Eat Like Ushi

Even with the expansion of the Foreshore, I must admit there aren't that many exciting places to eat for dinner. Morks is great, the traditional Thai places are ok, the Chinese places I have never seen anyone inside, C Dine is ok but expensive and then there are the pubs. Meat & Wine is yet to open and will be a big event. Up until that point, there's Molto. I didn't know anything about it but it was the only place at 9pm on a Thursday night that was open and serving and looked like a good feed.

I'd heard the bistecca Fiorentina is a specialty (although I found it in Florence to be huge but not that impressive), but maybe next time if I'm with a bunch of carnivores.

- Millefoglie (eggplant & buffalo mozzarella with basil oil & salted ricotta) $17 - an excellent stack of grilled vegetables that reminded me of how good Remy's ratatouille must have been;
- Special of Spaghetti (cooked in a cheese and butter sauce, topped with a quail egg and slices of black truffle) - it reminds me of tajarin al tartufo blanco I had in Alba (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/osteria-dei-sognatori-alba-11-2012), albeit with cheese and a different truffle. The truffle had a mild but distinct flavour, better than my previous year's experience of the local Canberra black truffle. The cheese and butter sauce was thick and congealed on the plate quickly. It didn't look so appetising at that point but still tasted good;
- Special of Suckling Lamb (with slaw & apple sauce) - this was a beautiful piece of meat that simply tasted like quality lamb. What was more impressive was the crisp thin coating of skin that crackled around my teeth and was rich with flavour. Delicious.

The food is good, the setting is nice and the staff on this evening were very friendly. Not a bad addition to the Foreshore.

I had to take advantage of a short visit to Canberra to visit my old favourite cafe (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/local-press-canberra-12-2015). It's a close call between Local Press and Cupping Room, but the convenient location of Local Press during the daytime makes it easier. The foreshore has opened up a whole new section but I doubt anywhere will be challenging for the brunch mantle in the area soon.

I wonder if the management has changed - I don't recognise any of the staff there currently. And the usual staple of the Green Breaky Plate no longer exists. Maybe just a sign of progression. What hasn't changed is the beautiful colours and presentation, not only of the food but the loosely nautical themed decor.

- LP's Fried Rice (with black & brown rice, brussel sprouts, cavolo nero, purple potato, avo, egg, cashew cream & pumpkin seeds) $22 - if Vegie Bar created a modern fried rice that had no ties to Asia, then this could be it. Although they probably wouldn't do it as well (and wouldn't charge as much). Overall it was a nice savoury flavour with firm rice and a multitude of textures and flavours, not the least some charred brussel sprouts;
- Wild Mushrooms (sauteed in garlic, thyme & sage oil with fried chestnuts, Meredith Chevre, seasonal greens & a poached egg on artisan sourdough) $19 - I happened to order this with kale & almonds (paying homage to the kale in the Green Breaky Plate for an extra $3.5 although they definitely forgot the almonds) and they also gave me feta (extra $2) which I didn't order. The feta in particular wasn't needed as the chevre smeared on the sourdough added a lovely rich tangy flavour, soaking in the oil and mushroom juices. The kale was also very nice and do think without it the dish would have been a bit plain. I'm not sure I found any fried chestnuts either...

The flavours and presentation are still great although there were a few possible mishaps in my mushroom dish. Nonetheless it is still an (expensive &) excellent place for breakfast topped off by soy chai in a large teapot with sweater or a vibrant mango & carrot smoothie.

I'll be honest and say that going to Urban Pantry in the final weeks wasn't on my agenda. I really wanted to go to X.O to eat their ribs, but unfortunately they were closed for the holiday period and coincidentally the owner Ken was there finalising their Chinese New Year menu.

So the predicament for Wednesday dining came around. It had been a quite exhausting few days and so going to Braddon seemed too much effort. I remember 3 separate occasions of trying to go to Urban Pantry and always realising it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Since then they'd also closed down, renovated and re-opened and friends had been for brunch commenting how nice it was overall. It seemed an easy decision.

Seating was easy even though a reasonably large 21st birthday was happening outside.

- Tasmanian Rock Oysters natural $3.5 each - since I was going to Hobart a few days later this was appropriate. They were small and fine but nowhere near the quality of the ones eaten a few days later;
- Duck Pappardelle (wild mushroom ragout, baked lemon ricotta, pistachio crumble) $32 - quite a subtle sauce with nicely cooked pasta and thick shreds of duck;
- Seafood Lasagna (sand lobster, Crystal Bay prawns, barramundi, crustacea butter, saffron, concasse tomato) $32 - a beautifully presented dish although to be honest I expected something that closer resembled a classic lasagna. The flavours were also much milder than expected with bits of seafood amongst soft (should it be al dente?) pasta;
- Caprese (heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, cucumber ribbons, buffalo mozzarella, EVOO, red wine vinegar) $14 - a simple fresh salad for contrast.

Overall I was a little disappointed. My dining partner on the other hand thought the food was excellent. It could be because I tend to like powerful flavours. The dishes are quite expensive, but with a 2-for-1 main offer from the Entertainment Book, it comes right down. I would go back (with the voucher) but now that I don't live in Canberra anymore, there are places I like more to go preferentially.

I'll have to remind myself to take a photo of the menu for ONA next time, being one of the few places I haven't done this and not having an online menu available.

During the intense few days of packing up and moving, there were several trips to the Salvo's required. Although not the same part of Fyshwick, going to ONA made sense to our drained brains. I distinctly remember the surprisingly outstanding breakfast there on my first visit (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/ona-coffee-house-canberra-03-2014) and a still good but not so memorable visit mid-2015. The last Canberra brunch hurrah would include Local Press and The Cupping Room and so ONA would complete the golden trifecta.

The shakes (and also coffee from what I hear) aren't as good as in their sister The Cupping Room but the shake was adequate this day. A thickish chocolate milk with cream and toasted almonds.

- Smoked cod, kimchi eggs, slaw and flat bread - strong varying flavours served with a thin bread rather than the standard sourdough;
- Pork belly roti, poached eggs, potato salad - beautiful pork with a thin roti (I do like it thicker generally) and eggs that seemed poached then fried (haven't seen that before).

A very good meal overall bringing them back into my Canberra brunch stratosphere. Though I think I overall prefer LP and TCR overall (and they are more convenient locations).

There was a brief period in late 2014 I was partially addicted to the chips from Kingston's Chicken Gourmet, which are served insanely hot, crispy fresh and smothered in fluorescent chicken salt. It seemed to be around the late AFL season and finals period where my standard halftime ritual would be to walk and get some chips to ease the tension.

After reading online about Kingsley's having the best chips in Canberra and an outlet in Woden, I tried several times to find it, eventually realising it must have closed down in the foodcourt and not that I was blind. Eventually my affair with Chicken Gourmet ended after a few substandard burgers (even with the 2-for-1 entertainment book discount).

Many months later I saw the ad for Kingsley's about to (re-)open in Woden. Conveniently this was located in the fresh food market area which I often frequented. One November lunch, I decided to succumb and try. What can I say - the burger chicken was reasonable but the dry white bun and other ingredients remind me why I don't particularly eat KFC burgers or Hungry Jacks anymore (and not for years). My burger and bread standards have changed. The fried chicken was nice and better than Chicken Gourmet's equivalent, but below KFC and my memories of Whitechapel's Royal PFC. The chips are crinkle and well cooked with unnecessary thick gravy. Interestingly they don't have chicken salt available.

I think I'm too old for this type of food anymore. Maybe I'll only just settle for the chips next time.

(The Woden zomato is delisted, so I'll have to settle for this one.)

After a long late night out, lunch at Grazing started with a sobering 30km drive from Canberra. The scenery was peaceful with not many cars on the road. A brief walk down the main road at Gundaroo didn't reveal much and so perhaps the restaurant is really the only thing to specifically come here for.

The setting is an a quaint corner house and the menu is seasonal.

- Layered scallop mousse with squid ink pasta, heirloom tomato and micro basil $17 - a beautifully presented dish with intense black and mildly ink-flavoured soft pasta and a lovely distinctive scallop gel;
- Deboned quail with black pudding, roasted pear and parsley root puree $17 - impeccable meat enjoying quail without having to pull it from the bones. The black pudding sauce was potent and rich and excellent;
- Saltwater Barramundi with butter poached prawns, white cabbage, fennel and red wine reduction $33 - perfectly cooked fish, nice crisp skin, well seasoned;
- Pork belly with loin - soft tender meat, quite nice overall, but perhaps overshadowed by my recent memories of the quail;
- Roast pineapple pavlova with sticky meringue, coconut curd and passion fruit gelée $17 - very sweet flavours, perhaps a little too much for me, but nice.

Overall an outstanding meal with exceptional skill and ingredients. I don't know if I'll ever be back in the area but if I am it'll be an easy stop.

I remember they promoted wholefoods and all things good for you. I also vaguely remember the last (and only other) time I was there over 1.5 years ago they sold quite a few products on the benches which were now gone.

I ended up at Maple & Clove more by coincidence, with the final nights in Canberra being spent at the lovely 5* Hotel Realm whilst the apartment was being cleaned. It's a nice area with the patrons tending to be business people and the standard mothers with prams.

Choc almond smoothie (almond milk, dates, banana, activated almonds, coffee & cocoa) $9 kicked things off. The dates didn't make the drink overly sweet and there was a nice blend of flavours and grainy texture. I do wonder if activating nuts makes a discernible difference to either taste or health benefits.

- Maple Whole Waffle (wholemeal spelt, zucchini & sweet corn waffles served with smoked King salmon, confit tomato & slow cooked egg) $20 - an interesting waffle that was certainly different to usual. It had a strong corn flavour which I always enjoy;
- Sweet potato hashbrown (with gypsy ham, scrambled egg, dukkah, rocket & mint) $18 - I can't resist a good hashing of potatoes. This one was fine but nothing that particularly excited me.

It's a small menu and I do prefer other cafes in Canberra so this was more a meal of convenience than anything else.

The meals seemed a little small compared to the standard (or maybe I'm just greedy). Wholefoods are always more expensive I suppose but the quality is meant to be better? Maybe I'm just reminded of Wholefoods in NYC and London which was always a nice place to wander through and dream of spending that much on groceries...

After living in Canberra for 2 years I could finally realise the quality of some of the local products. There are the truffles, the wine, the bacon and (even though I don't think it) the coffee. The owner of ONA (and thus Cupping Room) was awarded the best barista in the world. Quite an accolade especially when you think about all the coffee wank in Melbourne. Not only this, I had heard the same guy submitted his coffee bean to some kind of international judging panel and won that too. The world's best barista using the world's best beans? That's going to be pretty hard to beat.

Even though I'm sure the super barista himself rather (if ever) served mortals his coffee, I'd always been told the coffee at Cupping Room was by far the best in town. Considering it was also the same place that created my ever favourite cherry chocolate coconut king shake, it was an appropriate final brunch before leaving town (forever...)

- Smashed avocado, two poached eggs, tomato & olive salsa, whipped goats cheese & rye sourdough toast  with Pialligo Estate bacon $25 - I don't like reading the words "smashed avocado" anymore however when it comes with Australia's best bacon it becomes a necessary evil. I didn't get a chance to get back to Pialligo Estate to pickup some dry cured and smoked bacon so had to make do with this. And it was extraordinary - salty, strong, crisp and made of dreams. The eggs were well cooked, avocado and cheese combined well and tomato & basil completed the meal with sourdough. Outstanding;
- Cured salmon, a soft boiled egg, wasabi pickled daikon, pear & ginger gel, enori, radish, green tea aioli & rye sourdough toast $20 - there's a LOT of salmon on the dish and only a small amount of bread. It was a beautifully presented dish and equally satisfying.

My favourite shake hasn't made a return as it was part of the previous year's summer menu, so many again in a few months time. In the meantime there's the pistachio & chamomile which is nearly as incredible. I like pistachios, especially as gelato, so that was an easy choice. The chamomile flowers added an extra flavour and texture element which was unexpected and great similar to a sweet chewy popcorn. I'd tried the dark chocolate and honeycomb version a couple of months earlier also which was ok but only a poor cousin to the cherry version.

The menu is full of things I'd want to try - what is compressed watermelon? Octopus and squid ink salad, roasted pork belly or the mythical huevos bollo roll with Pialligo Estate bacon...

It was a fitting farewell to a city that has surpassed my culinary expectations.

(I also decided to upload a picture of a chickpea salad with kataifi egg and flatbread from the meal a couple of months earlier just because it looks nice.)

Whilst waiting for my car to be serviced, I noticed conveniently the location of nearby Goodberry's. I hadn't been there before but a friend had been raving about the incredible frozen custards they served and how it was a must try before leaving Canberra.

Noticing them in the Entertainment Book, I proceeded to order two of them. All for myself.

I ordered chocolate custard with cheesecake and also vanilla custard with cookie dough.

Sure it was a hot day but there was no way a non-sweet tooth like myself could (just after lunch at Malaysian Chapter especially) finish two let alone one. It was sugar overload. It was an unfortunate day for wastage but at least I've tried it and know that I really just prefer good quality gelato (eg. Frugii) with no additives. I think the days of Cold Rock or concretes from Shake Shack and the such are behind me. Part of growing older...

It's cheap, it looks like a diner and it's open every day in an area that at least has decent parking during the evenings. What more could you ask for? There is flavour (which I'm sure is partially assisted by MSG), lots to pick from, and takeaway containers when you aren't able to finish the meal.

On this occasion I had the Mapo tofu on rice, spicy eggplant with noodles, Shanghai fried pork dumplings and steamed vegetarian dumplings. Enjoy them with vinegar and chilli sauce and you'll be satisfied.

The food isn't as good or flavoursome as Red Chilli Sichuan, but that's another meal in another setting for another price tier.