Lunch at The District

For those who know me know I’m really indecisive, especially when it comes to food. I have FOMO, I don’t want to have food regrets and I also don’t want to be that table that orders 5 of the same thing. So going to The District out in Crace was no different and possibly even worse as I always crave a steak AND a schnitzel at the same time when in a pub style cafe.

 

As it turns out, it didn’t matter what I ordered everything was delicious at The District! Between the three of us we ordered two burgers and I opted for the ‘weekday lunch special’ of a Porterhouse steak at the very last minute (I changed my mind at the counter after deliberating at the table for at least 15 minutes on what to order). My friends were sweet enough to share a part of their lunch and I would have happily ordered any of them.

Burgers from the main menu ~all burgers served with beer battered fries

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Burger with bacon, cheese, baby cos & sweet chilli mayo ($22.00). When you feel like a schnitzel or a burger this would be the winning combination and I almost ordered this before I realised I really want beef. It is all my favourite things on a burger and the chicken itself was really moist despite the thicker cut.

My friend helping me get a cross section photo of her lunch before I let her eat it, hahahaha.

American Cheese Burger with 180g beef patty, bacon, sliced pickle,ketchup and American mustard ($22.00). I’m not one for pickles but when my friend said that it really makes it, I couldn’t help but agree. It was a nice juicy patty and definitely hit the spot if you were after a beefy meaty burger.

Weekday special~ a choice of chicken schnitzel, calamari or a Porterhouse steak all served with chips, salad and a beer/wine ($20.00). I exchanged my alcoholic beverage for a lemon lime bitters and thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. The steak was surprising really juicy and easy to cut (I’ve come across many chewy, gristle filled steaks in my time). I ordered my steak with a diane sauce and I’ve never had a more delicious sauce with my steak. It became our communal dipping sauce for our chips at the table as it was a generous serve and everyone loved it.

There is always a nice relaxed atmosphere at The District and it has always been family friendly. If you’re in the area and you want a nice simple meal without the pretentiousness at hard to park areas, come to Crace. The service is friendly, the warmer weather lets people enjoy the outdoor seating and the food is tasty.

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The District re-run

As my friends and I were planning yet another trip overseas together (when you travel well together, you may as well stick together), an essential part of our planning involves eating dinner first, followed by dessert and then eventually some planning with some random YouTube videos in between. We went to The District because it was close by and we enjoyed our meal there last time.

Margarita pizza with Napolitana sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil ($16.90). A simple pizza topping flavour but it was nice and fresh and I like their pizza base.Champagne chicken risotto with bacon, mushroom and parmesan ($24.90). A rich heavy bowl of cheesy comfort food.Chicken schnitzel with beer battered fries and salad ($18.90). Nothing too fantastic but the gravy that we ordered was ridiculously salty and so we asked for mushroom gravy and they were happy to give us another sauce for free.Specials~

Surf and turf I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce but I didn’t like the dried, shriveled seafood mix that was  placed on top, they should just stick with the big prawns. The steak was a bit tough and dry but I don’t know if it is because Chifley’s has just ruined me for life.Seafood chowder with penne pasta. There was a nice mix of seafood in the chowder and I liked how the sauce had a nice chilli kick to it. I like the family feel of The District and I also like how it is tucked away out in the suburbs, I hope more establishments like this pop up in suburbia shops.

See my previous blog post about The District here.

Human flyer- The Durham

After brunch, shopping and segway tours, we were left with the difficult task to find late lunch on a public holiday as well as during the dead zone (the time between lunch and dinner). We headed to Kingston Green square thinking that something would be opened. Me and Mrs. Jones was our first choice but the kitchen was closed so we just walked around. I remembered that the Durham were doing lunch deals and I thought to myself ‘I wonder if they were opened today?’.

The service was friendly, laid back and food came out pretty promptly.

PubCheese 1/2 pound char-grilled beef patty with pickles, Spanish onions and Cheddar topped with our house-made aioli and tomato relish ($10.00). This has everything that you would want on a burger with a side of crispy hot chips. It is filling and a steal at $10! If you’re thirsty, check out their ‘Special Lunchtime offer’ where you can get certain drinks for an extra $3.Checkout their lunch specials menu for only $10 bucks!Wow, not only had we found somewhere that was open on a public holiday, serving food at a weird time but we got a bargain with the lunch special deal and all without paying a surcharge. Win win!

Sub-urban

——-12/09/2012——-

Some friends and I were meeting up for a casual dinner and we wanted to choose a close location. We decided on Sub-urban and since none of us had eaten on the ‘pub’ side, we decided to try something new.

Trio of dips with grilled pita bread ($13.00) The bread was served warm and the dips tasted nice.

Persian lamb with beetroot, cous cous, baby spinach and pine nuts with mint cumin yoghurt dressing ($23.00)

Rump steak (350g) with chips and salad and mushroom sauce ($28.00)

$15.00 burger and drink special available on Wednesdays.

Pork Ribs basted with smokey bbq sauce and served with handcut chips  (full rack $32.00) I was debating whether to get the steak burger or the ribs, when I asked the waitress which one I should get, she said ‘ribs’ without hesitation.

I didn’t take a photo of the bones that I had suck almost dry, I thoroughly enjoyed the sauce that was basted on the ribs. I particularly liked the ‘hand cut chips’, they were crunchy and well seasoned. People didn’t think I was going to finish the plate but I left pretty much a clean plate (bar some sauce).

The Sub-urban bar menu is slightly different to the restaurant side. Some menu items are better than others but I still think it is slightly over priced for a ‘pub’, having said that, I would still come back and pay $32.00 for those awesome ribs and chips.

Venue: Sub-Urban by Belluci’s

Address: 1 Woolley Street  Dickson ACT 2602

Phone: (02)6257 7788

Belgian beer pub

——-26/04/2012——-

If you’re at the Little Brussels Belgian Beer Cafe on a Thursday night you might be there for the live music or the large range of imported beers with fancy matching glassware, but if you’re like me, you are there for the delicious cheeseballs.

Something to start~

Cheeseballs crumbed and fried with tomato jam ($10.00) OMG! They are soooo good and perfectly matched with the sweet tomato chutney.

So delicious and gooey but I’m sad about only getting 5 on a plate. 

Pork Rillette ($8.00) Toasted Turkish bread, pickled onions, cornichons. Ok confession time, I had no idea what a rillette was, just seeing ‘pork’ in the name was enough. It turns out rillette is like a terrine and this one had pistachios and peppercorns embedded through it. The rillette had a strong ‘meaty’ taste and it was accompanied with a really crunchy bread.

Mains~

Black Angus Rump 300g Belgian frites, salad and beer jus ($28.00) The steak was really good and an extra bonus was that the chips that soaked up the sauce but still kept it’s crunch. My friend had to remind me that the sauce was beer jus but I couldn’t tell.

Roast Confit Pork Belly– Belgian stoemp, sauerkraut and beer jus ($28.00) I found the pork belly disappointing as it was more fatty and chewy than crispy. It sat in a rich stock sauce with vegetables but I preferred the steak.

I would love to come back and try the mussels!

Venue:  Little Brussels Belgian Beer Cafe

Address: 29 Jardine St, Kingston, ACT 2604

Phone: (02) 6260 6511