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.