Let’s do lunch! Bicicletta

It is still March (only just!), which means that it is still Good Food Month in Canberra. I had completely forgotten that Bicicletta was doing a Let’s Do Lunch special, so I was pleasantly surprised when we were given another menu.

A great-priced set lunch with a matched drink from $38.00 per person. Two courses from the uniquely Italian inspired menu with a glass of Yalumba wine or Coopers pale ale beer.Entree~

Arancini roasted tomato and pecorino cheese risotto balls with garlic aioli. These were really crunchy and gooey inside. I really liked the how the cheese was all stringy when you cut them in half.Scottata marinated seared beef tenderloin thinly sliced with mixed Italian herbs served with rucola, parmigiano and olive oil. I found the beef full on little holes which gave it a weird texture, the rucola was limp and the flavours were not very strong. I enjoyed the arancini much more than this entrée.Mains~

Spaghetti al frutti mare fresh pipis, King prawns, scallops and baby squid , sauteed with chilli, garlic, cherry tomato and bisque. My friend’s pasta had more sauce than mine, so I found my pasta to be a bit dry. Even though  I would have preferred more chilli taste, I really enjoyed the seafood and the perfectly al dente pasta.Dessert~ It was only a two course lunch but we couldn’t help but order a dessert to share between us.

Tiramisu traditional cake with coffee infused savoiardi biscuits, mascarpone, eggs, cream and cacao ($12.00). I found the bottom layer of biscuits had soaked up a lot of coffee which made my eyes instantly widen. I stuck to the less intense biscuit layers with the cream and mascarpone and thoroughly enjoyed myself.Coffee and tea are included in the menu but we didn’t have any.

Advertisement

Lolo and Lola

There are not many reasons why I would get up early on the weekend but Lolo and Lola‘s opening day is a pretty good one. I’ve been waiting for months for their addition into the shipping container community at the Westside village but it wasn’t just the excitement of them finally opening that got me out of bed, it was also because they are notorious of running out of food due their popular demand. So I found it fitting that we went earlier rather than later.Michelle from HerCanberra met me at Westside 1 hour after Lolo and Lola’s grand opening and they were already being swamped by keen customers. We were quick to order and because we didn’t know what to get, we decided to get one of everything just to be sure that we didn’t miss out. And our early morning start paid off because we didn’t miss out and we happen to order the last box of ensaymada #sorrynotsorry Since we were invited to their opening, they were nice enough to give our order complimentary.

This is the view that you would continue to see for the rest of the day. The line to Lolo and Lola never really stops.Pancite Palabok rice noodle with prawns, tofu, smoked fish and chicharon in a garlic-annatto sauce ($10.00). I was surprised about the heavy seafood flavour in this dish, it turns out that the sauce/thick soup’s stock is made from prawn heads boiled away for 8 hours. This dish will not be for everyone because of its strong seafood flavours; I didn’t mind it but I much preferred the rice.Pork and mushroom adobo with garlic rice and petite atchara salad ($12.00). I really enjoyed this dish; the pork was tender and the sauce went really well with the rice. I’ve never eaten a non-chicken wing adobo but this reminded me of delicious tamarind pork belly that my Mum makes. I like the addition of the salad, because it breaks up the heavy rice/pork combination. My handy tip: try to avoid crunching on the peppercorns.“Filo” style chicken BBQ with garlic rice and petite atchara salad ($12.00). Stop what you’re doing and eat this immediately if not sooner. I was surprised that I found this my favourite dish as I did have my heart set on adobo. The chicken is so succulent and full of flavour, it made me make my ‘eyes widen with a big grin’ face because it was so tasty yet unexpected.Classic ice scramble Filopino streetside treat made with creamy blended ice topped with powdered milk and chocolate sauce ($6.00). I’d be the first to admit that this sounds like a crazy combination, but that was why I was here, to experience another culture through their food. As soon as I took my first spoonful I knew exactly what everything reminded me of. The pink thick creamy blended ice tasted like musk sticks, the texture of the powdered milk reminded me of undissolved blobs of milo in milk and even though I don’t like musk sticks, I was strangely addicted to the texture of the powdered milk with blended ice. Yes, definitely hard and weird to explain without you trying it, so if you’re game, definitely order it.Ube cake slice ($7.00). This sold out just before midday. I ate mouthfuls of cake between eating our brunch, which would have put many people off but I liked having a bite of sweetness between my mouthfuls of garlic rice. It was like a soft sponge cake with delicious butter cream frosting.Classic ensaymada ($20.00 per box of 9 or $3.00 a piece). This sold out by 10:30am which is ridiculous considering Lolo and Lola only opened their doors at 9:00am. The combination sounds strange but it works as a ‘sweet’. Think of a sweet bun (like Bread Top type of bread) that has been proofed for 8-12 hours, which then turns into a fluffy bread texture, topped with butter cream and cheese (yes you read that right). Michelle gave me a tip to warm them up a little before consuming and I am loving it.I’m a huge fan of cross section photos and this is what the ensaymada looks like on the inside.The menu may change daily so I’m not sure what they will serve today but their ‘cake’ will be classic sans rival. If you see mango sans rival on the sign, msg me and I will drop what I’m doing and head straight there.It was very popular opening morning and so there was a small wait after ordering to get the food, worth it though.

Venue: Lolo and Lola

Address: Westside Acton Park, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton, ACT 2601

Opening hours: for now are:

Fun filled weekend – Monster

Since I was basically at capacity after our dinner at Močan and Green Grout, I had no input in what to do about dessert (yes, some of us could still fit it in). Nothing in particular sparked TimmyC’s interest on their dessert menu so he suggested to go to Monster which was just a short stroll away.

We seated ourselves in the new section near the fancy fireplace, which was thankfully off. Friends chose their desserts quickly and when I was probed about not having a dessert by the friendly waitress, TimmyC quickly chose a dessert for me but really a second one for himself.

Hot chocolate ($4.00).

Flat white coffee ($4.00).Creme Catalan, pear, Pedro Ximinez ($17.00). When we were receiving our cutlery, our waitress informed us that we ordered the last two Creme catalans and that we were very lucky. I knew how big the catalan was because another friend had ordered it recently but it caught everyone else by surprise. It is a really smooth custard with chunks of soft pear every so often, topped with a sprinkle of sweet syrup. The perfect dessert for those who are looking for something not too sweet, rich or heavy.

Mango, coconut, lime, sesame ice cream, lychee sherbet ($17.00). When I took a photo of this dish, I didn’t even know what angle to take it from (clearly) and I was even more puzzled about where to start when I was tasting it. I just dabbed my spoon in a bit of everything and the dominant tastes in my mouth were mango and coconut. We went back to review the menu to see what was on the plate and we couldn’t taste lychee at all but it was a very light and fruity dessert.

Soft chocolate, poached figs, almond, fig leaf ice-cream ($19.00). Although this was the sweetest dessert at the table it still wasn’t too rich or heavy. I found the texture of the soft chocolate (hidden somewhere underneath) to be somewhere between dense mousse and a soft jube, it was thick but had an unusual natural spring to it. I didn’t get to each too much of this dessert because TimmyC eats so quickly but he at least left me the figs, which I loved. I don’t think that the figs really paired well with everything else and I don’t think it was worth the steep price tag.

We were served by a lovely waitress who we also found very amusing. When we received the bill it turns out that we spent just as much on dessert as we did on dinner at Močan and Green Grout. Prices have always been more expensive at Monster but we didn’t mind paying more as not many places are open that late and we really liked the atmosphere.

Fun filled weekend – Močan and Green Grout

Despite having eaten half of Canberra, I dragged my friends away from The Forage to go have dinner at Močan and Green Grout with me. I had recently started talking to one of the chefs, Jose Blanco who has been very encouraging of my blogging and I said I would pop by to try out his handy work.

I haven’t been to Močan and Green Grout in years (see my first post here) but TimmyC and I remember vividly that the food was delicious even though we found the bill total was a bit steep.Organic cola ($4.50). My friend said I described it perfectly when I said that it tasted like a melted cola frozen slushie.The waitress explained that each dish would come out one at a time to allow for maximum enjoyment of each dish. I much prefer it this way, otherwise I’m left (of my own accord) taking photos one dish after another and always eating one plate behind. This way I could enjoy each dish as they come, hot and fresh and discuss the one dish with my dining companions.

Marinated kingfish, wild fennel and orange ($23.00). The flavours of this dish were very clean. The marinated kingfish taste wasn’t very overwhelming or ‘fishy’ and when paired with the crunchy fennel and orange, it really refreshed the palette. Even my friend who doesn’t like fish ate it; it was  nice way to start the meal.There were 8 pieces of kingfish in total.Boxgum Grazing pork belly, butifarra negra and smoked koblrabi ($24.00). I didn’t really understand half the ingredients but when I saw ‘Boxgum Grazing pork’, I knew I wanted this dish. This dish came with four pieces of delicious pork belly that had the right amount of fat to melt into your mouth. Only some of the skin was crispy but it was seasoned perfectly. We had taken bites out of the ‘crisps’ looking things which we guessed was possibly koblrabi after some googling, it was crispy and juicy but had  bitter aftertaste like a radish. It didn’t really add much to the dish but if it was also made into the base puree, it was wonderful. I’m not a huge fan of blood sausages but the butifarra negra had a nice taste, although it did have a slightly chewy odd texture.

Lamb shoulder, smoked yoghurt, pomegranate and kale chips ($26.00). We all agreed that this was the favourite dish of the night. The lamb was so tender that it was almost effortless to divvy it up into four portions. True, all the elements helped make this dish fabulous but the meat itself was the star of the night.The service was always prompt, friendly and attentive while the dinner atmosphere was very relaxed; it was a perfect night to sit outside and catch up with friends (BYO for all those wondering). The waitress suggested order to 1.5 dishes per person but we ordered a lot less after the end of a very busy eating day for me. The menu is very limited but is currently changing with the seasons and produce available. I’ve always enjoyed the food here, just keep in mind it is Canberra hipster prices and portions.

Human Brochure – Tea time at A. Baker

While trying to explore the most out of our surrounds, my friends and I opted to go next door to A. baker for some sweet treats after our lunch at the Parlour Room.

Everyone knew their drink orders well, but what to choose from the cake cabinet?The boy of the group suggested we only needed three sweets between the four of us, but unfortunately majority rules and he was out voted by the other three women.Cake cabinet~ All sweets were about $5.00 – 6.00 from memory.

Salted caramel Definitely one of the sweeter treats of the day but I did expect a lot sweeter based on the thickness of the caramel. It would have went nicely with a beverage but I prefer variety over having just one thing. Bring friends along so you can share and try more!Choc orange ricotta I know this combination isn’t for everyone but all the flavours work perfectly together.Pumpkin and maple Ever since my American friend introduced me to pumpkin pies, I must say I’m a big fan! This might have contributed to the fact that this was my pick of the bunch!Lemon meringue a humble classic! The lemon component could have been more tart but still executed well.Yes we almost ordered one of everything…It was a lovely way to end a wonderful long lunch, it was just a shame that some of us needed to return to work.

Human brochure – Parlour Wine Room

My first food experience leading into the weekend was without my interstate guests (they were not arriving until later that evening), but I’ve taken my role as a 101 local human to guide not only interstate guests but local ones as well to good eateries with a great atmosphere.

I grabbed a bunch of lunching friends and took them to the Parlour Wine Room to try more of their lunch time special (see my other post here). Now by default because I’m the ‘foodie’, most people just give the ordering responsibilities to me despite my constant plea of ‘I haven’t eaten here/from this menu before’. It’s nice to know that they have so much trust in me.

That day, I did insist that everyone choose a dish and we will dabble in a bit of each, plus if it was up to me I’d just order four serves of popcorn squid legs.

I’ve always loved the decor and feel of the Parlour Room. Complimentary bread and dipping oil~ (the bread is of course from their neighbour A. baker)Lunch menu special ~ Something from the lunch menu and a drink -glass of wine, beer or soft drink ($16.00).

Rodriguez chorizo, ham hock, puy lentils, piquin chilli, 62C egg. I felt that this dish was a little watery and it was hard to grab a little bit of each element when sharing with friends, but it had a beautiful chorizo sausage. I must say that this was my least favourite dish of the day.

Free range 62C egg, piquillo peppers, jamon, smoked paprika. This was almost like a stir fry topped with eggs. What really stood out the most for me was the jamon, it went well with the sweetness of the onions and there were plenty of onions, unfortunately not enough jamon. Braised spinach, chickpeas, garlic, cumin, golden raisins, yoghurt. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. I didn’t think I would like it but the juicy raisins went beautifully with the chickpeas, spinach, tomato based sauce and the yoghurt gave it a Middle Eastern feel.Popcorn squid legs, ancient grains, aioli, pickled cucumber. This was my favourite dish. The squid was crispy and salty, it had delicious aioli to dip with and the fried textures were balanced out by the ‘ancient grains’. I would order this again in a heart beat but unfortunately I don’t think it would fill me on its own. Croque Monsieur toasted sandwich of serrano jamon, maffra cheddar (Vic), smoked potato foam ($9.00). Okay, so I threw in a few extra things because I was intrigued by them. The element that made me curious was the smoke potato foam, plus I love a good Croque Monsieur. Again I feel that they were a bit heavy handed with the smoked paprika  (someone in the kitchen must love this stuff), there wasn’t anything too special about this exotic sandwich which sounded good on paper, I was a bit disappointed. The bread was also really hard to chew.Twice cooked crispy pork belly, px glaze, fried onion, hazelnut ($18.00). I’m finding myself ordering pork belly whenever I can, it is just so delicious when cooked properly and this is one of those times. The skin was super crispy and the glaze gave just enough sweetness to compliment the meat and hazelnut flavours. Pork and hazelnut go well together, who knew! I also loved the unique plate that it came on.I was surprised that there wasn’t more patrons at the Parlour Room that day but that made it easier to talk and catch up with friends and the timing from the kitchen and wait staff was perfect.

Lunch at Palour Wine Room

Knowing that it was an impromptu lunch to fulfill my friend’s craving for pasta, I suggested that we go early to Parlour Wine Room as we didn’t have a booking. We arrived just before midday and were limited to a few tables which filled up quickly with other ‘walk in’ patrons, we were lucky as during the lunch service we saw several people get turned away due to lack of space.

We were partially going to the Parlour Wine Room to take advantage of the lunch special of a drink (soft drink or house wine) and a meal for $16 but we were really there to taste the food so that’s why we couldn’t help ourselves but to order something extra with our meal.

We were quickly set up with table water, lunch specials menu, normal menu and a drinks menu when we were seated.I love their funky cutlery and choice of lunch specials. I love myself a croque monsieur but it was definitely a soup weather kind of day.Too pretty to eat off but when the food came, I was more than happy to make a mess on top. 😀I love the unique lounge seating they had all over the place. The tables are often moved around to accommodate for large bookings etc and whilst also being round and small, I would find it squishy to sit with a large group.The whole venue was centred around the bar area like a wine room should be.Soup of the day~

Creamy cauliflower ($10.00). My eyes widen when I saw my soup portion. Luckily I had ordered something ‘lighter’ for my main. This soup was unbelievably velvety smooth and full of flavour while the condiments helped add to the texture and salty levels. I could drink this soup all day! Unfortunately it was the soup of the day so who knows when it will come back on the menu, but I look forward to it. In anticipation of more food yet to come, I offered my bread and oil to my friend who happily dipped it amongst her prawns. She really liked the bread and I could only assume it came from A. Baker as it is so close.The soup was also served with bread and dipping oil.Tapas plates~

Prawns, garlic chips, chilli ($17.00). I couldn’t taste much chilli and the prawns were borderline too salty but when paired with the oil and the bread it balanced out. It is sad to only expect four prawns despite paying $17.00 for the dish, but it is what I have come to expect from the pricey New Acton area. Lunch special~

Drinks (house wine or soft drinks): house red and lemon lime bitters. We weren’t told what the house red was but my friend really enjoyed it and said it was heavy and full bodied.Pappardelle pasta, pork belly, sofrito ($16.00 paired with a drink). The pasta was cooked perfectly with the chunks of pork being really tender in a very rich tomato sauce. It was not an overly large portion and would have been perfectly paired with something sweet, I was almost tempted but I was on a strict time schedule so we couldn’t squeeze it in. Lucky we ordered the extra entrees 😉 Battered calamari, chipotle aioli, pickled cucumber ($16.00 paired with a drink). The salad was nice enough, presented well in a shallow bowl and I also really liked the sauce. The calamari was not stringy and chewy but nicely battered and tender. The salad greens were fresh and crisp but I felt the whole thing was ruined by someone who was a bit vigorous with the paprika. It was everywhere and often the dominating flavour. I tried to shake off as much as I could but it was still there.As much as I tried, I couldn’t shake the paprika off my salad.Despite being busy, I felt that we were well looked after by the staff. I would definitely come back and try more things from the lunch specials, but I probably wouldn’t order the calamari salad again. If anyone sees the cauliflower soup back on the menu, let me know!

Venue: Parlour Wine Room

Address: 16 Kendall Lane, Newacton Pavilion, Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: (02) 6257 7325

Website: http://www.parlour.net.au/

Breakfast at Monster

Monster wasn’t my first choice for breakfast but it provided good opening times with a convenient location. Luckily we didn’t need a reservation that Sunday morning.

I was impressed that the waiter took our breakfast order as well as our drinks without putting pen to paper but then I was less impressed when he had to come back and re-ask for our order again. Things were a bit slow and I had to prompt service to give us menus, more water etc but that was because we had to leave in just over an hour.

Gluten free muesli, winter fruit ($11.00). I love the beautiful colours that are in this dish.Eggs any way on gluten free toast ($10.00) with mushrooms ($7.00). I thought you would get a few more extra mushrooms for a $7 side.Home made crumpets with Hotel Hotel honey (hive #9) ($11.00). I thought it was super cute that they used the honey from their hive. Their homemade crumpets were true to a crumpet texture and when lathered in butter, I thought it was much tastier than mine even though it is a humble menu choice.65° egg, sweet corn, polenta, chorizo ($17.00). I disregarded all the parsley, it just got in my way without adding anything to the dish. There was a strong taste of sweet corn which I liked but I wasn’t that fond of the chorizo. I didn’t see the $17.00 value in this small serving. Breakfast and drinks for four people came to $70.00. We also ordered another coffee which never came but we weren’t charged for it.

I didn’t think that there was anything spectacular about breakfast and I probably wouldn’t come here again for it, but I would come back for late night tapas.

See my previous Monster dinner experience here.

Three eateries in 3.5 hrs – Monster

Well this is a first! I’m writing a blog post the night of going to the restaurant. This is probably partly due to eating at three eateries in 3.5 hours like my heading suggests and I’m still digesting and also partly because of my excitement of serendipitously finding a new food venue without looking for one.

We start the night off at Monster. I had been here before when it was still just serving salads and simple sandwiches but now they have officially opened the bar and restaurant under the new name with awesome opening hours that sees the kitchen serving food til 1am, so now you have an option of a meal/snack/drink after a late check in at Hotel Hotel or after a movie at Palace Electric. Upon reading the menu, the aspect of the dishes did remind me of Mocan and Green Grout but that’s because the chef Sean McConnell used to work there.

Quick picture of the busy kitchen.

I love that big fire-place!Unique light fittings, a big fireplace, colourful tables and the cement urban jungle surroundings give lots of different atmospheres at Monster depending on whether you sit at the bar, the middle of the restaurant, cosied up near the fire-place or in the casual dimly lit perimeter.Funky Goodspeed bikes for Hotel hotel guests to borrow free of charge.The salt bowl reminded me of broken pottery, the water glasses looked like glass bottles with the top cut off and the water jugs were unusual too. All this adds to the funky setting which is Monster.Organic cola ($5.00). Hipster places don’t sell mass produced big corporation soft drinks but organic cola. It tasted like gummy cola lollies.Lemon and lime bitters (back) and a Rose and orange drink (front) $5.00 each. The rose and orange drink had a strong rosewater aftertaste. A bit too overwhelming for me.Bar menu~ 12pm to 1am

Yabby jaffle, creme fraiche, horseradish ($16.00). The humble jaffle is transformed into a culinary delight with lemony creamy flavours in the filling. It probably could have done with a smidgen of salt somewhere to help bring out the flavours of the yabby.A close up of that yummy filling.38 hour pork neck bao, cucumber kimchi ($18.00 for 2). The bun isn’t as soft and smooth as Ippudo but it is a good attempt with the bun having a slight sweet taste with a fluffy chewy texture. The pork next was extremely tender with a perfect crispy exterior. I’m not a fan of kimchi but I did like their cucumber kimchi which provided a bit of sauce that gave it a slight hint of chilli. I would order this again, even with the steep price tag.Not as white, soft and smooth as other pork buns that I’ve eaten.It fits nicely in the hand.A close up of the tender pork neck filling.Hand cut chips, house made ketchup ($10.00). I was impressed that it was just like the description had said, hand cut with the skin left on for a more homemade feel. I like my chips on the crunchier side so for me these chips were too potato-y with their thick cut nature. My friend and I weren’t particularly fond of the homemade ketchup, it was like a really strong pasta sauce but the boys really enjoyed it.Shared plates~ 12pm to 10pm

Eggplant, smoked goat’s curd, katsuobushi and sesame ($18.00). My mouth was confused by this dish. The Asian elements of nori, katsuobushi and the Thai herb didn’t seem to fit in with the goat’s curd. I’m not usually a fan of goat dairy products but this was mild enough to eat on its own without the strong aftertaste.

Wagyu flank, baby leek, soubise, ash ($29.00). All the elements of this dish took a back seat to the soubise. The sauce had an almost chunky puree texture and tasted like caramelised eshallots with a hint of garlic. The Wagyu itself was a bit disappointing having no real taste but was slightly better when dipped into the jus that had pooled to the side of the plate.Slow cooked pork cheek, caramelized onion, kale and kohlrabi ($26 .00). I preferred the pork over the beef because of the amount of flavour that they pork had. My piece of pork was 50% fat, 35% crispy skin and 15% meat. It was very flavoursome but I had to cut some of the fat off because it was just too much (that never happens!). The crispy kale, what looked like crackle and kohlrabi all contrasted against the soft caramelised onion and tender pork.

 The funky sleeve that the bill comes in.It ended up being $150.00 for four people without dessert. Nothing particularly caught our eye on the dessert menu and we had plans of trying out Dessert Castle anyway so we paid the bill and went to our next destination down the road.

The waiters were friendly and always wanted to know how our meal was going, while the food came out consistently allowing time to eat each share plate. No particular dish was ‘OMG outstanding’ but I would be happy enough to come back here to take advantage of their location and convenient opening hours.

 

Venue:  Monster kitchen and bar

Address: Nishi building, 25 Edinburgh Ave Canberra, ACT 2601

Phone: (02) 6287 6287