The Cupping Room: A day of Food and Wine #humanbrochure

I get super excited when I go somewhere new and there has been a ‘must go there’ list building up for Canberra during the time I’ve been traveling interstate and overseas. Coincidentally during our ‘day of food and wine’, I was taken to four new places and a much-loved eatery so I was buzzing with excitement and anticipation even if we did meet at 7:40am in the morning on the other side of town. *yawn*

Coffee tasting was the first item on the agenda and with such an early start, it was definitely needed. Most people are shocked (and maybe somewhat alarmed) when I tell them I don’t drink coffee. I don’t need it to wake up, I don’t get a headache if I don’t drink it and I probably add too much milk and sugar for it to still be called coffee but I do adore the smell. Thankfully I was not the only foodie who doesn’t usually consume coffee, there were four of us but we were happy to participate and see what the fuss is all about.

We were taken to The Cupping Room in Civic and we were in for a real treat with half the venue booked out especially for our coffee tasting. Our tables were carefully set with a dash of mineral water in a cup and also cutlery (oh thank goodness there will be food!). The founder of Ona coffee Mr. Sasa Sestic who is very passionate about coffee, welcomed us and gave us a lesson on the coffee growing, sourcing and tasting while the friendly staff served us all cappuccinos.

Who knew the sun and also quite a few people were up during this time of day and on a weekend no less! Beautiful latte art.Ona Coffee founder: Sasa Sestic talking about his passion for coffee, the projects he has developed, the unconventional way they pick their coffee based on the coffee tree matrix and supplying the essential nutrients using natural products like bananas and crushed volcanic rock. His passion extends beyond the coffee bean and incorporates the farmer; through creating Project Origin he ensures quality, sustainability and fairness for the producer.This guy knows his coffee!Our coffees were decorated with beautiful latte art which varied between cups. I looked for sugar on the table but there wasn’t any and I convince myself, just like when I eat pasta, to taste it before adding to it. It was a beautiful creamy coffee that really surprised me and my fellow non coffee drinker that we liked it. There was no bitter aftertaste and no feeling of just having eaten a mouthful of cigarette ash.For once I’m not the only person taking photos of the food at the table. I can get used to hanging with this foodie crowd!Our second tastings arrived and to get the full flavour we were encouraged to ‘slurp’ the coffee from out spoons. This was washed vs unwashed beans. The ‘washed’ was almost like a beautiful strong rich tea but the second ‘unwashedl’ coffee was almost unbearable for me as a non coffee drinker. When asked which style we preferred, it was no surprise that the non coffee drinkers took a liking to the washed while caffeine addicts liked the other. I’m going in for my big ‘slurp’, I’ve had plenty of ramen practise leading up to this moment.Up next was what I am much better at tasting- food!

Cured salmon with beetroot jelly, ribbons of fennel and creme fraiche topped with some croutons and micro herbs. The salmon was so tender it required minimal chewing and the saltiness was balanced out by the subtle sweetness from the delicate beetroot jelly. I thought the croutons gave it a great crunch which gave the dish an extra dimension of texture. Not your typical breakfast, but all the flavours were light and complimentary to each other. Gluten free and vegetarian option of quinoa,  fennel and beetroot jelly.Some local humans getting their photo taken for Canberra Times (read the article here).The other side was filling up fast, The Cupping Room proves to be a popular coffee spot on Saturday mornings.Third coffee tasting: filtered vs natural. The difference in taste was surprising and the tastes changed again when you had a sip of sparkling water afterwards. The natural tasted stronger but was still very delicate on the palette.Cocoa avocado – avocado, banana, honey and cocoa topped with strawberries and served with a biscuit oat crumb. A beautifully simple and tasty sweet way to end our meal at The Cupping Room. The mousse was incredibly smooth with flavours of cocoa, banana and honey. A breakfast dessert is not for everyone before 9am but we stopped just short from licking our plates before we left, I should try to replicate this.Last but not least, they shared one of the drinks that they had created during a competition, a raspberry creaming soda iced coffee which consisted of raspberry reduction, dry ice and of course coffee. It was a unique take on familiar flavours as well as theatrics.

After the raspberry and dry ice was added to the espresso, the vase was cupped over the glass to allow the drink to carbonate and cool down. After a few minutes we were able to lift the ‘lid’ and capture the sweet scent of raspberries that was emitted.Brew my pretty, brew…What you’re left with is a dark carbonated coffee with sweet raspberry notes and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

The raspberry creaming soda is served in a wine glass, a cute way to end our coffee tasting at The Cupping Room.The Cupping Room hasn’t started a coffee addiction within me, but it has opened my eyes to the amount of flavour difference there is even between picking beans on different branches and how far away the fruit is from the trunk (which determines how much nutrients they get), how to ‘slurp’ my way through a coffee tasting and how many different projects including ‘Jammin Da House‘ that Sasa is involved in.

I’m excited to come back and try more food.

Venue: The Cupping Room

Address: 1/13 University Av Canberra City, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601

Phone: (02) 6257 6412

Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Sat: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Prices: this experience was paid for buy VisitCanberra as part of the 101 local humans campaign for the human brochure.

Jammin Da House

I received this email from Westfield Woden, unfortunately I won’t be in the area to check this out. I can imagine the area smelling amazing!

Hello there, What are you doing after work on Friday night? Join us to watch Canberra’s top baristas battle it out to be crowned the Jammin Da House Latte Art Champion. WHEN: Friday 23 May 2014 TIME: 6:00pm to 8:30pm WHERE: Centre Court, Westfield Woden Enjoy the aroma of coffee, taste the competition lattes, sip on wine and bid on auction items to raise money for Project Origin all whilst you cheer on your favourite barista. If you are a barista (or know of one) wanting to compete, please pre-register now by emailing Dien@espressoroom.com.au or leave your details at Espresso Room. There is no fee to enter! Make a Friday night of Jammin Da House, Westfield Woden

Quick dinner at Mocan and Green grout

Although I’m not a coffee drinker, I’ve always recommended Mocan and Green Grout as a definite stop over for those coffee addicts looking to get their next hit. I was surprised to find myself going there, not for the beverages but for their dinner menu which consists of seasonal sharing plates (only between Tuesday and Friday nights).

We couldn’t stress to them enough that we had a movie at 6:45pm and because they technically not open until 6pm, they did their best to move us along as fast as they could. I thought arriving at 5:40pm, that we would be by far the first ones there but when we went in, there were already some people finishing their afternoon teas and coffees and not long after that, the whole dining room filled up fast with hipsters, trendy older people that could easily afford to eat here and then there was us.

We ordered some beverages while we were waiting for the menus, the waitress kindly let us know that they menus were being printed and we would get one as soon as they were done. There is something that changes on the menu each day so they print them every day. Interesting…

Chai tea with bon soy milk in a teapot ($5.00). The taste of herbs and spices was very potent yet not overwhelming. It was the strongest chai I’ve ever had but the creaminess and the froth from the soy milk balanced it out. Although it wasn’t very sweet, it was just sweet enough and didn’t require any sugar/honey.

Bottled fruit juice Oracle organic orange ($5.00).

I couldn’t understand how $22.00 equated to a ‘sharing plate’ but soon I learned that the portions were very very small and the price were very very high.

Entree~

Smoked potato, Morcilla, Ortiz anchovy ($4.00 individual serve) – I definitely could taste the smokeyness and I quickly found out what morcilla was but I couldn’t detect any potato. Probably could have done without this.

Mains~

Soft shell crab, kewpie, sriracha ($19.00) – A dollop of kewpie mayonnaise in a pool of sriracha makes for a surprisingly good dipping sauce. Not overly oily, my only downside to this plate was the portion size but I soon learned that everything was this size.

Cauliflower, quinoa, toasted ricotta, pistachio ($16.00) – The dried pomegranate seeds provided a refreshing and surprising bursts of sourness between the butteriness of the roasted cauliflower. These unexpected flavours went really well together and made for a pleasant surprise.

Roasted brussel sprouts, bonito butter, furikake ($16.00) – The katsuobushi used as a topping really dominated the flavour but when you ate a brussel sprout on its own it wasn’t too bad or bitter, but it was lacking some more salt or butter (or bacon/speck?).

Boxgum grazing pork belly, eggplant, miso, crisp enoki ($22.00) – Boxgum grazing is by far one of my favourite places to get meat from, it really lets your palette know the difference of free range pastured pork and everything else. Even though the skin wasn’t crispy, the pork was very tender and was amazing with a drizzle of miso, which wasn’t overwhelming and the enoki added a bit more texture to the whole plate. Easily one of my favourite dishes of the night.

Just in case you thought the pieces of pork was big and sufficient.

Pulled lamb shoulder ‘brik’, yoghurt, harissa, dukkah ($24.00) – I don’t think it needed all the condiments on the side as the ‘brik’ itself was so tasty. The only downside was receiving only a quarter of what was an already small cigar of crispy spring roll pastry encasing very delicious and tender lamb.

Eden snapper, pumpkin, lentil, hazelnut, fennel ($23.00) – Turns out, I’m a big fan of French lentils, they tasted slightly buttery. This combination, if you can get a bit of everything on your fork, is brilliant and a lovely way to finish the meal.

We were a little late to the movie but they did the best that they could in their very busy kitchen and dining area to get us out. I thought I was still hungry (there was no chance we were going to have dessert) but when all my food settled during the movie, I felt content. As delicious as the food was, I found it very expensive for what it is, you could probably get more food for the same prices at a fine dining restaurant.

They don’t take bookings so maybe it is smart to grab a table early.

Venue: Mocan and Green Grout

Address: 1/19 Marcus Clarke Street, New Acton South, ACT

Phone: (02) 6162 2909

Website: http://mocanandgreengrout.com/

Opening hours: 

Day: Monday – Saturday (7am – 6pm)

           Sunday (from 8am)

Evenings: Tuesday – Friday (6pm – 9pm)

Red Brick Espresso

On a lovely sunny day which reminded us that Spring was on its way, I grabbed my friend visiting from interstate and headed to the Red Brick Espresso that was recommended to me for good coffee. I was happy to find it open because I didn’t check their opening hours (even though Urbanspoon said that they don’t open Sundays?) but apparently everyone else thought it was a good idea too because there was not a single available seat. 

After looking a bit lost while holding a menu and looking around for any potential vacating patrons, a friendly face said that she could set up some milk crates near a table so we could sit. Thank goodness a table left before we ordered because I don’t care how trendy it is to have milk crate seating, it ain’t comfortable.

A small cute cafe makes it hard to get a seat.

Cute table setting.

Sweet bones raspberry and chocolate vegan cupcake ($5.00). Moist and delicious although I couldn’t taste much of the raspberry. I was amazed it cost so much but it sure was tasty.

Large flat white and a hot chocolate ($4.00 each), My friend said that the coffee was really good, which I was glad because we were on a coffee hunt mission.

The hot chocolate wasn’t particularly sweet and I had to add sugar but I did like the pretty foam art.

Hot pressed roll with smoked ham, swiss cheese and tomato relish ($8.90). My friend really liked the simple yet classic filling but found the tomato relish a nice touch.

Moroccan style baked eggs with Persian feta, fresh herbs and toasted sourdough ($13.90). Looks like something you would find at a trendy cafe in Melbourne. I loved the bread as it was perfectly toasted and wouldn’t break your teeth. The roasted peppers which were almost caramelised, gave a sweetness which was balanced out by the salty feta. A great breakfast by far that I have had in Canberra in a long time.

A very child and dog friendly as everyone had at least one of the two in the surrounding tables. Great to see local shops have a good cafe with great coffee that you don’t have to go to Fyshwick or Braddon for.

Finally, a great place to brunch in the Woden area, definitely worth a visit!

Venue: Red Brick Espresso

Address: Shop 4/35 Curtin Place, Curtin, ACT 2605

Phone: (02) 6285 1668

Don’t judge me. Tim wanted coffee 😒 #travelingwithawhitie #coffee #japan #breakfast #hotdogforbreakfast #food #foodies #foodblog #lookingforsecondbreakfast

Good morning with Campos! #food #foodies #foodblog #coffee #breakfast #morning #canberra

I spy with my little eye…

——-16/12/2012——-

Something new in Braddon! I’ve been in and out of Braddon recently to check out the Lonsdale St. traders and today I pop by and see there is a new eatery in town. The Elk and Pea Eating House caught my eye with their cute decor, outdoor seating and busy diners. Maybe next time when I’m not so full, I can stop by and check out their menu.

Situated down the end near Lonsdale street roasters, Pizza Gusto and the Hive (I love that store), Braddon is shaping up to be the ‘new place to hang’.

Bowral get away- Elephant boy cafe

——-24/11/2012——-

Elephant boy is a gorgeous little cafe along the main street with cozy decor. We stopped by for a coffee before heading off to lunch.

It is almost like being in a well read explorer’s living room having a sip of tea.

Green tea ($4.00)

French bowl skinny cappucinio ($4.00)

French bowl soy latte ($4.00)

My friends said that they had amazing coffee and I do like their fancy French bowl option.

Venue: Elephant boy cafe

Address: 329 Bong Bong St, Bowral 

Phone: (02) 4861 1393

Creme brûlée latte time! #food #drink #latte #coffee (Taken with Instagram)

It’s finally coming to Canberra #coffee #shop #Canberra (Taken with Instagram)

It’s getting warmer, I sure could use a refreshing cold Vietnamese coffee right about now #canberra #food #drink #coffee (Taken with Instagram)

Breakfast at 3 seeds

——-22/07/2012——-

With Belgian waffles that I haven’t yet conquered from Bean and Grain, I was keen to drag my friends along to the Fyshwick markets for brunch but the down side to the cafe is the lack of seating. So we walked across the car park to my next choice, 3 seeds– the school, gourmet store and cafe above Ocean fresh.

It was also full but with more space to work with, the staff were very nice and cleared a space for us as soon as it became available (5-10 minute wait). The place was full of families with children and babies all having breakfast away from the hustle and bustle of Fyshwick markets.

We started off with some beverages while waiting for our other friend to arrive. 

Earl grey tea ($4.00)

Freshly squeezed juice ($7.50) I thought I wrote down the flavour somewhere but apparently not, it was apple something. Nice enough but not worth $7.50!

Flat white ($3.60) Okay coffee and not crazily priced.

Poached eggs with bacon, mushrooms (in place of the tomato) and baby spinach on toast ($18.00) With not even butter on the toast, this dish was standard- poached egg with bacon and mushrooms with not even wilted spinach plonked on top of some toast. I don’t see how this is $18.00 worth?

Thick cut toast and 3 seeds jam ($6.50) The bread was hard and the jam very underwhelming.

French toast with berries, vanilla yoghurt and maple syrup ($17.00) Interesting that they used their sour cherry bread for the French toast. The egg/milk mixture didn’t really infuse into the bread, more just like an outer coating. Not overly sweet which was good for me.

There is a gourmet store around the back with some unique food items.

The cooking classes must be a hit with most of them being booked out way in advance, they provide a wide range of courses from Spanish Tapas to preparing seafood to French cooking. I might come back for a cooking class but I think I’ll cross brunch @ 3 seeds off my to do list based on the overpriced breakfast. I wonder what all those families were ordering and how they are affording such an expensive mediocre breakfast.

Venue: 3seeds

Address: Fyshwick Markets  Cnr Dalby & Mildura St ACT 2609

Phone: (02) 6295 7722

Website: http://3seeds.com.au/

Cafe & Gourmet Store:  Thursday-Friday 9.00-5.00pm, Saturday 8.30-4pm

& Sunday 8.30-3.00pm

Cooking School: Wednesday & Thursday nights 6.00-9.30pm, Saturdays 3-5.30pm. 

Brunch @ Urban Pantry

——-03/06/2012——-

Some friends and I decided to meet up for a lovely Sunday brunch. We had been to Urban pantry before (also for brunch) and thoroughly enjoyed their great menu and awesome coffee, so logically that’s where we wanted to go again. 

Everyone else had the same idea too.

Coffee was really good the last time we came, so much so that everyone got seconds. It wasn’t great today which was a shame.  My friend got a coffee so bad that she sent it back and the new one only came back mildy better. Timmy’s flat white was weak and fairly milky.

Free range eggs benedict with bacon and hollandaise sauce ($19.80) A delicious sauce with eggs poached to perfection but alas we found the bread really ‘tough’ and hard to chew.

Sour dough bread (no butter) with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms. More hard bread with simple sides.

Ricotta pancakes with bacon & maple ($17.60) This was perfect for me- sweetness of tasty pancakes with the saltiness of delicious bacon. Served nice and hot too. 

Staff were really polite and attentive. They did come to our table several times with coffee orders that weren’t ours, but that is easily forgivable when they are so smiley and nice. 

I really want to come back and try their dinner and I think that’s when I’ll make my Entertainment card worth while.

Venue: Urban pantry

Address: 5 Bougainville St, Griffith ACT 2603

Phone: (02) 6162 3556

Website: http://urban-pantry.com.au/

Entertainment card: Yes, it’s on there!

Bean and grain

——-01/04/12——-

I’ve been walking past this shop front for ages now and then when I missed a few weeks of shopping at the Fyshwick markets, Bean & Grain finally opened. As soon as I heard, I grabbed a friend and we headed straight to the markets!

The first thing that caught my eye was the cabinet filled with tarts and pastries. My eyes lit up like a happy little girl. 

Oh yeah, there were bagels

and coffee too.

Chicken and curried leek pie ($6.00) I have a thing for curry pies and I’ve never had a curry pie containing chicken, also chicken and leek is a wonderful combination. All in all- an awesome pie! The guy sitting next to us was eating a giant sausage roll and beef bourguignon pie- I asked how his pie was and he said the meat felt dry and it wasn’t the best and when they left, there was still half the sausage roll on the plate. Maybe we were lucky with our pie choice.

Tomato bisque & sour dough grilled cheese sandwich– Sour dough bread lightly grilled with aged cheddar & gruyere cheese & out signature rich tomato bisque ($19.00) The soup was nice and creamy by itself but if you dip the grilled sandwich into the soup, the serving suggestion from the waiter, it’s magical!

Turkey– smoked turkey, maple chilli bacon, cheddar cheese, sprouts, avocado, tomato & cranberry mayo ($13.00) They ran out of the cranberry bagels by 1pm and there weren’t that many bagels left, so we went with an onion bagel. A great combination with crispy chili bacon, avocado with turkey and cranberry sauce. The Japanese inspired salad was good and a little a bit spicy.

Sweets to go– ’Bob the baker’s’ famous hot cross bun ($1.50 each), chocolate chilli tart ($4.60) and Portuguese tart ($4.00)

It might be a personal preference thing but I prefer more fruit in my hot cross bun so ‘Bob’s famous hot cross bun‘ didn’t cut it for me.

Chocolate chilli tart– a smooth delicious tart, I couldn’t taste the chilli directly but I could feel the slight warm burning sensation on my tongue and throat.

Portuguese tart– not very ‘custard-y’, very thick and heavy with an almost cheesecake texture.

The staff were really friendly and I do like the menu at Bean and Grain although it is limited. I’m keen to come back to try the breakfast menu with all the jams made in house and they have Belgium waffles. 

Venue: Bean and Grain

Address: 12 Dalby St, Fyshwick, ACT 2609

Phone: (02) 62959220

Opening hours: Thursday – Sunday (8:00am – 5:30pm)

a Welcome home by the lake

——-07/01/2012——-

As a welcome home surprise Timmy took me out to dinner and after his first two choices weren’t open yet for the new year, he took me to his third choice- Waters Edge restaurant by the lake.

It wasn’t a great start when they misplaced our table booking but luckily enough they were still able to find us a table during a fully booked out night. I have been to Waters Edge many times but the atmosphere had changed since I had last been, it has gone from a quiet romantic setting to much more bustling conversations with a vast age diversity amongst the patrons.

 

Ready to eat! 

Complimentary canape~

Beetroot bruschetta- this was delicious!

Complimentary breadroll~

Entree~ ($21.00)

Blue swimmer crab tortellini served with squash puree, Avruga caviar and shellfish bisque foam– I found the foam a bit weird, it had a subtle taste but I very much enjoyed the delicious fresh blue swimmer crab tortellini.

Entree special~

Salted crusted Yellowfin tuna with black squid ink sauce– this tasted like a delicious pepper encrusted tender beef steak

 

Main~ ($38.00)

Lamb back-strap, prune braised neck crepinette, carrot and ginger puree, heirloom carrot, water cress and fennel salad, lamb jus- the lamb was lovely and tender.

 

Duck breast and pressed leg confit served with potato and rosemary gratin dauphinois, sauteed sweet cabbage and lardons, cafe au lait foam- the duck was nice and crispy but I found the gratin a bit lacking.

Sides~ ($8.00)

Paris mash- When I first had this at Courgette, I was absolutely amazed and religiously ever since I order it every time, but today I found this mash too salty and it had lost it’s lustrous charm. 

Palette cleanser~

Pear sorbet- refreshing and not to sweet with a subtle pear taste- wonderful!

Dessert~ ($16.00)

I felt so bad, due to my slow eating habits the ‘caramelized apple and cinnamon souffle, calvados butterscotch sauce and cardamom ice cream‘ was sold out. Sorry Timmy 

Rose water creme caramel, ruby grapefruit mousse, ruby grapefruit tea cake and pomegranate sorbet- the tea cake was so moist and was my favourite element to the plate, with the pomegranate and finely chopped strawberries coming a close second. The rosewater creme caramel had a very distinct rose water taste, which I found hard to comprehend because my brain still expected a ‘creme caramel’ taste from the look of it.

 

Chocolate and macadamia nut semi freddo, chocolate soil, pot roasted blue berries, blueberries sorbet- a lovely chocolate dessert that wasn’t too sweet, I particularly enjoyed the blueberries sorbet.

 

Grinder coffee and petit fours ($5.00) Maybe they should have written ‘petit four’ on the menu. We had to prompt for this and in the end it was just served on a napkin. We were eager to order this as we enjoy them so much at Courgette, which usually serves multiple chocolates on either a mini platter or tier. This by comparison was very disappointing.

There was a lot more staff than previously and we were served by multiple people, I didn’t think the staff were very efficient (or polite) even if there were so many more of them. Not my favourite place for fine dining due to the staff and ambiance but the food was still impeccable.

Venue: Waters Edge Restaurant

Address: 40 Parkes Place, Parkes, ACT 2600

Phone: (02) 6273 5066

Entertainment book: Yes! It’s a tear out voucher so don’t forget to bring it