Raspberry Charlotte cake and the Ingot/Inglot (? I can’t quite remember what it was called).

The Raspberry Charlotte cake is right up my alley. Flawlessly tempered thin white chocolate encases decadent white chocolate mousse, chocolate cake and a deliciously tart raspberry filling. Gorgeous.

Raspberry Charlotte cake

The Inglot is a vanilla and chocolate mousse cake on a super crispy base. Not too sweet, this cake literally melts in your mouth but the texture of the base and crunchy balls sends this off into another dimension. What a pleasure.

The vanilla and chocolate mousse Inglot

If you haven’t been to Flute Bakery, I would highly recommend it (yes, even if you have to take a day off) because it really is phenomenal and absolutely worth it. Go with a friend so you can get twice as many cakes and get a fuller range of tastes.

Or just do what I did and buy them like they are going out of fashion. After all, this could have been a once in a lifetime visit.

My meals of March

I’ve been trying to curb my expensive eating habits this year but that doesn’t meant I haven’t been having some amazing meals (with great company of course!).

Here are my top three for March:

Crepes at the Breizh Cafe in Ainslie.

Thanks to the Food Avenue for introducing me to the Breizh Cafe – I’d obviously been hiding under a rock all these years. Great crepes and pastries. No one ever believes me but I took an apple turnover home, left it on my kitchen table thinking it was safe and my cat ate it when I went out. And cats are fussy. That’s how good it was. Damn cat.

The grilled beef flank with blood plum, killer and goats cheese at the Boat House by the Lake.

Those of you who ever remotely know me, know how much a bang on about the Boat House but I’m not the only one. This place has got critical acclaim from almost every great Canberra blogger I know. I’m still puzzled by why they don’t have a Hat or aren’t on the CT top 20 but who cares when you make food this good?

The smoothie bowl from Local Press on the Kingston Foreshore.

Local Press has some of the prettiest and most photographable dishes around. Despite their change in table service (I’m still working out whether it’s for better or worse), their food is always consistently amazing. Come here if you want a reliably tasty and healthy meal.

Tell me about your top three meals of March!

A Singaporean breakfast…

When I first visited my brother in Singapore in October last year, I fell in love with the local breakfast dish of half-boiled eggs, kaya toast and kopi/coffee.

Kaya is coconut jam spread made of sugar, coconut milk, eggs and pandan. The delicacy originated through the Hainanese and is also popular in Malaysia.

I tried my first at a very unassuming little café , mostly frequented by commuters walking past for their daily take away, that was nearby to where my brother was staying on Orchard Road (yes, the little brat was living the high life).

It was intimidating at first. My brother had told me what to order but then rushed off to work so I was left to my own devices. I ordered my eggs, kaya toast and kopi (coffee) and watched others as they added a dash of dark soy and white pepper before stirring vigorously and slurping it up. When I got mine, it was an awkward game of ‘monkey see, monkey do’. Adding my dark soy. Too much. Oops. White pepper. Ah-choo! Stirred and the result was delicious. The egg was similar to 63 degree eggs that that I’ve had at high end restaurants and the kaya toast was sweet and coconutty with loads of butter (read: visible heart clogger).

The kaya toast, half-boiled eggs and kopi (coffee) at a little cafe on Orchard Rd.

My brother and I crossing the road to Killaney Kopi – a place well known for it’s kaya toast.

The kaya toast from Killiney Kopitiam…lots of visible and delicious kaya and butter.

Milk teas to go with our kaya toast. Love the cute little carriers that are used all over Singapore!

As soon as I got back to Australia, had to find a way to replicate the dish. Luckily, I had brought back a jar of the aromatic kaya spread from Killiney Kopitiam (where the woman advised that I shouldn’t buy it more than 24 hours before flying as the jam had no preservatives and was made almost entirely with eggs).

The kaya spread from Killiney Kopitiam.

There were a few recipes for half-boiled eggs online but I found the best way is just by trial and error and adjusting the method as you go to create the best result. At the heart of the method is that you are not really cooking the egg, you are really just warming it slowly until the whites are just opaque and the yolk is runny but warm.

Here is my recipe for half-boiled eggs and kaya toast:

What you need for the half-boiled eggs

500 ml boiled water in a small saucepan

two large eggs

Dark soy

white pepper

What you need to do

1. Take the eggs out of the fridge and run them under warm water for a few minutes to prevent cracking when the eggs hit the boiling water.
2. Take the water to rapid boiling point in a small saucepan and turn off the heat. Gently lower the eggs one by one into the boiling water and then tip the saucepan slightly and place a folded tea towel underneath so that the water is deeper on one side and the eggs are about 70% covered. Put the lid on and leave for 8 minutes.
3. Take lid off and carefully drain the water. Run some cold water over the eggs so they are more comfortable to touch. Using a spoon crack a line into the centre of each egg. Open carefully and empty the contents into a bowl being carefully not to break the yolk.
4. Serve with a dash of dark soy to taste and a sprinkle of white pepper.

It should be like an egg soup consistency.

 

What you need for the kaya toast

White sliced bread (or for the white bread-phobes, anything you prefer)

Kaya spread (from Singapore or Asian grocer)

Butter

Method

1. Toast bread under a grill or in a toaster.
2. Spread a generous amount of kaya on each side of bread and sandwich together with thin slices of butter. Alternatively, spread some butter on toast before the kaya.
3. Cut crusts off if desired and serve.

I used sourdough rye.

 

Stylin’

So do you have a kaya toast or half-boiled eggs recipe? Would love to hear how you make them – comment below!

 

The District

There’s a bar in Crace? Yes. Yes, there is. And boy is it a welcome new addition to the far north that is relatively lacking in trendy places to eat and drink.

The District opened only a few weeks ago in the newish suburb of Crace and is owned by Gerard Sanfrancesco who is a partner in King O’Malleys and also has interests in Chicken Gourmet.

The trendy interior of the District.

The bar is on the smaller side than I had expected but there is certainly ample outdoor space and plenty of potential for buzzy outdoor seating on sunny weekends and when the warmer weather rolls around.

The décor is trendy with an industrial look – a style that seems to be sweeping Canberra but it really works. I noticed straight away (as I always do) the industrial light fittings with vintage Eddison bulbs and the old bricks at the bar that round off this popular look.

The old Canberra bricks at the bar.

The menu is casual pub-style with your usual favourites including pastas, salads, pizza and steak and there are also daily blackboard specials on the wall. Some of the mains (close to $30) are a bit on the expensive side for casual bar dining but there are plenty of very affordable options too. The deal here as with most bars is to order at the counter and take a number – nice and easy, and great if you are going with friends and all playing separately.

The District menu.

After some deliberation, we decided to order an entree of a trio of dips with garlic pizza bread ($14) to start. The menu didn’t specify what the three dips were but on sight and taste, it looked to me like beetroot, hummus and roast capsicum. The bread was warm and soft and the servings of dip were generous. My favourite was probably the ‘roast capsicum’ which was deliciously sweet and slightly smoky.

Trio of dips with garlic pizza bread.

Our mains arrived not long after. I ordered the lemon pepper calamari ($19) and my two friends ordered the chicken schnitzel with gravy ($15) and the chicken tenderloins with honey mustard sauce ($16) – all came with fries and salad.

Firstly, the servings were very generous. For once in my life, I felt like I had more calamari on my plate than anything else (let’s face it, most places would probably fill the plate with fries). My large pieces of calamari were well-battered and tender without a sign of chewiness whatsover. The chips were chunky and crispy but probably needed a bit more seasoning (although my chips always need more seasoning). No matter as the pink salt grinder on our table quickly rectified this.

Lemon pepper calamari.

Of course, after taking photos of my friends dishes, I had to have a taste too. The chicken tenderloins lived up to its name and were indeed tender and moist. The mustard sauce was zesty and sweet.

Chicken tenderloins with honey mustard sauce.

The chicken schnitzel was equally as good with moist chicken breast covered in a very fine and thin crumb. I have to mention the gravy that came with the schnitzel. In the best possible way and in all due respect, it really tasted like KFC gravy. I couldn’t get enough of it! Don’t lie, you all love a bit of tasty KFC gravy! Clearly these guys have the secret recipe.

Chicken schnitzel with gravy.

I was very happy with my first visit to the District. I must admit, I thought it was going to be a bit ordinary when I first heard about it but it certainly proved me wrong. The District could really be the start of something here in the far north and with tasty casual dining, friendly service and a trendy atmosphere, I can see this one being a local suburban gem.

The District is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.

Is the District your local too? What’s been your experience so far?

Local Press

I’m a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to Local Press. People had been and gone and discovered what a great place it is well before I even set foot in there. And now I know what all the fuss is about.

Cute vintage light bulbs at Local Press.

Situated in the rapidly nouveau Kingston Foreshore area, Local Press is in good company. Marketed as a ‘wholefoods-based cafe’ and seeming to lean towards ‘clean eating’, the most notable draw is that the food is really quite delicious. I tend to avoid healthy eating when it come to having breakfast out because, I have to admit, I’m a bacon and eggs girl and hey, isn’t that what we have breakfast out for?

The hipster decor at Local Press.

So while I was a little hesitant about whether I would actually like anything on the menu, the cool, hipster feel of the café captured me. It’s just the style I like – cute, with lots of recycled wood pieces and vintage light bulbs. Coupled with this was the fact that the boys that worked there looked like they could have easily thrown down their clipboards and broken into a Backstreet Boys song. Yes, these guys with their chill 90s fashion (which only they could pull off) were reminiscent of members of a boy band.

The menu is short and sweet. It’s apparent straight away that the meals on here certainly aren’t your average breakfast options.

On my very first visit with the Food Avenue, we shared a green pea pancake with  poached eggs, guacomole, crushed feta, mint and chives, dressed with house-made pomegranate-balsamic reduction ($16).

The green pea pancake.

I couldn’t taste much pea in the pancake but it was certainly green and very fluffy. The feta was lovely and salty and the balsamic reduction added a welcome sweetness to the dish.

We’d also ordered some green juices ($7) in non other than recycled jam jars. They looked great with the Local Press sticker on the side and tasted wonderful to boot. The green juice for the day was apple, kale, celery and cucumber and was a refreshing start to what was a very early morning. And the best part about the juices? You get to take the jars home! You can even ask for a lid and take the drink away. Ingenious.

 

The apple, kale, celery and cucumber green juice.

On my most recent visit with another friend, I tried the green brekky plate that I have heard so much about. The green brekky plate had za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice mix) coated boiled eggs with kale, quinoa, avocado, asparagus (which I quickly gifted to my friend due to my intolerance), goats cheese and an added side of salmon (approx $20). The za’atar herbs really brought the boiled eggs to life. For something so super healthy, it certainly did not lack at all in taste and I found myself scraping up every grain of quinoa and goats cheese left.

The green brekky plate.

And what about the all important caffeine? They do a great soy coffee here and gorgeous pots of tea with very unique little tea cosies.

I have a feeling this place is going to become a regular for me. The food is tasty and wholesome and the service here is great – attentive, friendly and accommodating. Who knew the Backstreet Boys would do so well as wait staff?

Did you love Local Press as much as I did?

Ramas Fijian-Indian Restaurant

After hearing about this unassuming little Fijian-Indian restaurant from countless people, I thought it was about time I give it a try.

Some people turn their noses up at local suburban restaurants but I think it’s these little-known establishments that end up being some of the biggest winners.

Ramas is your typical suburban restaurant. Simple if not amusingly dated decor with friendly personable staff that would go out of their way to accommodate you.

We arrived without a booking (entirely our fault) but the owner Minnie bent over backwards to accommodate us outside with the heater on and then inside later as soon as a table became available.

I keep being told to ‘try the goat’ at Ramas. Personally, I’ve totally embraced the idea of goat but I am conscious that in Australia, it’s still considered a bit of a weird meat. I hate lamb and most people know that and but goat doesn’t taste lamb-y at all. It’s not lamb-y or beefy just meaty.

Goat curry

The only goat dish on the menu is cooked in the thick dark, flavourful sauce. It’s cooked on the bone which was really the only qualm I had with this curry. It was a bit difficult to eat but it was worth it. Plus, I am sure cooking it on the bone probably added to the wonderful depth of flavour it had.

Chicken Bombay

The chicken bombay has a lovely sweet creamy sauce very much like a butter chicken. The sauce was thick and viscous with generous pieces of chicken thigh fillet.

Paneer masala

The paneer masala was delicious. Large chunks of paneer (an Indian cheese) was covered a creamy tomato based sauce. This was probably my favourite dish of the night but probably more so because I love paneer.

Saffron rice

The rice we had was a little unusual. Indian rice is usually quite yellow from the saffron used but this rice was almost radioactive looking!

Mango kulfi

We finished off the meal (or at least I did) with mango kulfi ice cream which was a great way to round off the palate.

I loved my first experience at Ramas. What they all say about the food and the serviced is absolutely true. The food is delicious and the hospitality shown to you by the owner and staff is second to none. I was so glad to have finally had the opportunity to try this talked about little gem.

I can’t wait to return.

What have you had at Ramas? What’s your favourite dish?

Two minute wrap up of the Human Brochure day of food and wine

The first stop on our near-12-hour food and wine day was a caffeine stop at the Cupping Room where we learned how ONA coffee is grown, harvested and roasted. We slurped our way through the cupping (or coffee tasting) and munched on some delectable dishes.

 

A cuppaccino at the Cupping Room

Coffee demo at the Cupping Room.

So this is what ‘cupping’ is!

Putting on our lab coats for the ONA signature drink.

The cured salmon with beetroot jelly, pickled fennel and crème fraîche.

Next, we headed up the Barton highway and to well-renowned smokehouse Poacher’s Pantry for a quick tasting of delicious smoked and cured meats paired with Wily Trout wines.

 

Poacher’s Pantry.

Sue and her son giving us a food and wine tasting at Poacher’s Pantry.

Some of the delectable smoke and cured meats at Poacher’s Pantry.

The wine consumption continued at Four Winds Vineyard where we tested our olfactory capacity with a scent-sniffing competition and enjoyed a pizza lunch with vineyard views.

Our phones hadn’t died yet at Four Winds Vineyards!

A shriveled bunch of grapes on a vine at Four Winds Vineyards.

The wine is flowing at Four Winds Vineyard.

Testing our noses with a fun sniffing competition at Four Winds Vineyard.

El vino did flow again at award-winning Clonakilla winery where the various varieties impressed us all.We also encountered the ABC camera crew (and featured in the 7pm news that night!)!

Tranquil vineyards of Clonakilla.

Many varieties on offer at Clonakilla winery.

Even ABC TV turned up to see what the fuss was about!

We finished off with bums and boobies at Polit Bar where we enjoyed drinks, canapés and a very eye-opening burlesque show!

Our last stop: Polit Bar!

The absinthe fairy at Polit Bar.

Some chocolate canapes to finish off the evening.

Exhausted.

Siren Bar and Restaurant

I have just recently moved to the Gungahlin region and still working my way through trying all dining options available in the far north.

I’d heard about Siren Bar and Restaurant even before I had moved to the area as a good place to have after work drinks. Siren has a casual modern pub feel about it and with an ample outdoor area and comfortable seating.

The food on the menu is also akin to contemporary pub food and the go is to order at the bar and take a number.

My first experience here was with breakfast and since Kirsty and I love our weekend brunches we thought we would give Siren a go. Look, let’s be honest here. I think if you are going to try Siren, you’re going to need to manage your expectations. It’s pretty casual. This is not your Cupping Room, Silo or Elk and Pea…this is your ordinary breakfast at your local café (which sometimes can be good) but this one was just OK, nothing fancy.

I ordered the Siren big brekky ($18.50) with poached eggs, bacon, roasted cherry tomatoes, potato rosti and sautéd mushrooms on toasted focaccia. The price point is pretty on par with most big brekkies in Canberra if not on the slightly lower side. One of the eggs was done very well with runny yolk but the other was overdone. The rest, I’d have to say was pretty bland. The bacon was pretty greasy, the mushrooms not greasy enough and the potato rosti tasted like it had just been heated up. It is certainly not one of the best big brekkies I’ve had in Canberra but also not the worst (sadly enough). On the upside, the food was served very quickly. I didn’t have any coffee what Kirsty had looked pretty good.

The Siren big brekky.

My second experience with Siren was for after work drinks dinner. When the sun goes down the outdoors area transforms into a pretty hip place for after work drinks, although, the crowd is slightly different to what you might find in Civic. During the cold winter nights the heaters come on to make the space cosy and welcoming.

I decided to go a little wild tonight and have a cocktail. I went with 50 Shades ($16) as the fruitiest cocktail I could find on the list and hoped for the best. It was good. It was fruity. Not much else to say really.

My two friends and I ordered a variety of little dishes to nibble on. We had the empanadas ($13.90) which were forgettable. The pastry was pretty dry and the filling was bland.

Empanadas with garlic and mint yoghurt.

The soft shell crab with chilli aioli ($16.90) was a lot better. The batter was nice and crispy and the sauce (although slightly overzealously served and tasted more like sweet chilli) gave the dish a nice kick.

The soft shell crab and calamari.

The calamari rings ($16.90) are your regular pub fare but they were tender with a nice light coating of seasoned batter. The citrus aioli was a nice accompaniment.

The pizza was probably the highlight of the night for me. I chose the one with the boldest flavours – the Mr Pepperoni ($19.90) which had pepperoni (of course), chilli, parmesan and blue cheese. The crust was pretty perfect with a nice bite and crunchy on the outside. With the addition of kalamatta olives, this made for a zesty and salty pizza – just how I like it! If you like bold flavours in your pizza and pasta, then this is the one for you! My only qualm was that it was probably a bit on the small side for the price.

Mr Pepperoni pizza.

All in all it was a good experience at Siren. The staff are friendly and the food is served supper fast. Next time, you are looking for a place to have an after work drink and a nibble, I would definitely recommend Siren. It fills a gap in the Gungahlin area that is still struggling to cater for an after work crowd. More of these establishments would certainly help the local economy and help other recognise how great Gungahlin really is.

Have you been to Siren Bar and Restaurant? What did you think of it?

The Cupping Room

The Cupping Room, the latest iteration of an Ona Coffee establishment – well-known and respected coffee roasters in Canberra – has been open since late 2013 but many are still only just catching on that they serve dinner on select days of the week.

There is a certain element of being let in on a secret when sitting times and menus are poorly advertised and being the FOMO foodies we are, the Food Avenue, Le Bon Vivant, Love at Every Bite, Berenice and I decided to give it a red hot go.

I had breakfast at the Cupping Room when it first opened and remember that I was quite impressed. The food has a distinct Mexican in influence which sets it well apart from the run-of-the-mill cafe.

I decided to throw caution to the wind and try a cider – a cherry one. Meh. It was OK but nothing about it really shouted cherry. In fact, after inspecting the back of the bottle, it was 40% apple anyway. The waiter has told us that this was the only cherry cider made in Australia. I was starting to see why.

Cherry cider ($7.50).

The recommendation from the friendly staff was four small and two large serving plates for the five of us but as usual we thought that seemed like a little too much so we decided to forego one of the small sharing plates.

It seems like ceviche is a bit of a thing within our little group so when we saw it on the menu, how could we pass it up? The ceviche king prawn and scallops in lime juice, pineapple vinegar, coconut milk and fresh herbs were served with shaved radish, fennel salad and potted sweet potato ($16). The prawn and scallop were sweet and tender without any hint of fishiness. I enjoyed this dish but thought it could have benefitted from tad more acidity. The sweet potato didn’t add much in terms of flavour or texture to the dish and easily could have gone without.

Ceviche king prawn and scallops in lime juice, pineapple vinegar, coconut milk and fresh herbs were served with shaved radish, fennel salad and potted sweet potato.

The second small sharing plate was the Setas which was the thyme and garlic braised mushrooms with coriander cashew pesto and candied pecans ($14) and was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The mushrooms were firm and hearty and paired together oh-so-well with the candied pecans which imparted a good deal of texture and a touch of sweetness to the savoury mushrooms.

Setas – garlic braised mushrooms with coriander cashew pesto and candied pecans.

The Tostados was the dish recommended by Berenice – Tico marinated chicken thigh, coriander and cashew pesto and mozzarella and a crisp corn tortilla topped with Pebre salad and coriander lime cream ($18). And it did not disappoint! The chicken was delicious on the crunchy tortilla and the coriander lime cream was a hit at our table. Quite easily one of the prettiest dishes of the night.

Tostados – Tico marinated chicken thigh, coriander and cashew pesto and mozzarella and a crisp corn tortilla topped with Pebre salad and coriander lime cream.

The two larger sharing plates were to come and the honey marinated slow roasted beef ribs with achiote (a Mexican spice made from the red seed of the annatto tree), orange, BBQ sauce and coriander served with braise liquor and tico fries ($28) was a feast for the eyes. Unintentional delayed gratification was implemented as we all took about a billion photos of the dish. But that was all that was impressive about it. That and the fries. The ribs themselves seemed very fatty and greasy. The sauce also didn’t exhibit any distinct flavours. I had expected the sauce to be punchy and cut through the heaviness of the beef rib but it just seemed a bit bland – like passata. The tico fries on the other hand were a standout – I would happily have ordered a side of those on their own.

Honey marinated slow roasted beef ribs with achiote , orange, BBQ sauce and coriander served with braise liquor and tico fries.

We ended on a high note, however, with the slow roasted panela and chilli rubbed pork shoulder served with onions and quinoa salad ($45). The part of the crackling that did crackle was delicious – there were parts that were a bit on the soft side. The pork itself was tender and pull-apart and was overall very enjoyable. This is going to sound a bit weird but I really liked the onions. They were so sweet! The quinoa salad was refreshing but wasn’t a particular standout.

Slow roasted panela and chilli rubbed pork shoulder served with onions and quinoa salad.

The service at the Cupping Room was casual but friendly and the food was an interesting take on Mexican cuisine. The hearty flavours in generous servings (becoming rarer in share-style dishes) together with a cosy, warm atmosphere made for a great night out with friends. Will definitely be back to try some of the other dishes.

Have you been to the Cupping Room for dinner? How do you rate it?

The Boathouse on the Lake

For a long while now, the Boathouse by the Lake seemed to me to be the epitome of white linen fine dining in Canberra and that is what I have been told by countless Canberrans and fellow (state) expats alike.

The Boathouse is located along Lake Burley Griffin with a view rivalled by none in my opinion. A beautiful deck outside welcomes the sunset and floor-to-ceiling glass windows when dining indoors ensures a great view in any weather.

Unfortunately, the weather was less than desirable on the night we visited and a wedding reception on at the same time meant that we could only have a table inside, which did not bother us in the least.

We decided to go with the 6 course degustation ($100), all of which looked fairly simple at first glance but you know what it’s like with these places – they set you up so they can blow your brains when the dishes come out. We were ready.

Bread and butter to start.

They got off to a good start with the bread. All different types of little artisan bread balls that were warm and fluffy on the inside. Just delicious with the soft cultured butter.

First up on the degustation menu was the smoked corn, nitro stilton, pickled pear, sesame and lychee. What actually came out was completely unexpected. Not a kernel of corn in sight. Where was this smoked corn, they spoke of? I asked the attentive waiter. It’s in the ice cream flavour, of course! And boy, it certainly was! I felt my brain struggling to reconcile the savoury smoked corn flavour with the smooth creamy texture of the ice cream. This is probably one of the most innovative and enjoyable culinary experiences I’ve had. And that was just one of the elements! The nitro stilton was sharp, salty and crunchy. The pickled pear and the lychee jelly offered the sweetness and contrasting texture that completed this dish. All in all, a perfectly balanced dish that set the bar very high. A must for cheese and fruit lovers.

Smoked corn, nitro stilton, pickled pear, sesame and lychee.

Second course was the king prawn, chorizo, saffron, confit potato and black rice. Let’s face it people, anything with king prawn in it is good. Unless you hate seafood entirely (possible crazy person), then you will love this dish. The king prawn was perfectly cooked and had just enough bite. The chorizo was salty and crunchy – just the way it should be. The confit potatoes were sufficiently browned. There was literally nothing I could say didn’t work about this dish. Just amazing.

King prawn, chorizo, saffron, confit potato and black rice.

Third dish was the sous vide chicken wings, shiitake mushrooms, corn, coriander and chilli. I must admit, I thought the chicken wings would get a little messy in this white table clothed restaurant but my anxieties were allayed when I found that the chicken wings had been de-boned. They were wonderfully soft and melt in your mouth. The shiitake mushrooms added a deep of flavour and savouriness that nothing else could and I found the chilli gave a nice bite to what otherwise might have been a muted (but very pleasant) dish. The corn powder on top was very interesting – light as icing sugar with strong taste of sweet corn.

Sous vide chicken wings, shiitake mushrooms, corn, coriander and chilli.

The fourth course was probably the prettiest of the night. It was the John Dory with tempura clams, cucumber, iberico, sea greens and chèvre. It quite literally looked like the John Dory was laid on a bed of spring flowers – just beautiful. The fish was perfectly cooked and the clams were soft tasted of the sea. The chèvre and the thick balsamic-like sweet vinaigrette was a good pairing with the seafood. Apart from the great fish, there wasn’t anything else particularly memorable about this dish and my dining partner felt the same.

John Dory with tempura clams, cucumber, iberico, sea greens and chèvre.

It was dessert time now and the first up was the lavender semifreddo with sheep’s milk yoghurt sorbet, honey, raspberry, white chocolate and cocoa nib. Now, I loved the lavender semifreddo – it was creamy and fragrant and paired very well with the tart, fruity elements of the raspberry in it’s fresh, freeze dried, coulis form. The sheep’s milk yoghurt was interesting but I found it added what was probably a bit too much tartness to the dish overall. With the semifreddo being the only creamy element, I felt something else was needed to offset more of the acidity present. What I can say is that this dish provided plenty of interesting textures from the freeze dried raspberries and cocoa nib.

Lavender semifreddo with sheep’s milk yoghurt sorbet, honey, raspberry, white chocolate and cocoa nib.

The second dessert was certainly something to behold. As with every dish, it was perfectly presented but I had liked the sound of this one as soon as I read it on the menu. Pineapple carpaccio, mascarpone and fennel pollen parfait, pineapple and ginger sorbet, meringue and tarragon. The creaminess of the mascarpone played the acidity of the thin slices of pineapple down perfectly. I particularly enjoyed the pineapple and ginger sorbet which was refreshing and the meringue sticks were fun and added great texture. There was a hint of the liquorice-like flavour of fennel seed in the light and creamy parfait which I quite liked. Overall though, this was a great dessert and very much enjoyed by myself and dining partner.

Pineapple carpaccio, mascarpone and fennel pollen parfait, pineapple and ginger sorbet, meringue and tarragon.

I had a great first experience at the Boathouse. The service was impeccable – very attentive, polite and obliging. The food was some of the most innovative I’ve ever had and was executed perfectly.

I definitely look forward to coming back again to see what other marvelous creations await me!

Have you been to the Boathouse? What was your experience?