Five minutes with Lachlan Exton, Highroad

Who are you?

Lachlan Exton. I’m a Canberra local, co-owner of Highroad, Dickson, and the soon-to-be-opened On Lonsdale – a Japanese/Korean Sando cafe in Braddon.

Tell me about Highroad.

Highroad is an institution. It’s been here for about seven years now. My business partner Maheer Prasad and I purchased the business in September last year, and we had a shared vision for the opportunity to reinvigorate and redefine it. We wanted to keep the specialty coffee and match the food and service elements, and add evenings as well.

What’s your favourite thing on the new night time menu?

I’m usually not one to pick favourites, but at the moment, I’d opt for the Queensland prawn grilled with nori sesame pesto and gochujang butter. That’s a really cool dish.

How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?

I was brought up in a hospo family. My parents had a cafe, and then they moved into catering with Swirl Catering. I was probably working there more than I was at school! I fell in love with hospitality pretty young.

If you weren’t in hospitality, what would you be doing instead?

When I was a kid, I wanted to race downhill mountain bikes! But I’ve always been really into business, so I’d probably be some kind of entrepreneur. Maheer and I have got some pretty big plans for venues in Canberra and this is just the start.

What is your food philosophy?

Mother nature has kind of done the work for us, so we should respect that. Don’t overcomplicate things. Sometimes people focus on making food look really pretty on the plate, but I think simplicity is genius.

What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?

White Chaco in Braddon. I love their soup dumplings.

Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?

My mum. I’d make her beef bourguignon and we’d sit by the fire at home and drink a glass of Clonakilla Shiraz.

Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?

As operators, I admire the Harringtons [who own Akiba in Civic].

Akibais such a consistent experience, you always get the same level of food and service, and that’s really hard to do, especially in such a big venue.

Where’s the best place for a drink or coffee in Canberra?

For coffee, it’s Highroad and soon to be On Lonsdale! For a drink, definitely Bar Rochford. But I’m also pretty proud of the wine list at Highroad. We only serve local wine, which is really cool.

What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?

My mum was a chef, and one of my earliest memories is of sitting at the kitchen bench watching her cook. I remember her teaching me what nutmeg was and getting me to add it to a bechamel sauce, and then we’d put together the layers of a lasagna.

What was the best thing you ate on your recent travels?

I just got back from a week in Korea with Chef Cho. It was a really quick trip but we got to eat some amazing stuff. I had dinner with Chef Cho’s family on Sunday, and we ate Korean-style sashimi. I’m also pretty obsessed with barbecued eel served with white kimchi and Korean miso soup.

Tell me something you love about living in Canberra

The fresh air is so good and I love that the outdoors is so accessible. I love that I can jump on my mountain bike and within 15 minutes I can go for a great ride somewhere.

What’s something you’re looking forward to?

I’m doing the Menslink Great Walk as a volunteer. The reason I do that is to hopefully help young men make better decisions.

Anyone else you want to shout out before we finish up?

Shout out to all the hospo business, especially after the challenging era that’s hopefully passing. I want to remind Canberrans to eat locally and support local businesses.

An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?

I’d say I’m a batch brew guy at the moment. Our barista Denil is always brewing up a different and interesting single-o.

Highroad is located at 1 Woolley St Dickson. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram.