Eat Like Ushi

The Kingston Foreshore is really starting to heat up. Considering the incredible number of apartments being built that will eventually surround the place, I can only imagine getting some early real estate for food business must be a good long term investment. Up until relatively recently the only pub was Walt & Burley. The food there is extremely average and quite pricey. The drinks are similarly high. Rum Bar serves decent drinks but the food is limited and also expensive.

This made way for The Dock, a sports pub with decent drinks, live music on certain nights and something new to try. For a very short time they were listed in the Entertainment Book but I suppose after realising how much business they got, this was then unnecessary.

The Beez Neez Beer Battered wild caught fresh Australian Barramundi ($25) and Full rack of American Pork Ribs ($46) were really quite expensive but adequate. A few days later I took advantage of their 2-for-1 pizza Mondays (there are also 2-for-1 rib Tuesdays and burger Wednesdays) - a little expensive on their own at $20-24 each but for half price a serious bargain. Sure the weekday atmosphere doesn't quite match the hustling weekend, but you can't have everything.

It's better than Walt & Burley in my mind. Otherwise eat elsewhere on/near the foreshore (eg. Brodburger) and have a drink with company here.

I had seen Vitis Eatery a few times walking through Braddon but only when I saw the incredibly good value deal on Livingsocial did I book in. It was a quiet weeknight with intermittent rain and the casual setting made for a nice dinner. After the initial bread starter (which I'd now recommend not eating much of given the quantity of food that followed), the set menu commenced.

- Batemans Bay Oysters // Champagne Granita & Lime - I still prefer my oysters natural;
- Scallop tartare on toast // Avocado & wasabi
- Caramelised Pork Belly - tender pieces of meat with a thick fat layer on top (which I removed);
- Twice cooked Lamb Ribs // Grain Salad Honey & Garlic yoghurt - a good salad that reminded me of Hellenic Republic's and a fatty rib on top;
- Whole-roasted Quail - a delicious bird well cooked and complemented well by the sweet grapes. My stomach was struggling by this stage but I persevered;
- Italian fried doughnuts - ended up taking some home and couldn't eat them all. Crisp outsides and doughy interiors. A little plain on their own.

Considering the price at $79 for 2 people, the amount and value of food was superb for the quality. Thanks Livingsocial and Vitis Eatery for such a good showing.

Next time I would order (based on the current online menu) the lamb ribs with grain salad, quail dolomades and braised rolled lamb with falafel.

One of my favourite outdoor (undercover) eateries in London was Yalla Yalla (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/yalla-yalla-london-02-2013-03-2013-05-2013-10-2013). I am yet to find an equivalently good place for meat on spits, falafels, salads, prices and atmosphere.

I'd read about the charcoal roasted meats at Habibiz in Westside Acton Park. The shipping container food setup has some live buskers which add to the atmosphere under the weekend sunshine. There's several places to get food but the aroma at Habibiz had the most appeal and my search to replace Yalla Yalla began.

After a short 15min wait the falafels, half chicken and salad arrived. The chicken was tender and delicious, the falafels crisp and the dips acceptable. I would have preferred thicker breads and a salad more reminiscent of tabbouleh. Nonetheless I'll be back to enjoy the Westside, eat the grilled meats and try the Indian place that looked interesting also.

One of the good things about movies at Palace (other than the general lack of kids, teenagers, crowds etc.) is the food options. I had a great meal at A. Baker once and Mocan & Green Grout is still on my list. I'd heard that Parlour was a very nice tapas place but the servings were tiny and expensive. Despite this I somehow ended up here before watching a Friday night movie.

For reasons I can't explain, Parlour occasionally has a Friday afternoon special where food ordered prior to 6pm is 2-for-1. Maybe it's a special ploy to get people in on a Friday night and spend more on drinks. Who knows, but it seemed a very fortunate and great value deal.

The serving sizes are reasonably sized and for half-price exceptionally valued.

- Confit organic garlic, lavosh, Canberra cows curd, pickled vegetables $17 - this was an unusual dish recommended by the waitress consisting of creating a small mouthful of bread, plain cheese and nicely burnt garlic. Overall it was ok but not really to my taste;
- Mushroom, manchego & rice croquettes, mojo picon $17 - a good mix of rice, mushroom and cheese but the outside could have been a little crispier with the frying;
- Dusted calamari, black garlic, squid ink, almonds $19 - calamari rings with one token baby legs excellent seasoned and fried to a soft fleshy perfection;
- Chili & garlic Australian prawns, piquillo pepper & coriander salsa $21 - 5 prawns with a salsa. Decent quality prawns that were a little softer than crisp but maybe not the value at full price;
- Slow roasted paprika lamb, baby nicola potatoes & dressed leaves $25 - a nice large serving of tender meat around the bone with potatoes and lettuce;
- Pan roasted free range duck breast, Patatas Riojanas & morcilla $28 - extremely tender medium-rare duck meat on some rounded potato slices and some black sausage.

I went back recently and paid full price. I suppose I ate more conservatively this time and so the price wasn't too exorbitant. The setting and decor are nice, and it's definitely a good option for pre-movie food and drink. The Facebook website lists occasional deals so might be worth timing the visit.

The Entertainment Book allows a nice discounted seafood dinner along the foreshore. At full price some of the dishes seem expensive (although this is Canberra and it is along the ever expanding foreshore).

The dishes were nice and the calamari and fish well cooked. A satisfying meal altogether without being spectacular.

Mee's is probably one of the busiest sushi places I've ever seen. Each weekday lunchtime, the queue extends well past the next few shops. It's quite incredible considering it is sushi (albeit the only sushi in the area probably).

They also serve some meals such as the prawn tempura udon. The prawn tempura is good, but unfortunately served in the soup where the crisp exterior is quickly lost. The noodles themselves and the dashi soup are nice and warming. It's very good for lunch on a cold day.

The main staff are Korean, not Japanese, and explains why they also serve bibimbap. It's quite an unauthentic version and only served with a tiny amount of gochujang sauce, so will avoid it next time.

There weren't many places open to eat on a Monday night at 915pm. Most of the ANU area had shut down already and Red Chilli Sichuan wasn't taking anyone new. Across the road from it, in a prime corner of Northbourne Avenue was a new(ish) Viet place that I had heard mixed things about. Bistro Nguyen's probably brings a little hesitancy to the avid eater on paper (especially one with some familiarity with Vietnamese food) considering the prime location, the restaurant name, and the decor attempting to fuse old school Vietnamese charm in a more modern setting. The only modern Viet places I've tried are The Slanted Door (which is exceptional) and Red Lantern (which is good). There's also a chef's hat called Dandelion that I've always been interested in but never made it to. But with limited options, a few other people eating inside and the cold weather setting in, it seemed reasonable to try and see what Bistro had to offer.

The first thing that hit me walking in the door is the strong aroma of pho broth with tones of Thai basil filling the air. It was unexpected, stronger than those encountered in dedicated pho places along Victoria Street, and intoxicatingly welcoming and homely. The staff are Vietnamese too which adds some authenticity.

The menu has fun caricatures (as does a wall in the restaurant) and has all dishes with the Vietnamese name listed first. I wonder if it's to help some of the staff know what customers are ordering, but maybe there is a hidden faction of Vietnamese speakers in Canberra that I haven't come across. On a cold night the order of the day was warming comfort foods.

- Nem nuong (grilled pork mince skewers, vermicelli, salad, fresh herbs, rice paper & nuoc mam cham) $14.5 - there's essentially ingredients set out of 4 rolls - 4 rice papers pre-wet onto a platter, 4 skewers, 4 rice noodle squares etc. The meat is very good minced texture, well grilled with great aroma and taste. The nuoc mam isn't too strong and has a little hint of chilli. I think it would be better to get additional rice paper to make 6-8 smaller rolls with the same ingredients, because it gets a little messy eating fat rolls as the rice paper breaks with the moisture;
- Pho thit bo Nhat (wagyu beef sirloin 5+, brisket, tendon, beef meatballs) $16.9 - I usually get pho tai nam as my standard but the wagyu sirloin allured me. The broth has a mild medicinal edge and subtle spices but is actually satisfying and fantastic (and that's something coming from me who usually definitively prefers spiced over medicinal). The wagyu has mixed bits of raw/rare/cooked (which I like) and has good tenderness, brisket isn't overly fatty, meatballs add texture, and the tendon and tripe isn't for everybody but gives another layer (although I expect many people wouldn't be used to eating that);
- Che ba mau (red beans, jelly, mung beans, coconut syrup & crushed ice) $7.5 - they call it rainbow dessert, everywhere else calls it 3 colour drink. It's a little expensive for the bowl size (usually served in a large tall glass) but the jellies and coconut milk mix well and the ice is reasonably well blended. (To the inexperienced, shaved ice is the best for this as it dissolves upon mixing, rather than you eating large chunks of crunchy ice).

Overall I was much more impressed than expected. The menu has the classics which I certainly will come back to try - goi, bun bo hue, bun nem nuong (although I will ask them here to add bun thit nuong and banh xeo). The sharing plates do seem a little pricey ($28.5 for canh chua seems a little excessive) and the generic sauce options where you pick your own protein has never sat well with me. Additionally banh mi for $8.50 makes my face twitch but this is Canberra (and I have paid £5 for a catfish version to Banhmi11 at Broadway Market). But who knows - they could well be good. And while my Luke Nguyen, Andrea Nguyen and Charles Phan cookbooks gather dust on my shelves, I'd be happy for these Bistro guys to cook for me.

10-2015

I returned another evening for the pho again. This time was a little more disappointing - whereas the flavours and broth still satisfied, unfortunately the meat had dropped in quality. The wagyu slices were much thinner and overall less than previously meaning they were more heavily cooked and less tender.

I also tried the green papaya salad with prawns which had a nicely balanced nuoc mam dressing, and the bun bo hue which was also quite good but could have used more depth of flavour and chilli.

Once upon a time I used to frequent Fitness First in Spitalfields. As much as I didn't enjoy the 10min run there, the weights, the X-trainer HIIT routine and the panting recovery on the mats afterwards, I always was happy to know I would have a good lunch on the way back. In fact the place I probably ate most frequently out of anywhere in London was probably Kastner & Ovens (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kastner-and-Ovens-Spitalfields/247714511943824).

Kastner & Ovens had a fantastic range of fresh salads made and varying daily. On top of that, two daily hot foods were also on offer, and for £5.50 the option of a large box of hot food + 3 salads or 5 salads soothed my aching muscles. I often wondered if somewhere that offered high quality salads could prosper in Australia. Unfortunately I hadn't seen anywhere that did it in either Melbourne or Canberra.

Walking through Westfield Woden I noticed this new food option - lots of fresh salads, some baguettes and hot drinks. $10.90 for up to 4 salads isn't a bad deal so thought I'd try it out. My combination this day was pesto barley, signature bean mix, Mediterranean salad, chicken schnitzel salad. Other than the nicely textured chicken schnitzel (more schitzel than chicken), the rest was relatively plain. The salads are fine for a lunch, but unfortunately not K&O level. The (complimentary with lunch) soy chai latte was quite syrupy and topped with a ridiculous amount of cinnamon powder. 

Oh well, I haven't found my K&O replacement yet, but this was a step forward Australia.

Woden is also soon regaining Kingsley's chicken - I can finally try their chips soon.

After the rumours, the photos and the reputed waiting times, I finally made it Patissez. I did a walkby the day before around 1pm and was told the table wait was 2.5 hours. On a Thursday 10am, it was luckily 25mins. Upon leaving at 1130, it had stretched out to 1.5hours. They take your number so you can wander around and come back (an excellent system), which means you can actually go elsewhere for a coffee first (eg. ONA), do you grocery shopping at Coles, banking or shop browsing, or laze on the lawn outside. They also do takeaway freakshakes (the wait time being approximately 25mins) if you want to sit outside and work out how to eat them cleanly.

The food menu is actually quite impressive, with promoted sandwiches (I saw one with a huge amount of pulled pork) and brunchy options, making Patissez more than just a dessert/sugar-high cafe.

- Cheeky (slow cooked beef cheeks, black eyed beans, baked egg centre, crusty bread, kale pesto, parmigiano reggiano) $19 - an excellent rendition of a baked egg/cazuela/shakshuka dish, replacing the usual smoky chorizo with soft cheeks and thus a milder tomato and bean sauce. The cheese, minimally runny egg and touch of greens added texture and flavour. I wondered why the pesto was so mild and now I see - kale, not basil. I'd prefer a traditional basil but it might overpower the dish;
- Salmon Dance $21 - the menu has changed and Sea Pea has been replaced. This dish had a reasonable grilled piece of salmon, sitting on roast potatoes, runny poached eggs, spicy chorizo, tomato, green beans and topped with tangy Hollandaise sauce.

Toward the end of the food, the freakshakes came out ($11.50 each). They are indeed a sight to behold. Interestingly the two shakes ordered on this occasion are actually served with the liquid very hot so the tops melt down and everything overflows like a cascading volcano threatening to spill onto the table.
- Muddy Pat (warm fudgy choc shake, chewy fudge brownie, more chocolate fudge, whipped cream, toasted housemade marshie) - from the top, the marshmallow is outstanding, the brownie is moist and slightly thick, the choc shake itself is remarkably mild. I don't think that's a bad thing and perhaps mixing the brownie and marshmallow into the drink will balance it out. As my usual preference, perhaps a twist of dark chocolate or coffee in the shake would make it more my taste? But each to their own;
- Salty Nutz (warm salted caramel & pecan pie shake, slathers of salted butter caramel, chewy wedge of pecan pie, vanilla bean whipped cream) - the immaculate pecan pie topped a (too me overly) sweet, buttery caramel drink.

As they do takeaway shakes, it was easy to get a cup to carry the remaining butter caramel drink home for a later time. The insides have a variety of decadent cakes of which I'd certainly like to try someday.

Overall I think the shake parts of the drinks could be thicker at the expense of serving less of it. I couldn't finish either of them and neither did any table in the area I was. Sharing one between two is probably the best way of countering this, but at the same time I think the liquid part didn't match the outstanding toppings for quality. Nonetheless the food is actually very good which makes coming to Patissez ideal for meals, photogenic drinks and overloading your day with calories. Just be prepared to wait or have some things to do around Manuka.

Next time I would order any of the food items (particularly the Cheeky again, Get Pig'd or The Field) and probably to suit my taste the French Vanilla freakshake (let's be honest, partially for the shake, partially for the photo opportunity). Otherwise one of the 'standard' shakes with banana, matcha, dates, Greek yoghurt, honey and granola sounds like something I'd order at any other place.

For some reason I had a craving for fried chicken. Well the precise reason was I saw the $42 fried chicken platter at Public in Manuka the night before and this had caught my daydreams. Even though I could have simply gone there, the lure of Korean FC had me searching online to see if Canberra had this available. I came across two options - a blog post with a Korean flyer and a mobile for home delivery (which after calling has now relocated to Sydney) and B-One, a place in Civic.

Chicken Gourmet's fried chicken is pretty average to be honest. It's convenient and edible but not particular good. KFC has good taste but you always regret it later on. Melbourne's Gami and Da Rin are the ones I've decided must be authentic, so I was interested to see how B-One would stack up.

It's refreshing to walk in on a weekday and have the place quite full with nearly all Koreans - families, students, couples etc. Obviously they like something about the place, hopefully more than the location.

The three samples of beanshoots, tangy kimchi and savoury beancurd started things off. Jujube tea was a hot fruit drink that reminded me of plums (it's a date I've discovered). Then came the stars of the night:

- Bibimbap - a steaming hot stonebowl of ingredients with your own gochujang sauce to top with. The flavours were nice, but most impressively the bottom rice was beautifully browned crisp;
- Fried chicken - the sweet and soy versions complemented each other well. I preferred the sweet version as the soy had a little too much soy (not salty, soy) flavour. The mild quantity of sauce meant the coatings maintained excellent crunch;
- Rice cakes with beef - I bought this to takeaway for my next day lunch. The savoury version was nice and the rice cakes soft and gummy. I'd probably opt for the chilli version next time.

B-One has elevated itself to the top of my Canberra Korean restaurants list (to be the fair the only other one I've been to is Tosung in Manuka which is far from bad).