Eat Like Ushi

I've finally left Canberra. Living in Kingston, the easiest and most accessible quick meal (which also served as an indulgence) was Brodburger. Wednesday even turned into The Bachelor and Brodburger night for a while. The mobile ordering app that saved the 30-40min wait there and allowed a timed pickup then the option to sit or takeaway was a God-send to many.

In the 2 years spent in Canberra, I've enjoyed Brod more than any other in town. There were multiple in 2014 (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/brodburger-canberra-2014) and certainly many more in 2015 including once at Broddogs (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/broddogs-canberra-02-2015). And during the final housemate meal on a Wednesday after we'd all slaved away packing our lives for removalists and bursting cars, it seemed a fitting end.

I've enjoyed 4 things particularly at Brodburger and have never been able to stray.

1) The easiest to discuss is the fries. $2.50 for good side serving is great value. Although they look like McDonald's, they are crisper and hotter (make sure you ask for fresh fries if they've been sitting in the bag and soft when you receive them) and less salty but enough seasoning such that they taste similar to the tears of enjoyment of the meal;

2) Brodburger - the simplest burger is the one I ordered 90% of the time. I used to ask for rare (instead of the default medium rare) but I don't think it made a difference and the burger was always enjoyable. A thickish good quality patty and an overall complimentary set of ingredients;

3) Brodveg - I'm not joking when I say there has never been a better vegetarian burger anywhere. The intense salty halloumi, the grilled eggplant, the tangy capsicum and there's more. I always took a few bites of someone elses so got lucky and didn't have to order it myself;

4) Brings me to the mother - Brodveg with beef patty (pictured). A friend suggested this one day and it combines the greatness of 2 and 3 together. Keep in mind, a full size one of these is huge and almost akin to the ridiculous size of Broddeluxe (which I wouldn't advise due to the size and to me disproportionate ingredients) and so a Baby Brodveg with patty might be the way to go.

I'll be thinking of you Brod. Thanks for the memories.

After 4 years away I was finally returning to Melbourne. Whereas I'd previously lived in Abbotsford, my new haunt was going to be Footscray. In the midst of December summer heat and the tedium of rental hunting, I was glad there was a reputed burger joint in the area. Considering the burger craze of everywhere 1st world, it wasn't surprising someone had brought it to the western market.

What I like is the nerdy-geeky old school gaming feel. There's even an arcade machine in the corner (that may be decorative - I didn't get close enough to look). What I also like is the open kitchen, watching the staff hard at work cooking and assembling and also mildly concerned (or amused) at the pool of black grease hanging off the ceiling...

- 8bit with Cheese (beef, tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickles, mustard, cheese, ketchup, 8bit sauce) $9.50 - I had to try the namesake standard burger for a comparator. It was quite nice however to me the patty was too thin. Considering they advertised medium-rare (did they advertise this or was I just hoping/expecting this?), it was too cooked for my liking and I can see with a thin patty how easy this is to do;
- 1 Up Mushroom Burger (crumbed mushroom, cheese, tomato, red onion, green tomato relish, lettuce, mustard, 8bit sauce) $10.00 - the vegetarian burger offering had a lot to live up to considering the incredible BrodVeg (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/brodburger-canberra-2014). There's no way it could've compared given the ingredients (essentially the same as the beef burgers but with mushroom) but having said that the burger overall was good quality and tasty;
- Chilli Cheese Fries (beer battered fries, chilli beef, cheese sauce, jalapenos, spring onions) $8.50 - ever since MEATliquor (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/meatliquor-london-03-2012) Chili Fries I've had to order these every opportunity I get. Good on 8bit for an offering. I haven't found one that gives me the same feeling, including using the one from the MEATliquor Chronicles cookbook, but 8bit had a good solid attempt with a strong cheese sauce. It's not a replacement but for now it'll definitely do.

I'll be back, not just because I'm now going to be local, but because I want to.

Next time I would order the After Burner (beef with chilli) or Golden Axe (fried chicken) burgers, the Fatal Fury hotdog (topped with chilli beef reminiscent of my best ever dog at MEATmarket), chilli cheese fries or the excessive looking Loaded fries, and wash it down with an unhealthy sounding Strawberry Cheesecake milkshake.

02-2016

I decided to have a second run at 8bit after wandering through Footscray deciding what pho I should have.

After re-reading my earlier post, I settled on the After Burner and the Loaded fries.

After Burner $10.50 was definitely a more enjoyable burger for me than the 8bit. The brioche bun was particularly soft with crunchy edges on the flat side adding nice texture. The beef was once again thin and more cooked than the advertised medium rare. The collation of tomato, red onion, lettuce, jalapeno and the fused sauces of chilli, chipotle and mustard worked well. I think the cheese made it too much for me and toward the end it was the dominant flavour.

Loaded Fries $10 was excessive. The first few bites were great, of potato gems with crispy salty coatings, chilli beef, cheese sauce, salty bacon and some pickles, cucumber, jalapenos and onions for contrast. Toward the end, the saltiness of the gems and bacon and cheese got too much for me and I couldn't finish it (I suppose it wouldn't be expected for one person to finish an entire serve though). I think the gems were nicer than the fries from last my visit, but I'd have to think hard whether it would be worth ordering the Loaded over Chilli Fries just for that.

After all the saltiness as I stood to leave I asked for a cup of tap water. It was refused and I was told "we don't serve tap water". I'm expected to buy a bottle of water or another drink? Sorry, but that's crap.

06-2016

I couldn't decide what to eat for a birthday lunch. Of all things, I looked to the internet and various "what is my favourite food" surveys and their incredible inaccuracy and bias toward food types of the commoners. Not that common foods are bad, but I doubt these surveys were designed with the connoisseur of any food in mind.

Nonetheless with an indecisive mind and no other guidance, the three common themes were fried chicken, burgers and 40% junk food (which really isn't that much). I decided a fat treat of 8bit seemed to fit.

The Golden Axe burger has a thick fried chicken patty a bit of slaw and some token cheese. The chicken had decent texture and some crisp coating but the flavour seemed very mild and didn't really have a strong "chicken" presence. What stood out the most was an intense slightly buttery flavour from the bun and possibly the chicken, as well as some kind of burnt sensation from the chicken coat. The butter taste was much too strong for me and I'm surprised how it even got there at high levels.

The potato gems reinforced themselves as delicious salted parts ruffled to maximise fried surface area, crisp and good. Even the small serve was too much for me to finish on my own but that doesn't detract from how good they are.

I'll stick to the After Burner burger (with or without cheese) and some gems (loaded or naked) to share from now on. The dog does intrigue me still so perhaps give that a go.

I've been craving good Japanese food for a while. I wax and wane between this - after 6 trips there, I sometimes find it difficult to justify the price difference here and there, particularly for quality sashimi/nigiri. Considering you can almost get a return flight to Tokyo now for close to the same price as a Melbourne omakase menu makes it even more likely I might shun the local places in preference for those overseas. Canberra seriously lacks any kind of good traditional-type Japanese restaurant. Lilotang has outstanding food and Akiba has more comforting bar food, but neither have the same kind of elegance nor classic feel to them which I have missed.

After a quick read through the chef hats and reviews (and because Minamishima as the other competitor wasn't open), I ended up at Kappo for the celebratory meal between Christmas and New Year. The menu is intriguing - essentially an omakase of varying numbers of courses (naturally I selected the odoroki 9 course for $150 per head) and a listing of the ingredients that would feature (in order to remove ones that don't sit with you).

There's some autonomy in selecting your chopsticks from the presentation case and similarly sake sets to drink Okuharima from. Then comes the food, bit by bit...

- Miso tofu with daikon yuzu;
- Coffin Bay oyster with caviar (very creamy with a hint of tartness), vegetables with a delicious walnut satay sauce, fig with puffed rice, deep-fried juicy quail;
- Buckwheat tofu, dashi, ginger & daikon - umami soup and my first experience with the lovely buckwheat tofu;
- The Ocean - lobster, salmon, scallop, salmon roe, black rice, seaweed, sea grapes served separately then mixed together;
- Mustard leaves, kaki tempura, balsamic reduction
- Nigiri course - Toro with black garlic, King George whiting with ginger, Tasmanian salmon with daikon & chilli;
- Chawanmushi - sweet corn, crunchy "par" (?) meat which was some kind of delicious mollusc (texture reminds me of what they call arkshell in Japan but with a clam flavour). An outstanding combination;
- Puff rice tempura, scampi, zucchini flower topped with this incredible creation of wasabi ice;
- Wagyu sirloin with black salt, hoisin, peppers & sour peach
- Ume rice tsukemono

Desserts
- Yuzu & honey sorbet;
- Chocolate cigar, Japanese donut, apricot jelly with azuki beans;
- Creme brulee.

Roasted green tea was served to finish off the evening. An exceptional meal with modern twists on the traditional kaiseki. Yes, it is quite expensive. I can't wait to return to Japan.

Looking back now, it does strike me as slightly inconsistent that this place is rated TA 4.5/5 and FB 4.7/5 but on Zomato 2.9/5. There's always expected to be some discrepancy and I tend to opt for the Zomato ratings more (even though I don't quite understand how they are calculated sometimes since the change from Urbanspoon).

Anyway the travel companions were TA enthusiasts and to be fair I thought the name of the place showed some promise.

After a 4-day hike to Frenchman's Cap which included battering of my knees, most foods would've gone down quite well. For a cafe, the menu is rather limited. Pies, toasties and burgers with really not much other offerings that the word cafe springs into my mind (sure I've been coloured by the cafes in Melbourne, Canberra and even Hobart just prior).

Pies can be served with a few different options. Being calorie-unconscious, I selected the Mountaineer. The pies that day were limited to only plain beef and beef with onion unfortunately. My beef with onion pie came topped with rasher bacon and thick cheese sauce and served with reasonable sweet potato fries. The pie was quite average with all mince and no chunks of meat that I much prefer.

The Wombat toastie had eggplant, roast capsicum, semi dried tomato, rocket, feta, pesto and basil and topped with a couple of onion rings. I've been spoilt by cafe breads and sourdoughs and so white loaf seemed a bit of a letdown. But the ingredients inside were a nice typical vegetable combination.

Next time I'd probably look harder (and myself) to see what other options are around. If I ended up here again I'd certainly opt for the burger and see how that goes down.

On Christmas morning I was surprised so many cafes and restaurants remained open. When I say so many, that really wasn't many at all, but given the day I expected almost complete shutdown. After a night of excessive ham and celebratory meats, the mood was for vegetarian to give much needed assistance to digestion.

Vegie Bar was an obvious choice, however after arriving to a queue both inside and outside, it seemed more prudent to search elsewhere. Long on my list is Yong Green Food but they were doing the expected thing and having a holiday on the holiday. After a short walk, Radhey appeared with its self-promotion of chai and all things natural. The queue included some real hippie types (not hipsters) with the unusually placed piercings, colourful clothes and headwear.

- A lunch plate of Thai vegetable curry with roti (roti was more like a chapati, mild curry), sweet potato shepherd's pie (sweet potato mash and lentil base), arancini ball (fresh fried and delicious rice middle);
- Tandoori tofu wrap (pan-seared marinated tofu & salad in a toasted spinach flatbread with homemade tandoori mayo) $12
- Raw brownie - delicious, not too sweet, base of dates and topped with thick chocolate and walnut.

The soy chai and iced soy chai were both delicious, well spiced with good notes of ginger. I'll happily come back here even when there are other vegetarian options nearby.

After some exhausting Boxing Day shopping and traversing the thousands that had descended into the city, lunch was much needed. Unfortunately Mugen was closed and meant a planned cross city walk to Ikkoryu for ramen. However enroute a very "Melbourne" laneway appeared and my eye was caught by a sign - "Shandong Mama Mini". I had heard rave reviews about the dumplings but had never made it there. This seemed a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the previous (mis)fortune. There was only one other person eating here in the middle of lunchtime and so I didn't have to experience this new fad of queuing.

Black soy milk was something I'd only previously tried at Seoul Soul. The Korean version seems a bit stronger in flavour and more preferred by me. The sauces were standard soy and vinegar, homemade chilli oil (which I bought some as a KK gift) and the garlic chilli sauce that comes with Mackerel Fish dumplings (which is an exceptional sauce of chilli, vinegar and heavy garlic).

- Mackerel Fish dumplings (fresh fillet mixed with coriander, ginger & chives into a mousse-texture filling) $12.8 for 7 - delicious roll-shaped dumplings with a great textural contrast of soft mousse filling, chewy top and crisp fried bottom;
- Little Rachel Seafood dumplings (prawn, calamari, salmon, chives, cabbage & sesame oil) $10.8 for 7 - nice dumplings with the salmon standing out more than the prawn or calamari;
- Stewed Beef Shank Bun (with coriander, peanuts & toasted sesame) $4.8 - beef was soft and seemed braised in masterstock. The bun itself wasn't the best as it seemed a little firm and not that soft and bouncy;
- Wasabi spinach salad $8.5 - blanched leaves and stems mixed through with a small hit of wasabi. A little expensive but if you want a vegetable dish this is a decent option.

I can see why the Mackerel Fish dumplings are the most well known here. I can also see why the chilli garlic sauce is so strongly advertised in the menu. Both are exceptional. I'll come back again for those, to try other varieties of dumplings, the pork belly bun (just to see how the pork compares with all the rest) and fried chicken wings. Without having looked yet, I wonder how much extra variety the mothership has?

I had an afternoon wedding on in the lovely wine region of Coldstream on Melbourne Cup weekend Sunday. The location lent itself to a nice relaxing lunch in the area just before the rains hit down with spiteful vengeance.

Luckily I was told to visit Innocent Bystander, to take advantage of the free tastings (including a delicious "real" apple cider that I took home, a moscato and a little vermouth) and the excellent woodfired pizza (spicy pork sausage, buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomato + chilli $25).

The food and drinks are excellent and the venue buzzes some excitement and atmosphere. It's a great place to visit.

On a hot Braddon evening, it seemed most apt to head to Frugii for dessert. The heat of the weather and also from the mild chillies from Mandalay Bus were still fresh and a cooling finale was sought.

The icecream and gelato flavours were varied but it seemed difficult to go back the great 2-flavour combination of dark chocolate and cherry. I've spent a bit of time at home trying to recreate the dark chocolate cherry king shake that used to be on the winter menu at Cupping Room and so this was an easy choice. The dark chocolate was smooth and sweet, similar to a 65% block. The cherry had moderate flavour and complemented well. Of course the gin & tonic, lychee and espresso flavours also appealed but you have to can't have them all (well I can't at least)

Additionally they were advertising some alcoholic dessert pops and the dark chocolate one had an unsweet, mildly bitter cocoa dryness, similar to eating 80-85% dark chocolate. I didn't mind it, but I can see lesser chocolate people (ie. those who prefer white or milk) wouldn't like this at all.

I've seen Frugii being sold by the tub at Essential Ingredient in Kingston. I'll have to grab a tub before I leave.

I had about 5 hours to spend in Belconnen whilst getting my car serviced. It was lucky that between my resting spot in the Westfield foodcourt (with free wifi) and the car service centre was Malaysian Chapter (which I'd heard first from the new Entertainment Book voucher a little while ago) and Goodberry's (which a friend insisted I try).

After a few hours of draining my laptop battery it was time for lunch. The humid 37C heat didn't make curry the obvious choice for lunch, but I was already committed. I couldn't decide between typical Malaysian noodles (ie. laksa) or roti. I saw the staff appeared Malaysian Indian rather than Malaysian Chinese so decided to go down the curry pathway.

- Roti chanai with lentil curry $3 - mildly flakey and a bit chewy but overall felt a little underwhelming. I prefer my roti wispy and light but buttery;
- Nasi lemak with beef curry (fragrant coconut rice served with sambal, peanuts, crispy anchovies, cucumber and hard boiled egg) $13.5 - I was hoping the beef curry was going to be rendang (as in the full menu) but was a more standard curry. The ingredients were all reasonable and made for an adequate meal.

If I'm ever back up on the north side at meal time, I'd opt to try their versions of noodles (laksa or mamak mee goreng) or beef rendang. I don't think I'd order from the lunch menu next time.

As my time living in Canberra comes to a close, there's a short list of food places to tick off. Pod Food had been on for 1.5 years and my last foreseeable Canberra weekend seemed like the best time to go. Additionally I wanted to go to Pialligo Estate for the first time and hopefully pick up some smoked goods to bring to Melbourne for Christmas.

In a cosy 38C heat, the air conditioning inside Pod Food was welcome. Nonetheless the other diners sitting on the deck protected from the direct sun all seemed to be having a comfortable enough time soothing their sweat with wine.

- Cranberry & pistachio stuffed chicken, beetroot, parsley cream - beautifully tender with some marginal pink (which is fine to eat) chicken with a sweet and textured filling;
- Kimchi pork hock, soft egg, togarashi popcorn - couldn't detect kimchi but the pork hock had outstanding strong flavour and the corn 3-ways (juicy cob, strong puree, salty popcorn) had good flavour and texture combinations;
- Ricotta zucchini blossom, pumpkin risotto, fennel chutney, pepitas - one very large zucchini flower with risotto and herbs;
- Harissa spatchcock, labneh, honey carrots, moghrabieh - well seasoned and cooked protein with spiced yoghurt sauce and Israeli couscous;
- Pod garden leaves, walnut, pear, local cow curd;
- Coconut parfait, cured pineapple, burnt butter crumb, mango - fruit pieces with coconut icecream essentially;
- Poached pear, yoghurt mousse, oat & almond crumb, parsley icecream - the green dollop had an intense parsley flavour. Quite different and interesting;
- Mandarin & almond cake, ginger crumb, Pialligo apricot, creme fraiche, icecream - the cake absorbed the Japanese mikan juice and turned into a moistened delight. Soaked apricot appealed to me more than the fresh. The icecream wasn't lasting very long in the heat.

The food quality and dining setting are excellent. I'd have no trouble deciding whether to return or not. Lunch is a little cheaper than dinner for the same menu, and you can enjoy the surrounding greenery much more. There's also a 25% discount voucher in the Entertainment Book which improves the value somewhat.