You know that moment after you’ve just done something amazing? That instant of slight sadness that it’s never going to be that amazing again, if only because it will be weighted with expectation. But you’ll keep going back anyway, just for the memory of that near-perfect experience.
That’s how I’m feeling right now about the lunch [...]

They’re a little over the $10 mark (generally around $11.50) but the burgers at the Bakery Cafe are one of the highlights of my working week.
(I am the mayor on foursquare)
The specials menu brings constant variety and the flavours are invariably well chosen.
There are two serious highlights; the first of which is the chips which [...]

iPho is a new player in Garema Place and while at $11.50 it’s not eligible for the $10 lunch review I thought I’d Give it a go.
Pho (pronounced “fur”) is a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. A rich noodle soup with all the taste fireworks you’d expect from Vietnam.
I first encountered it on a wet night [...]

We happened across the Jazz Apple shop in town today. Not sure whether to call it a cafe, although it has tables and chairs and an espresso machine. It is the outlet where a businesswoman featured the other week on 7.30 sells her cupcakes. The staff are very nice and friendly.
Coffee was moderately OK [...]

Morning,
I had the pleasure of redeeming my RiotAct gift voucher at Joey’s Kitchen last night and wanted to pass on some praise for the fine meal they provided.
On what was a blissteringly cold evening it was nice to sit in a nice little restaurant and indulge in some fine food and wine.
The meal, [...]

Disclosure: Reviewer is a paid RiotAct subscriber, and as luck would have it was therefore eligible for a draw to win a $100 voucher to dine at Joey’s Kitchen. Many thanks to current and former RiotAct staff, Tim and Rachel, for helping me out with re-emailing that voucher, after I failed to print it [...]

One of the consolations of being a single man is, every now and then, buying a beautiful woman a wonderful dinner.
So on Friday I’d rustled up a date and we went to Italian and Sons (aka Restaurant No 7 for reasons not immediately obvious) in Braddon.
My first surprise was calling just after lunch on Friday [...]

It’s been a busy two months in the Taratory since our last wrap in February – but that’s because there’s been plenty to do in and around Canberra!
First of all, we’ve quite simply done a lot of eating. On johnboy’s recommendation, T1 checked out what all the fuss was about at Sage, and was totally [...]

We went with some friends to Jehangir at Holder shops on Friday evening, only to discover that it’s no longer Jehangir, but a new Indian restaurant sporting the curious name of “Tomatoes Curries and Grill”. Apparently they took over about three weeks ago, but have kept the old phone number.
Anyways, the six of us were [...]

In The Taratory is a blog run by two 20-somethings who share the same name (can you guess what it might be?), bringing reviews of all things to experience in and around the ACT. Having just celebrated our six month anniversary and with 40 posts under our belt, it felt timely to, well, review our [...]

Sage in Gorman House has gone through a lot of evolutions but eating there on Friday night it became clear that it is now the best restaurant in Canberra, with a price tag to match.
So let’s not kid ourselves here; dinner for two, with wine, bread, pre dinner drink, and tip, was $400.
If you’re going [...]

Back in mid January the Brumbies made their first foray into restaurant reviews by their front row* and were, it seems, not thrilled by my assessment of that effort (although it should be noted that if we hadn’t given it a push few would have seen it).
This week they’re off to Dieci E Mezzo, part [...]

We are new to Canberra and are looking for a great place to have our 20th anniversary meal.
We would like a fixed course menu or degustation menu with wine. We would probably prefer modern Australian but are open – just not Italian.
Price really isn’t an issue.
The only catch is that lunch would [...]

Joining the long line of businesses investing their hopes and dreams into the windblown sterility of Civic West is the imaginatively named “Roti House“.
Like almost all of these restaurants it is tastefully appointed to the point of being forbidding and filled with large numbers of staff surprised by the appearance of a customer.
But they have [...]

I’m fed up of being the only one trying in this relationship. I wish you well, I really do – I hope you manage to find the right balance between good customer service and shockingly bad business sense (or indeed any balance).

It appears that my letter, below, to the Editor of the Canberra Times regarding the review of D’Browes Restaurant in Narrabundah has been ignored. This reviewer and editor of Food & Wine clearly does not like local shopping centres south of the lake and tends to sledge them to pad out her articles to the [...]

Drove out to Poachers Pantry for a relaxed Sunday lunch with friends today. Having eaten their delicious pate previously, we were really looking forward to it.
We had booked for four adults and a child. When we arrived our table wasn’t ready and we had to kill some time in the shop and the [...]

I know that this has been explored in the RiotACT before, but the establishments mentioned with such obvious passion in past discussion have in many cases ceased to trade. Is there any fisho to compete with Bernie?

Has anyone been to this little Japanese cafe in the building next to Wig and Pen? After living in Japan for six months I found myself really missing casual, home-style Japanese food… but luckily you can get it here! They even do Japanese breakfast (7.30-11.30) with natto and free range eggs, hallelujah!
I’m not sure if [...]

Last weekend I lunched at Sushi Hotaru, in the Galleries Victoria complex in the Sydney CBD. It was awesome – lots of delicious variety trundling past on the staggeringly long conveyor, circling an open kitchen so you could watch everything being made and stuck straight on to the belt. And cheap! You [...]

I wouldnt mind finding out where the best all you can eat places are in Canberra?
We have had with food court in Dickson.
So who knows of somewhere better? Any type of food is ok.

A friend of mine, a food blogger by profession, is in Canberra tomorrow.
He would like to check out ‘the local fare’.
I have taken him to Silo before. He thought it was ‘okay’.
He is lovely but I really do not want to kick off my weekend with ‘hmmm, these poached eggs aren’t runny.  Gosh that coffee [...]

The Riot High Command just stepped downstairs to King O’Malleys for lunch and on a whim Jazz and I tried the “Pride of Erin” fillet steak.
Wow, just wow.
I’m glad I didn’t try to photograph it because it wouldn’t have done it justice.
Lightly charred on the outside, pink to red in the middle (when ordered [...]

I’m searching for the best gnocchi in Canberra and would love to know where it might be.
I’m tired of having sub par gnocchi that’s either rock hard in the centre or sticks to your mouth like warm playdough.
We had some excellent gnocchi from Bellucis in Phillip, is there anywhere else we should try? Of course [...]

I noticed a new pizza store called Encore opened at Florey shops about 5 weeks ago right next to Dominos. I thought it a little odd to open a pizza store right next door to supposedly the busiest Dominos store in the country.
I finally got around to trying them out today. Plenty of good quality, [...]

Have any fellow RA’s dined at Morks Thai in Florey?
It’s a bit more expensive than the local corner Thai place and reading the menu is sounds delicious and a bit different !

About a month or so ago I was introduced to The Hermitage, off Civic Square, across from the Legislative Assembly, next to the Canberra Museum. Being impressed with my $30 lunch special that day (i.e. an imaginative antipasto entree, a scotch fillet main, and a glass of wine from a bottle that sells for $17 [...]

The $10 lunch review returns to cover new player Taze which is offering a selection of $10 lunch packs.
Taze is located under the ATO building on Genge St, just up from Tongue and Groove.
The space is unusual with mighty concrete beams running through the high ceilinged room complete with mezzanine.
They’ve got a few things [...]

It’s difficult deciding what to write in a bad review of a restaurant. Nobody wants to read a self-righteous rant that lists everything that went wrong in ungrateful and indulgent detail, but there is still a responsibility to accurately describe the trinity of rudeness, incompetence and clumsiness that a restaurant can occasionally manage to concoct.

$10 lunch reviews ride forth once more to cover the Fish Shack which has taken over the space previously occupied by the much missed Phat Duck on Petrie Plaza.
They’ve got an extensive seafood menu, but in the sub $10 category it’s the medium fish and chips (with choice of fish, batter, and dipping sauce), or [...]

Having had an exciting few weeks we’re scaling down the $10 lunch review series.
If a new player comes onto the scene we’ll publish another one. But it’s been breaking my heart to buy bad lunches (or even just OK lunches) and eat them when I know the gems that are available.
So here are the highlights [...]

Dieci e Mezzo is on the ground floor of the ActewAGL building. It’s owned by the former Brumby star, Jeremy Paul, and the famous local restauranteur Fiona Wright.
As well as fine dining they do a range of rolls and sandwichs aimed mostly at ActewAGL employees who get a discount.
At $10 the roast beef roll is [...]