Oooh I shall!! #food #foodblog #harrods #tea

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Mmm tender soft squid #food #foodblog #squid #seafood #yummy

The Pork Barrel

——-23/11/2012——-

A popular place for lunch for everyone in the area, there were very little seats available with most large tables being reserved. They have a large selection of baked goods and sandwiches from their ‘embreaded‘ range, but I chose my lunch from their blackboard specials.

Red velvet cake – moist but it is more pretty than it tastes.

Paw paw salad (from the blackboard). A light small portion with no chilli although it did have fresh herbs.

Guinness pie with salad and mash potato ($17.90 from the blackboard). I don’t know why I chose a Winter warmer meal when it was hot and sunny. The beef was delicious and tender but the mash was lumpy and cold.

 A lovely sunny day to be sitting amongst the roses.

Venue: The Pork Barrel

Address: King George Terrace, Parkes, ACT 2600

Phone: (02) 6273 1455

Italian and Sons – vino e cucina

——-23/11/2012——-

One of my long awaited restaurants that I have wanted to go to for a while now (I probably should have tried booking a lot earlier), although they only had a restricted time slot we took the reservation and tried to eat as fast as we could.

They had an authentic Italian menu offering pizza biancas to house made pastas and hearty secondi options.

Antipasti~

‘suppli’ pear and gorgonzola risotto balls ($16.00). I knew Italian and Sons was pricey but I still expected more than three risotto balls for $16.00. The sauce was a very strong sharp gorgonzola but when paired with the risotto it was perfect.

roast portobello mushroom ‘gratinati’ ($15.00). This was hot but salty and after serving we essentially got one mushroom each.

Pasta~

gnocchi di patate – seared potato gnocchi with wild mushroom ragu and house smoked ricotta ($28.00). I’ve never had a seared gnocchi before but despite the sear the gnocchi was very light. This didn’t have any sauce but because of the moisture and texture of the mixtures of mushrooms it didn’t matter.

Secondi~

Roast pork belly ($31.00) – A nice piece of pork with crispy skin on top of a bed of lentils.

Dolci~

Flourless amedi chocolate torte, baked rhubarb and brandy gelato ($13.00). This felt like a thick mousse layer sandwiched between two thin layers of cake. It had a very rich dark chocolate taste but it was somewhat balanced out by the gelato (the gelato didn’t taste like brandy though).

Tira mi su ($12.00). I couldn’t directly compare theirs to Mezzalira because it had been so long but both in my memory are magical and amazing. My friend who doesn’t even usually eat tiramisu shared my thoughts and my dessert. 

A very busy little restaurant but the service was impeccable and attentive. Somewhat noisy and dim lighted inside, not the best lighting for food.

Venue: Italian and Sons – Vino e Cucina

Address: 7 Lonsdale St, Braddon, ACT 2612

Website: wwww.italianandsons.com.au

Phone: (02) 6162 4888

Kusina

——-22/11/2012——-

I know some people aren’t going to be happy that I went to Kusina without them (sorry Dan!), but just think of it as a test run. I’ve seen the menu and there are a lot of things I want to try.

Kusina is a newly opened Filipino restaurant offering unique beverages, mains and sides.

I’m ready to eat! I love the double walled glasses.

Entree~

Lumpiang Sariwa (2pcs) – fresh spring roll, crepe wrapper with stir fried vegetables ($7.00). This is a fresh take on a spring roll! The vegetable stir fry was served nice and hot and although I didn’t eat this with any finesse, it was very delicious.

Pritong Manok (5pcs) – crispy chicken wings, banana ketchup mayonnaise ($7.00). I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again- I’ve got a soft spot for chicken wings so as non adventurous as this entree is, I still chose it. Who knew I’d enjoy the vegetarian entree more, these were like crispy wicked wings from KFC without the heat.

Mains~

Chicken Inasal – grilled spring chicken, lemon grass, garlic, ginger and soy sauce ($18.50). I had trouble deciding on a main so when I asked the waitress, she said this dish was the most popular dish and she wasn’t lying because I saw everyone around me order it as well. This had a nice charcoal taste and the meat was nice and moist.

Lechon Kawaii – crispy pork belly ($18.50). As short as this description was, we were sold! Somewhat fatty but they weren’t lying, it was VERY crispy. It isn’t really a special dish nor did it have unique flavours but if you love pork with crispy skin, you will think it’s awesome.

Dessert~

Even though we were really really full and the dessert menu looked tempting, I convinced my friend to go to ‘that gelato place‘ with me which just opened up next door, but Kusina also had a great selection of cakes including a crazily tall purple yam cake, mini cupcakes and cupcakes.

Being the only restaurant in the area serving breakfast, Kusina can get very busy, so definitely book to avoid disappointment.

Venue: Kusina

Address: Whitney Place, Cooleman Court, Weston Creek, ACT (next to ‘that gelato place’)

Phone: (02) 6288 8461

Vegan risotto with spring vegetables #food #foodblog #vegan #risotto #colour #flowers

Spending an afternoon at the Playground

——-10/11/2012——-

Tapas are served till 10pm at Playground Martina and Tapas bar, so after missing out the first time I made sure I was nice and early not to miss out again.

Smoked ham hock croquette, garlic mayo ($12.00). When I see the word ‘croquette’ I get really excited and I had to order these. These were really disappointing and mainly filled with mashed potato and hardly any pork, although it did have a really nice crunchy coating.

House made chocolate tart with vanilla ice-cream and caramel ($12.00). A really delicious tart with the perfect sides.

Churros with caramel and chocolate sauce ($12.00). I was looking forward to this the most, which was a shame when they came out a little under-cooked and soggy. They would have been perfect if they were cooked a little longer or a little thinner.

I loved the cute ‘glassware’ seats, the service was friendly and prompt but they don’t take bookings after 4:30pm.

Venue: Playground- Martini and Tapas bar

Address: Garema Place, Civic, ACT

Phone: (02) 6262 7171

Broad bean sour cream tart #entree #food #foodblog #colours #yummy

Amuse bouche. #bowral #food #foodblog #pretty #colours

That gelato place

——-09/12/2012——-

They have updated their opening hours:

Monday – Wednesday 9am – 5:30pm

Thursday – Saturday 9am – 9pm

Sunday 10am – 5:30pm

Closed Tuesday 25th Dec

Wednesday 26th 10am – 4pm

——-22/11/2012——-

Having only just opened last Friday, ‘that gelato place‘ is fresh, colourful and refreshingly delicious.

I love how they cater to everyone by offering dairy free, diabetic, gluten free and soy gelato. They have almost 100 gelato flavours in their freezer along with cannoli gelato, gelato cakes and mini cones.

They have 24 Pure Gelato flavours ready to serve in a cup or cone.

Single scoop ($3.90), double scoop ($5.60), triple scoop ($6.80).

It was hard to choose but my friend and I chose mango and caramelised fig. Yum yum! 

They are now open til 9pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Venue: that gelato place

Address: Shop 10, Whitney Place, Cooleman Court, Weston Creek, ACT

E-mail: thatgelatoplace@gmail.com

Spot of tea anyone? #food #foodblog #tea #accessories #necklace

Snag Stand Gourmet Sausage Grill now opened in Woden!

Small batch production, artisanal hand crafted sausages, lean low fat meats, all natural casings, gluten free, no artificial colours or flavours.

The new store is located in the food court on level 1

Degustation at Benchmark wine bar

——-27/10/2012——-

Another recommendation from Katie! 

Away from most of the hustle and bustle of civic, Benchmark wine bar sits on the corner of Northbourne Ave and Rudd St. It was hard to choose what to order with so many things catching my eye, so I knew the degustation was the only way to go to try a bit of everything.

With wines to match each course $155 per person and without wines $105 per person.

I’m all set for my 8 course degustation! Let the munching begin!

I can’t remember which dessert wine they chose for me, but it was magnificent! Mmmmmmm.

First course~

Freshly shucked oysters with salmon pearls and diced cucumber. Fresh tasty oysters with cleverly added roe and cucumber to add flavour and a lot more different textures.

Second course~

Lightly tempura zucchini flowers stuffed with Persian fetta, roast pepper and mint. I was amazed by how hot and crispy this came out without being soggy and oily. The perfect amount of batter leaving the zucchini flowers crispy without compromising its shape.

Third course~

Sashimi plate with white pickled ginger, ponzu, japanese seaweed and wasabi. I liked it all but preferred the seared tuna over the salmon.

Fourth course~

Crispy skin pork belly with apple and walnut salad, apple puree and balsamic. Crispy delicious heaven! Mmmmm so good. I also really enjoyed the side salad.

Fifth course~

Black angus eye fillet with crisp potato, horseradish beetroot and sautéed beans. It was a nice piece of steak cooked perfectly to medium rare. The potato soaked up all the sauce wasn’t as crispy as it could have been. The beetroot was surprisingly not overwhelming.

Sixth course~

Sorbet of the day with Persian fairy floss. I wasn’t sure if this was a palette cleanser or an actual course because it didn’t come with any Persian fairy floss (and it was also very small). This was passion fruit sorbet, not overly intense or sour but enough to refresh the palette.

Seventh course~

Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée with orange and cardamon biscotti – Mr. fussy pants Timmy didn’t want to have the cheese course so he asked to have it replaced with another dessert. He was so happy that they gave him a crème brûlée. Lovely toffee hard hat with a great thick custard underneath.

Fine white mould cheese – cow’s milk -delice de bourgogne, bourgogne – France. I’m not too adventurous with soft cheeses but this was divine and creamy.

Eighth course~

Forest berries bavarois with strawberry and citrus tea. This had a very yoghurty texture. The basil (?) on top really brought out the contrasting flavours of the berries and citrus.

Because we aren’t avid wine drinkers, I never thought to go to Benchmark but the food and service was really great. I’m surprised they don’t have a higher urbanspoon rating.

Venue: Benchmark Wine Bar

Address: 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City, ACT 2600 (next to Novotel Hotel Entrance)

Phone: (02) 6262 6522

Opening hours:

Lunch: Midday – 3 pm Mon – Fri

Dinner: 5pm – 10pm Mon – Sat

Closed on Sundays

(advance large bookings accepted to open on Sundays)

TAPAS: Available All Day & Night

Here ducky ducky #food #foodblog #duck #canberra

CENTENARY MEALS TILL MIDNIGHT

“Think you can’t get a meal after 9.00 pm in Canberra? Rubbish!The Centenary of Canberra is keen to know of any places in Canberra where people can get a meal until midnight during 2013. Please send us a short email to canberra100@act.gov.au to let us know.  Your venue will be listed on our canberra100.com.au website.”

This is from the Centenary of Canberra e-newsletter – November 2012, I’d be very interested to know where to get meals until midnight during 2013!