Seriously, when did that happen?

A follow on from my previous post “What? When did that happen?“,  I am still finding myself uttering these words as my grip of the Canberra dining scene seems to slowly be slipping through my fingers.

1. Buttermilk and bourbon fried chicken with waffles is coming to Woden. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

Okay that was just a menu item, their actual name is No. 10 restaurant and bar. According to their Instagram account, the first week of October is when they plan to open. There are plenty of things on the menu that have caught my eye, check them out here.

2. Turkish Pide House City has now closed. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

Apparently for ages! I drive past it all the time and always assumed it was there but now something new is taking its space. Hopefully not long to go.

3. Damian Brabender is finally opening his restaurant Otis . “Seriously, when did that happen?”

Technically this hasn’t happened yet for the public, but my friend was lucky enough to attend a soft launch and I cannot wait to eat one of everything from the menu. See a sneak peek from Michelle here.

4. Shannon’s BBQ is now closed. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

Or not paying their phone bill, I can’t tell since their phone line is disconnected. This was also on my ‘to eat list’ but I never got around to eating there and now it looks like I never will. Does anyone know what happened to this place?

5. Rockin’ Ribs has now closed. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

I never made it to Rockin’ Ribs after Victor died but now the whole place is completely empty and available for lease. All the BBQ places seemed to have closed up shop in Canberra.

6. Fried Korean Chicken is coming to Dickson. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

I recently walked past and saw signs for Rogane Chimac opening next to Kingsland. I don’t know when it will open (or if it has already),  but it didn’t look like it was far off. They have more than fried chicken, but does it really matter?

7. Gus’ is now closed. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

Now this is starting to show how little I venture into Civic and I’m probably the last one to know about this, but Gus’ cafe has been closed since around June(?!?). Gus’ has been around for so long, I was shocked to hear that it closed.

8. Mills and Grills is providing ribs and pizza to Canberra. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

According to my friends Mills and Grills have been open for ‘a long time’, which really means I need new friends or a better radar. They are loving their pizza but I want to try out their ribs. Check out the menu at here.

9. There is a restaurant out near the airport. “Seriously, when did that happen?”

It is called Helix bar and dining and located inside the Vibe hotel and a lot of reviews say it is over priced and the service is sub par. It doesn’t sound like a place that I want to rush out and try.

 

Has there been anything happening around the Canberra dining scene that has got you asking “seriously, when did that happen?”

 

 

 

 

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Vanilla slice from Erindale Cakery Bakery

We were hungry and looking for a sweet snack when we found ourselves at the Erindale shops and I remembered that a few months ago when RiotACT were looking for the ‘best vanilla slice in Canberra’, Erindale Cakery Bakery was mentioned. I looked at their cabinets and they were filled with old school ‘Australian’ bakery treats; everything from meringues to caramel tarts to lamingtons (oh how I miss lamingtons!) and of course vanilla slices. I loved the variety of sweets and treats they had and a bonus was that everything was reasonably priced.

Now back to the real reason why I was there: vanilla slice! There were two types, one with good ol’ passionfruit icing and the other was the ‘French’ version which is the one that I bought ($4.40??). I really liked how the pastry was easy to cut through with a fork and kept its integrity as I slow it ate it, bite by bite. I didn’t think it was overly sweet which was nice and I really liked the pastry. The custard could have tasted a little better but it was still okay and it had a great creamy thick texture.

I will sure to be back and buy more old school treats which takes me back to my primary school days.When was the last time you had a bite of a vanilla slice where it didn’t crumble/break/squirt out the sides? Never? Same here but check out my first forkful of the French vanilla slice from Erindale Cakery Bakery.When was the last time you had a delicious bakery treat and where was it from?

Venue: Erindale Cakery Bakery

Address: Erindale Shopping Centre, 68 Comrie St, Wanniassa ACT 2093

Phone: (02) 6231 2510

Opening hours:

Monday -Friday 7:00am – 20:00pm

Saturday – Sunday 7:00am – 18:00pm

Disappointment and lies

I had heard whispers that there was going to be another dumpling restaurant opening in the south side area and they were confirmed when Mouthless Mutters went to Schnitzel Haus next door.

I went there two Saturdays ago to check the area out myself but all I could see was a big red sign which said that Shanghai Dumpling King were going to be open by mid January even though there was no sign of opening yet.

The other thing that I noticed was that their name was very similar to Shanghai Dumpling Cafe, which is one of the few establishments that have made it onto my ‘will not return’ list. I hope they are not associated with each other and I’ll be keen to see if their dumplings and food are any good.

Punjabi hut – rerun

——-31/01/2012——-

As I’ve mentioned before, Punjabi hut has very delicious food and accommodating to vegetarians and therefore was the perfect place for birthday celebrations. We were a large table and people had their favourite dishes so we decided to go samosas, 6 dishes with sides and double of everything!

Vegetarian samosas– delicious and the sauces compliment them very well.

Pappadums, rice and garlic naan.

Sabzi korma– seasonal vegetables cooked in cashew nut gravy and spices ($15.50)

Beef korma– A mild dish prepared with grounded cashew nuts and creamy sauce ($15.50). Delicious and tender, although maybe not as tender as when I had it @ the Queanbeyan restaurant.

Dal Handi– yellow lentils cooked with chillies, coriander, onions and tomatoes ($14.50)  Not the best yellow lentils I’ve eaten but I didn’t come here for lentils.

Malai kofta- fresh cheese and potato dumplings simmered in rich creamy sauce ($15.50) One of the most highly anticipated dishes of the night. Timmy’s cousin had talked it up (big fans of the restaurant) and said it was just as good as the butter chicken if not better- is that possible?! Yes it is! The dumplings went fast but I was even content with just the sauce. Definitely one to order! 

A closer look at the Malai koftadumpling.

Palak paneer spinach and potatoes cooked in traditional style ($15.50)

And of course butter chicken. Delicious as always and I still hold onto my claim that it is the most delicious butter chicken I’ve had. It does disappear fast though, lucky we ordered two. 

——-04/04/2012——-

So yes, I came here again before I even posted about it the second time. This time there were only four of us but we might have eaten the same amount of food as when I came with 14 people!  This time we got the banquet because some of us claimed we were hungry but I can assure you, we were quite content by the time we left.

Punjabi Hut Banquet $32.50/ Per Person (only for 4 or more people)

Mixed Entree Platter Samosa, veggie cutlet, chicken tikka and rum kebabs< that’s right one of everything for each person, no sharing except for the sauces.

Choose any Chicken Curry > of course we chose butter chicken

Choose any Lamb Curry > lamb rogan josh

Choose any Beef Curry > beef korma

Choose any Vegetables Curry > malai kofta (if we learnt anything from the previous  dining experience it was order this dish every time you come here)

Naan/Garlic Naan, rice and pappadams

Side Dish Platter– Raita, Kachumber Salad, Pickle, Mango Chutney

Dessert – Gulab Jamun or Mango Kulfi

I know it sounds like a lot (and the end of the meal it sure did feel like it) but while we were ordering it didn’t seem like that much.

Mango lassi – Punjabi style mango yoghurt smoothie ($4.50) Not included in the banquet and maybe not recommended with the banquet as it is filling enough. It also didn’t taste all that mango-ey.

I really enjoyed the entrees although I do understand the look of some of them might be off putting to some. Definitely the thing to order to experience a variety of entrees.

Sides, rice and naan.

The clear favourites of the night were butter chicken and malai kofta. The beef korma was disappointing and the meat was really tough and although the lamb rogan josh was a bit more tender, it could not compete against the butter chicken and malai kofta. I talked up the butter chicken (a lot) so the pressure was on, but my friends agreed it was pretty darn good.

Malai kofta dumpling

The gulab jamuns have it, the better dessert, warmed and delicious. My friend was skeptical at first with the look of it but in the end she even polished off the syrup. Don’t judge a dessert but it’s cover. 

Still the same friendly and attentive staff every time I come here (and the Queanbeyan restaurant). The banquet is a pretty good deal considering you get a pretty big say in what you get etc, the variety, and a set price for all the dishes that come in the same size as if you were ordering them individually.

Although it is very creamy and rich, butter chicken and malai kofta are my favourite choices. The beef and lamb dishes can vary in tenderness so it is a riskier choice but whatever you choose, I do recommend leaving room to try the gulab jamun or a punjabi malai kulfi for dessert!

Venue: Punjabi Hut

Address: Erindale Shop 3B/38 Gartside St, Waniassa, ACT 2903

Phone: (02) 6296 1088

Opening hours: Dinner 7 nights (5:00pm – 10:00pm) > other locations are open for lunch

Entertainment book: Yes a there is a tear out voucher

Website: http://www.punjabihut.com.au

They have now opened a third location in Manuka!