The best restaurants in Canberra

Eby said :

Holden Caulfield, it would be great if you could let us know what you think of Onred.

A bit late with the reply, but never mind.

On red was quite good. I personally wouldn’t place alongside my previous faves of Anise and Aubergine. But the menu provided lots of appealing options, if a little OTT on the adjectives.

My meals were all nice and I enjoyed them, especially the blue eye cod main—highly recommended. My entrée seemed a little bland which was some feat given it contained asparagus, deep fried egg, radish and lamb prosciutto, but I still enjoyed it. Chocolate mousse for dessert was yummo, so too the drunken ice cream.

Mrs Caulfield didn’t enjoy her meals as much, though. Her prawn and goat cheese tortellini for entrée was her pick. She had a confit of chicken with smoky bacon and parsnip mash (among other things) which looked great and started off well, but became a bit too over powering after a while. There was a lot of it, too, which is not always the case with fine dining. She had a passion fruit curd and meringue dessert which, again, looked really delicious. But the curd was very, very rich which tended to spoil the other ingredients.

Overall, though, it was a nice night out and the service was perfectly adequate. The view is very nice, too, of course. I’d definitely go again if circumstances arose, but I wouldn’t book it ahead of Aubergine.

I thought Onred was excellent on both occasions I ate there.
http://www.onred.com.au/

Delissio in Curtin, also good for gourmet Pizza
http://www.delissio.com.au/pages/index.asp

2602 in Ainslie for seafood
http://www.2602.com.au/

If I am chasing some quick good quality Indian, Indian Affair in Phillip is excellent too.
http://www.indianaffairrestaurant.com/

Timmy’s/Sammys Kitchens (Manuka/Civic)- Great Tai/Malaisian cusine…You cant be serious. Yes,sammys is cheap,quick and tasty,but the service is crap,the food is bog ordinary chinese and they use a s%#tload of MSG(My body does’nt lie!).This does not portray the hallmarks of a “Fine Dining Experiance”

hellspice said :

+1 for Maestral in Weston, liked it so much we went there twice in 2 weeks !

Don’t write about Maestral here hellspice! The place is small and busy enough as it is!

hellspice said :

+1 for Maestral in Weston, liked it so much we went there twice in 2 weeks !

Don’t write about Maestral HERE hellspice! The place is only small and it’s busy enough as it is!

.

+1 for Maestral in Weston, liked it so much we went there twice in 2 weeks !

DavoDavo said :

Lillypilly said :

I always love going to Maestral in Weston. Lovely food and great fish

My wife and I used to go there quite frequently, unfortunately it is small and can get VERY noisy. Last time we were there there was a table of four men of eastern european extraction (I’d guess friends of the manager/owner) and they completely spoiled an otherwise excellent meal with their extremely loud and raucous behaviour and talking at the tops of their voices in a foreign language.
I complained to the waitperson but nothing was done and it was obvious the noisy quartet were being regarded more favourably than any of the other patrons there.

We don’t go there any more and can’t recommend it because of the probable noise level, that incident wasn’t the first, we had suffered other noisy people before but that was the last straw.

How dare people of the same heritage speak to each other in their native language!

Anyway, are there any other really good restuarants in the weston creek area?

If you’re a vegetarian Rubicon sucks. I had a plate of lettuce. Nothing but lettuce. Mmm fine dining when the chef can’t even make a vegetarian a salad.

Ottoman on the other hand is my favourite restaurant in Canberra. The main dining room can get a bit noisy but the private rooms are super nice. When you arrive they start by asking if anyone has any special requirements and then they just bring you something appropriate. Awesome service!

The Republic in Allara St is a standard slightly up-market lunchtime cafe. Decent enough meals, but they’re really there for civil service lunches. Coffee, being Cosmorex, is certainly nothing to write home about (although at least they can do a decent latte most of the time).

As for Chairman & Yip, I have yet to have a decent meal there. I’ve given up on their over-priced, not particularly innovative stuff. But I do second the Rubicon recommendations and Grazings out at Gundaroo. Mezzaluna is pleasant enough, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there. Sage is great although I’ve had some slightly peculiar service there (understandably!)

I haven’t yet tried the Ottoman and I’d like to. Any good, any one?

Anise has closed but I believe the owners have opened up some sort of Vietnamese wine bar in a similar location? That’s what the message says at least 🙁

Other places I can recommend:
Courgette – Pricey but superb food
Rubicon – I’ve had two Valentine’s dinners here, both superb
Aubergine – Only been here once, but the food was excellent. Had a lovely night 🙂
Chairman & Yip – Modern Chinese cuisine. This is probably my favourite 🙂
Boathouse – Good food.
Ramas – Great Indian place 🙂
A bite to eat – We’ve had some breakfasts there, very interesting food but they have awesome bacon/eggs/toast if you’re not feeling adventerous 🙂
Little Istanbul – In Tuggeranong City Centre – Very good, I can highly recommend the Iskender (if you like a plate of meat!). Maybe not a flashy place to visit though?

Only word of warning – Z Brasserie in Tuggeranong does an awesome breakfast, but their lunch menu leaves a lot to be desired. Ordered calamari ($18?), received 4 small pieces and some salad :S And it tasted very ordinary :S

Courgette, excellent food and service.

Lillypilly said :

I always love going to Maestral in Weston. Lovely food and great fish

My wife and I used to go there quite frequently, unfortunately it is small and can get VERY noisy. Last time we were there there was a table of four men of eastern european extraction (I’d guess friends of the manager/owner) and they completely spoiled an otherwise excellent meal with their extremely loud and raucous behaviour and talking at the tops of their voices in a foreign language.
I complained to the waitperson but nothing was done and it was obvious the noisy quartet were being regarded more favourably than any of the other patrons there.

We don’t go there any more and can’t recommend it because of the probable noise level, that incident wasn’t the first, we had suffered other noisy people before but that was the last straw.

I always love going to Maestral in Weston. Lovely food and great fish

I’m with you on the Lanterne Rooms. Magnificent food and a simple but excellent wine list.

I was lucky enough to visit The Lanterne Room for the first time last night. Absolutely fantastic. There are three dining options, a tasteing menu (which if you don’t like something you can substitute!!) A la carte, and one I’ve never experienced before pick a couple and let them build a meal around it. We went the latter with oysters at the front and slow cooked beef cheeks as the main.

This is seriously good food with accompanyment/garnish playing an integral role. we had whiting and prawns which were truely memorable and the beef cheeks would be in my “last meal” choice.

Outstanding, we are lucky to have it

astrojax said :

… as is portia’s place in griffith…

Portia’s is in Kingston, and is excellent. For good nosh in Griffith, the Vietnamese Restaurant is worth visiting, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re after glamour. I’ve had good experiences at the Ginger Room. I’ve also enjoyed the Ottoman several times.

But this whole exercise is totally subjective. Depends on what you expect, and whether the night is going smoothly for the restaurant. For me, going out is a treat and it takes a lot to upset an evening. Someone else will write off the entire evening if the waitress only chews their meat for them 14 times. As long as you’re not a food snob it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of the suggestions here.

The relatively new Blu Ginger in Civic for the best Indian food in town – proven by the number of Indians that frequent the place.

Rama’s – excellent food, value for money, very popular
La Cantina – very nice

Courgette and Benchmark have both been winners for me. Wine list at Benchmark always makes it a great meal and Courgette is a good option for a special occasion.

Have also had mixed results with Flint Dining Room in the NewActon precinct – food very good, but service can be patchy when very busy. Hope you have a good time 🙂

To those who are wondering about Anise, the owners are the same, same quality food, same good wine list, just exploring a passion for Thai food in a more relaxed atmosphere, rather than the modern australian/fine dining path. Same location, with a new name of ‘Thirst – Wine Bar and Eatery’.
Definitely worth a curry, some snacks and a drink.

Pulp Kitchen at Ainslie Shops is excellent – lively and social

Don’t mistake 2602 round the other side for it – 2602 is ordinary at best.

Sage at Gorman House is shabby, rude & too much attitude

+1 for Rubicon and Courgette.

Lots of people bag out the Black Mountain/Tower Restaurant. It is expensive, but every meal I’ve had there has been really, really good. And, nothing beats that one revolution as the sun is setting and one revolution at night time view. You also get a sense of being alone in the restaurant because the tables are arranged around the circle that is the floorplan.

Been around here a while now, and an awful lot of ‘Best/Worst Restaurant’ threads. Have never seen any reference to ‘The Republic’ in Allara St.

Only raising the question as the very nice couple of guys who run it (I believe) used to have Hill Station, a real decent feed for the bovine of Hume.

Any reports on ‘The Republic”?

Got to echo the vote for the Turkish Grill in Erindale; and I have eaten there and have had excellent service. The last thing I got was takeaway, and they did get the order wrong, but it was pretty damn good anyway!

And the Pallette Cafe in the Beaver Gallery has some unusual and very good items on their menu. I think they’re only open for lunch though…

I second the Plaka Restaurant in Mawson, great food, always reliable and a good wine list.
Con’s Seafood Restaurant, also in Mawson, has excellent Barramundi fillets. Both are OK for general dining, but special occasion? Hmmm…

Thoroughly Smashed said :

I’ve never had a bad experience at the Ginger Room (OPH) or Shalimar (Marcus Clarke St).

Second that too – both good, Ginger Room is a tad expensive but worth it – took my sister and her husband there when they were visiting from UK recently. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sabayon in Civic
Aubergine in Griffith
Green Herring out at Ginninderra Village 🙂

The Plaka Restaurant in Mawson.
http://www.plaka.com.au

Grazing. Gundaroo.
Axis. CMAG.

2 of my favourite fine dining.

Grazing does a great charcuterie entree with a delicious rabbit terrine and duck liver parfait.

To. Die. For.

Oh my god, profound apologies for the splellink errors in that last post, especially the proliferation of “teh”.

I must agree with KB1971 that the revolving scenary at Alto is a plus, so many Canberra restaurants have no scenery, or bland street scenes, outside. I’ve eaten at good and sometinmes great restaurants around the world, and teh view outside definitely contributes to teh enjopyment of teh evening (though not to the taste as Jim points out.) Last year while in the UK we ate at

Jamie Oliver’s “15 Cornwall”
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/userfiles/image/Oct%2009%20issue/cornwall-15outside-del.jpg

and Rick Stein’s “The Seafood Restaurant”,
http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/photos/data/media/2/padstow-harbour-yachts.jpg

both had stunning views, (and GREAT food)

KB1971 said :

Alto at Telstra Tower. Great feed with added bonus of changing scenery.

You know, food tastes better when you’re revolving.

Alto at Telstra Tower. Great feed with added bonus of changing scenery.
Timmy’s/Sammys Kitchens (Manuka/Civic)- Great Tai/Malaisian cusine.
Delissio’s Curtin – Great food, not specifically italian, great service especially if you have kids.
Ethiopien in Pearce – I dont know the name of the restuarant but the food is great if you want something a little different.
Bredbo Pizza – Great woodfired Pizza 1/2 hours drive from Tuggers towards Cooma.
There is a new Chinese in Lanyon that is good, we have had takeaway & it is easiest the best in the area (aside from Calwell), next to Corks liquor.
Tukish Grill Erindale – plentiful great food as you would expect from turkish. Have not actually sat down to eat there so I cannot give you a service report but the takeaway service is good.
Brodburger – a good burger, not as good as everbody here has made out though.

There is a bit of variety for you.

Clown Killer said :

It’s my understanding that Anise is no more – the owners have called it a day and moved on…

This makes me a very sad bunny. 🙁

We tried Anise late last year and really enjoyed it so we were disappointed to find it closed for renovations over the holiday period.

It’s my understanding that Anise is no more – the owners have called it a day and moved on – hopefully to another project in the Canberra area. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

you’re old-fashioned, indigoid.

rubicon is great, as mentioned several times above, but i rekkun lanterne rooms in campbell is its equal. i have also heard good things about flint, in new acton, but have yet to try it. axis is also top notch tucker, at the museum, but best enjoyed for lunch/sunday breakfast when you can see the view!

otherwise, my ‘second kitchen’ is the wonderful cheap bog-standard low-rent tak kee in dickson.

do you want glamour or just good food? if the latter, if so, rama’s at pearce and jehanghir at swinger hill will see you right for indian. kopi tiam in manuka is another delicious venue, as is portia’s place in griffith, and tu do in o’connor. mezzalira used to be great but i’ve not been for a while, so have no current info.

Another vote for Rubicon, it’s always our first choice for special dinners.

GardeningGirl said :

Another vote for Aubergine.
We tried Anise late last year and really enjoyed it so we were disappointed to find it closed for renovations over the holiday period. It has since reopened but I don’t think under the same management, otherwise surely there would be some sort of link or update on their website or other online listings?

Hmm, that’s interesting, I hadn’t realised that. Hopefully it is the same chef/management. If not I hope the new people are just as good as their predecessors.

sage at the gorman house markets. Just can’t beat that place!

Rubicon in Griffith is great – one of my personal favourites. Book well ahead.

OnRed is actually really good. Mrs faustus, who is far more of a foodie than myself, declares OnRed to be her favourite restaurant in Canberra. Not expensive, great food, and the service has been fine every time we have been there.

Benchmark Wine Bar is an oft-overlooked, but excellent, Canberra restaurant. They have the best list of wine by the glass of any restaurant I’ve been to in Canberra (not surprising, really), but the food is really good too. And the deserts are a real treat.

We’ve only been to Aubergine once since it changed hands, and it was fine, but not as fancy as it used to be. I’d probably pick Rubicon over Aubergine for Griffith, however.

Waters Edge was really disappointing. The food was okay (except for one desert which was seriously undercooked), but the service was appalling. I wouldn’t go there again in a hurry.

We’ve always had good experiences at Courgette and Mezza Lira in Civic, but have heard no shortage of horror stories about service from others.

We ate at Pulp Kitchen last weekend. The food was nice, but I don’t really think it’s intimate enough for a special occasion dinner (depending on what you like, I guess). Food was good, as was the service, and it was surprisingly inexpensive.

If you’re interested in lunch, rather than dinner, Silo in Griffith do really good dining in. Again, some people have experienced bad service there, but we’ve always had great service there. But maybe we’re just good customers 🙂

I’ve never had a bad experience at the Ginger Room (OPH) or Shalimar (Marcus Clarke St).

Without a doubt, Courgette in civic… nothing else in Canberra even comes close.

Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a huge fan of Charcoal in Civic. Have been going there for many, many years and have never been even slightly disappointed. Only really ideal if you want delicious MOO though

Another vote for Aubergine.
We tried Anise late last year and really enjoyed it so we were disappointed to find it closed for renovations over the holiday period. It has since reopened but I don’t think under the same management, otherwise surely there would be some sort of link or update on their website or other online listings?

I loooooooove A Bite To Eat at Chifley Shops! Got a really great menu, mostly food that you wouldn’t find anywhere else in Canberra (That I know of) that’s a little bit exotic. People there are really nice and it’s got a great homey kind of feel…mismatched furniture, cutlery, etc…
Definitely my favourite place to eat – although will definitely have to book ahead. It can get busy – but not to the point where you feel packed in. I spend most of my afternoons there around exam time and the staff are always really helpful, asking if I need something… and once asking if I wanted them to leave me alone for some peace and quiet! lol.
They also have a really nice courtyard area that’s great at night – only thing they can’t control are the mozzies! lol

Yeah so I love it… and it’s always worth a shot if you want to try something different…but they also have “normal” food too…

For my two cents worth, go somewhere you like and know you’ll enjoy. If it’s your favourite BYO splash out on decent Champagne and a good bottle of Burgundy and order your favourites. Stiff tablecloths, waitstaff that don’t know you and unfamiliar menus are a recipe for disapointment.

McDonalds Family Retaurant, Erindale

Just came back from the new resto in Rydges London Circuit, called Locanda. Very good all round it was.

I’ve been to a wonderfull Scottish restaurant; I can’t remember the name. Their speciallity is a dish consisting of two grilled coarsely ground terrines of beef en crute, garnished with crisp Iceberg lettuce a confit of cornichon and napped with an aoli inspired sauce that’s simply “special!”

It was all let down by an apple pie that scalded the friggin bejesus out of my mouth!!!!!!!!!

I got an extremely pleasant surprise last weekend – Baan Latsamy in Manuka.

Food was great, service cheerful and we got a great park. We did the BYO thing and their one mistake was NOT charging for corkage.

It’s in the spot ‘Just Quytly’ was. I heartily recommend as a casual option.

For the record this was the first time since the Rudd Government was installed that LoveBump’s bff Kristen chose a restaurant and a good time was had by all. In celebration we’re not letting her choose again until the election is held.

+1 for #1. Rubicon is great, top service and fantastic food.

Definately cannot top Rubicon. Saturday nights are very tight — have to book well well ahead. Other nights not so bad but MUST book. Their barramundi, steak or squid are top class. Best wine list in town. Excellent cheese selections. Fine service and very genuine staff.

Holden Caulfield, it would be great if you could let us know what you think of Onred.

It all depends on what you want (of course), but I recently went to gooroomon park cafe outside of Canberra. Nice spot and good food. From memory, the menu said that the chef was once voted the sixth best chef in Turkey (a big call!). Food isn’t turkish though – see http://www.gooromonpark.com.au

Was going to recommend Sage, but see that is already covered. Anise on West Row always delivers and Aubergine at Griffith Shops is another very reliable option.

I’ve had some great meals at Rubicon, but also a couple not so great. Fortunately for them, I seem to be in the minority there, so perhaps I’ve just managed to catch them on an off night.

Booked in to Onred soon and am a little concerned if the phone manner of the guy on the other end of the phone is anything to go by. Seems to have a major superiority complex. Hopefully he proves me wrong. First impressions tend to stick, though.

Something a bit more casual that is usually first class on food is Pulp Kitchen at Ainslie shops. And if the more casual option appeals and a night time meal is not crucial I would highly recommend Pod Food at Pialligo.

I’m a big fan of Rubicon in Griffith: http://rubiconrestaurant.com.au/home

*hehe*

Thank you for your suggestion, Skux. So how do you find working at Yum Thai? Is it good?

Yum thai is one of the best thai restaurant i have been to in Dickson, their Laksa was one of the best laksa i have had in canberra. their service was excellent and their price is reasonable. i strongly suggest people should go try it out.

The Tampico Hut also did the best nachos in town – at least they tasted like the best at 3am…

Being chased through Watson with a cleaver would be fun though! And then we could type about it, and then the proprieter (using some weird name and “newbie” in brackets) could come on with his staff and give his side, and we’d all have fun.

Carlos sounds like a place you’d go only if you lost a bet.

We could go to Carlo’s first. And book as “Riotact”. I’m sure we’d get a big welcome…

Ant that’s the one!! I ended up working with the woman who worked in the van at the law courts back in 88. She remembered my addiction to her tacos.

When I was at DFAT we used to visit a different Kingston or Manuka restaurant every payday. Some places were good, some were bad but it was nice to try somewhere different.

farnarkler said :

Ruffnready there used to be a green Ford F100 food van in Civic back in the 80’s that used to make the best tacos. From memory it used to park over the road from Greater Union in front of the petrol station.

I think that was called the Tampico Hutte. I could be wrong, my mind was usually somewhat fuddled when visiting it.

Restaurant group is a great idea, I’m sure you’d get a quorum. We had a very pleasant breakfast a few months back (barring my LIQUID eggs).

Why not start an RA restaurant club. Visit a different restaurant once a fortnight.

Ruffnready there used to be a green Ford F100 food van in Civic back in the 80’s that used to make the best tacos. From memory it used to park over the road from Greater Union in front of the petrol station.

As for restaurants, I reckon Boffins at ANU is worth a mention. Asian Cafe rocks and I have to agree with Mish Mash that Happys is up there.

Chalisa Indian Restaurant Tuggeranong GOLD

As usual plenty to agree and disagree with in this one.

But I have to say, I’m amazed Anise hasn’t had more than one mention, so I thought I’d give it another one.

I go there about three times a year on average, every time I have dined there I have been very satisfied. Their food is consistently excellent with a standard of service that is generally very, very good. I’ve been there in a large group of around 50, and varying numbers down to the romantic dinner for two. All have been looked after very well. If I had to get picky I’d say the long bench seat is not overly comfortable and they can sometimes squeeze the tables pretty close together. Otherwise I cannot fault it.

As mentioned in the dessert thread their creme brulee is superb!

heres my list –

Bollywood masala in dickson, fabulous food, great everytime, tasty and good spices, some wait staff are a bit hard to get the attention of, but nothing disastrous.

The vietnamese in erindale, below the crackpot or the venue or whatever it’s called these days, you gotta love a place with orange place mats. good cheap eats.

La Rustica in kingston, not the poshiest food around but pretty consistently good italian food at good prices and generous serving sizes, their desserts are also pretty fab, i recommend the poached pears with ice cream and two different chocolate sauces.

Vascos in kingston – excellent Portuguese chicken! their veal medalions were also scrumptious.

Abels Kopi Tiam in Manuka – excellent thai / malaysian food. good specials (pork belly was amazing) and not too expensive.

Francisco’s Mexican Cantina in manuka – this place is great. fabulous service, big meals and good prices. fob off montezumas and get down here for some good grub.

Little Instanbul – tasty turkish food, located in the “south life” strip in tuggers, good servings and very tasty, i recommend the baked meat and rice casserole type dish with a side salad.

Happy’s chinese in civic, downstairs from hippo – I can’t believe no one has mentioned this place. My god it is the original and best chinese food in canberra in my opinion. their fillet steak served in a noodle “bird nest” is awesome.

rocksalt is consistently good.

Book early, or you’ll be sitting by the door.

hflynn said :

I cant believe know one has mentioned Cafe Ravello in dickson (opposite the motor registry) some of the menu is a bit pedestrian but the pizzas are by far the best in canberra, cooked by a cranky old italian who learnt the art in Naples cooking 600 pizzas a night. A must for a great cheap and big pizza!

You beauty, another good pizza place to try. Thanks!

Not a fan of the Peppered Prawn, I have to say. Have eaten there twice, several months apart, and on each occasion the food was mediocre and the service poor.

Then again, I took a friend to Sabayon a few days ago for his birthday, to have the degustation. And while this is one of my favourite, always good, never fail restaurants, on this occasion it was pretty ordinary. I’ll give it another shot, but its earned it – doubt my friend will be back though.

Didn’t know about Cafe Ravello – will have to give it a try. And has anyone been to Rock Salt? That’s next on my list.

Peppered Prawn at Woden, Outstanding. Had friends down from Sydney we had triple tower,Patagonian Toothfish, and Kangaroo. Everyone was impresssed.Highly recommended

i have to agree that the Pide house at Jamo is a corka… always good and CHEAP.

I cant believe know one has mentioned Cafe Ravello in dickson (opposite the motor registry) some of the menu is a bit pedestrian but the pizzas are by far the best in canberra, cooked by a cranky old italian who learnt the art in Naples cooking 600 pizzas a night. A must for a great cheap and big pizza!

Tried the pizzas at the Fyshwick markets! (Deli Planet). The kid making them was a bit of a grump, and they cost a fortune, but boy , flavour plus. they start at 10 bucks and go up, they’re all little personal-pizza size. The dough is that good, crispy crunchy stuff that’s a delight to eat.

The margherita was busier than usual, with a zesty tomato sauce with sun dried tomatoes in it, a mozzarella cheese with parmesan? in it, not many bits of basil leaf, and 4 big blobs of buff’lo bocconcini. Got a Dante too (hot spicy one). this had 4 big slices of hot salami on top, and that flamed sweet capsicum pickled in vinegar and oil. The oil from this made the whole thing a bit oily, but it tasted bloody good!

I guess, being a deli, they can get all the really tasty ingredients easily. I’ll be back for more, for sure. Lots of old people with accents were stopping at the servery hatch and asking for coffee, also a good sign.

Recently went to ‘pulp kitchen’ the other day cos i liked the name, fyi it was terrible! The place is overpriced and I hate it when a place has the audacity to charge fine dining prices and serve you with piss poor cutlery (wasnt clean), no table cloth, woolies glasses and get away with it! I think it insults the other places who go to so much effort i.e ottomon, rock salt, green herring to charge you what they charge you and some gay place tries to justify these prices because they are “cool” piss off! THe food was largely disappointing as well, service ordinary!

My picks. Zambrero in Braddon, best Mexican Ive ever had and great service.
Asian Noodle House. Ottomon. Three mothers Thai and Thai spice in woden. Those places are always consistent but everyone knows them now so i dont think im addingmuch!

Fekerte’s Ethiopian @ Dickson.
Wasabi @ Manuka.

And for cheap Indian – I like the new one at Manuka – Aladdin (same operators as the Charnwood Greater Indian Restaurant).

Sadie, thanks on the heads-up re pizza at Fyshwick markets. I’m going to test it next week!

The pizza at Deli Planet at the fyshwick market is the most authentic and delicous i have eaten, in canberra or anywhere. the bases are real and perfectly thin, the sauce divine (none of this plain tomato paste you find elsewhere) and the toppings simple and classic – no overly complex multicultural varieties (of which I have always been suspicious). Go for lunch on a Thursday or Friday if you can – on weeekends the line is huge and it is impossible to find anywhere to sit, plus i’ve triumphantly made it to the front of the line only to be informed that they’ve run out of dough more than once. i’m not a coffee drinker, but others have informed me they make canberra’s best coffee too, and the toasted foccacias are amazing also.

I can also vouch for the fish and chips at flatheads, the duck pancakes at Tak Kee Roast Inn (and the BBQ duck with wonton noodles – where else could you get 2 courses: a bowl of delcious wanton soup and a plate of noodles, bok choy and a large chunk of duck for $13?) and the kebabs and shepards salad at kismet. Oh, and for the most delicous, great value sandwich in Canberra you have to try the Siagon chicken sandwhiches which are made fresh at the Hub Asian Supermarkets in Tuggeranong or Gungalin. Bagette with pate, juicy chicken, fish sauce, fresh chilli, carrot, cucumber, lettuce and coriander, for a ridiculous $4.

Everyone knows about the amazing laksa at the various asian noodle houses around town, but I would also have to recommend the Pho, which I think you can only get at Civic (not sure about Tuggeranong). For $9 it is even better value than the Laksa, if a little lighter, and is the best Pho I have sampled outside of Vietnam. The noodles are thick slurpy and delicous, the broth fragrant and heady, and it is always a joy when they bring out the plate of fresh herbs, beansprouts, lemon and chilli for you to put in yourself. I have just stopped eating red meat, and think this is the food I will mourn the loss of the most.

Best take-away northside: Watson Shops.
Best Asian anything: Dickson Noodle House.
Very good and consistent ordinary style Chinese: Hackett.
Very most ordinary with no flavour: Good Luck in North Lynham.
Best big breaky: Next to Dobinsons, Bunda Street.
Slowest service: McD’s Gunghalin. Quicker to stay home and cook breakfast.

I know this is a best restaurant thread but today I had I reckon the worst noodles ever at Little Noodle House in Kembla St Fyshwick.
Ordered Spicy beef noodles, after waiting over 15 minutes and observing the open kitchen, I started to lose faith.
Getting my takeaway back to work, my concerns were realised, stodgy noodles congealed by their starch and non descript sauce which was from a Masterfoods squeeze bottle. Searching for the meat, I found tiny pieces of beef literally the size of the noodles sporadically interspersed. As for vegies, forget it a bit of onion and spring onion and that’s it.
OK it was only $9.50 but for that I expect more meat (much more and easily identified as such) and at least a token bean or bit of broccoli.
Don’t start me on the washing up which was occurring (or not, cooking implements dropped on the floor rinsed with cold water)in full view, right behind the cash register…

Pandy said :

What happens if you order a lunchbox at Cube?

You have to chow down on one … see http://www.definition-of.com/lunch+box

Best Laksa ever: The Asian in the Melbourne building.

What happens if you order a lunchbox at Cube?

As a ‘once a year – if I’m lucky’ restaurant visitor, may I commend Jahangir at Swinger Hill.

Top meal, at a very economical price. Could well be advisable to book Sat nights – the place was packed.

… oh and I forgot to mention a tip …. a sore and sorry friend told me he learnt the hard way not to ask for a lunchbox at Cube.

peterh inspired me to try out the Indian Affair lunchbox today … and the butter chicken was indeed pretty good.

Good old Plaka! I think they still do Carpet Bag Steak and Veal Scaloppine. Always a reliable return to what was exotic in the 70s.

We tested Theos Takeaway at Ainslie last night, looking for a BBQ Chook and Chips. Theos put on the basket of chips to boil, and directed us to the IGA for the BBQ chook! Both were very good, in fact the BBQ chook was excellent.

Also did some reconnaisance through the window at Edgars and I think we’ll test it, too, as it looked just the thing for a cheap family feed.

I can not believe i forgot to mention Plaka Pizza at mawson shops. Hell yeah.

Hi peterh – welcome to the forums.

No is the quick answer to your question, I haven’t even been to phillip this year yet.

I kind of just add it to the list and it’ll get done eventually.

A sad day….

Theos in Kambah has been sold. The new owners will get 3 chances with me and my neighbors to get it right, if not, then we will go elsewhere. (big discussion outside theos last night) I always thought that they did the best pizza’s in town.

Mælinar said :

I’m going to check out the butter chicken in phillip – comparison coming.

so…. have you tried the butter chicken? they also do a lunch pack for $10.00 rice and butter chicken… bit of cheese naan…… hmmm. got to go. lunch time.

Ok, my all time fave restaurant HAS to be BElla Vista. Some of you may have mistaken it for La Bella Vista which is a hair removal place! I like the food so much there that I decided to apply for a job there!

My family has been eating there for over 2 years now and it is so much better under the new management!

Also, the tradies are the BEST place for a big feed! Especially the something Fork which has the best schnitzel!!!

Ruffnready: I haven’t been to a food van myself since Dolly’s disappeared, but isn’t the Mandaly Bus still there?

For a special occasion, you can’t beat Aubergine. It practically oozes class, from exquisite couverts to great wine list to unobtrusive service. French food to die for – the best poussin south of Tulon!

However, Kismet in Manuka is the best for casual meals. It’s not just pides and tabouli and other Mediterranean dishes; try their salmon on a bed of rice … Yum. Owners are friendly and efficient and don’t flog delinquent staff in the backyard. Don’t forget to ask for Turkish coffee afterwards to digest hearty portions properly.

Surprised noone has mentioned the China Tea Club in North Lyneham.

Don’t bother with the takeaway, but dine-in it has a really nice
ambience, great service and really interesting dishes. Not traditional
Chinese, more of a “Fusion” sort of thing. Really really nice food.

Kid-safe dining? How about Zefirellis in Dickson and Belconnen? The
pizzas are cheap as and pretty nice.

I also rate the Thai Garden in Dickson (in the newish corner bit
beyone Zefirellis). Never been disappointed with the food or service
there.

My absolute favorite was Furphies in Moore street, did a mean kangaroo steak, but alas is no more.

Where is the food van in Gungahlin???

It is a travesty that there isn’t even one food van left in Civic. Dolly’s used to do great baked potatoes back in the ’90s, and the burgers at the Doghouse were awesome.

When you’re in gunghalin and they have called last drinks, nothing like walking home, and getting something greasy to eat at the “G” spot.

Top darts for food and service – little pricey, but put that down to the cost of a night out.

Gorman House markets on saturdays has good food. Zambrero’s in Braddon is still a favourite of mine for burritos and tacos, plus they are super fresh. Edgars do a good pub feed. And I agree with Mr Lee’s Inn, it’s a good cheap feed.

Jehangir, indian restaurant Swinger Hill.

Terrific service, excellent food. $500 for 10 people ($50/head) for a huge three course meal.

Ramas, Fijian/Indian restaurant, Pearce Shops.

Rasa Sayang, chinese/malaysian, Dickson. Their chilli beef is just excellent, as is their Beef Rendang. Been there for a few decades, and still going strong.

My all time favourite was Warrens of Manuka. Long gone.

Ex

I’m going to check out the butter chicken in phillip – comparison coming.

there’s an indian joint at charny?? used to be 2 chinese restaurants and the charcoal chicken, easy walk from charny high.

My favorite restaurants are:

LaScala – Best italian food in town, but I have been a regular for over 13 years now.

Not the cheapest, but the best butter chicken in canberra by far, would have to be from indian affair in phillip.

The Charcoal – best steak reastaurant, and not overpriced.

Best dodgy chinese – Mings in Phillip – we go there at least once a week for work.

Overall best pizza shop (can it be classed as a restaurant?? it does have tables and chairs) is Theos in kambah – I have to starve myself for a week prior to ordering a large size.

For kids:
Tuggeranong Southern Cross Club Bistro
Mawson Club.

Is that just a funny chinglish translation for Karaoke bar ?

The Mee Sing! Are you on drugs?

I don’t want this thread to get bogged down with upper class places, because frankly, I’m just not that interested. I wanna hear about a good burger at a takeaway or somewhere where the staff are awesome, that kinda stuff.

Kentucky Fried Chicken in pretty much everywhere does a chicken burger that is pretty spicy – just ask for a zinger burger. They occasionally put the same stuff on their main chicken range, but its a semi-permanent line so they don’t always have it.

They’re also pretty cheap as well as being convenient, but as you scale up the prices can start to seem exorbitant.

The staff can be best categorised as slugs, so its easy to confuse them and obtain a free burger etc if you are that way inclined. Infact, generally unlike McDonalds staff, it looks like the staff patronise their own restraunt, so they’re not skinny, and suchlike.

There’s nothing like being served fast food by an obese kid.

Special occassion – Axis at the Museum
Lunch in town – Milk and Honey
Italian – D’Browse, Narrabundah
Chinese – Mee Sing, Lyneham
Vietnamese – Tudo, O’Connor
Big Group Feasting – Asian Cafe, West Row

I-filed

I-filed said :

Someone paid SAGE a compliment – I simply don’t believe it. Sage at Gorman House? They actually beat Carlo’s for bad attitude.

What exactly happened?? I’ve had very good experiences the few times I’ve been there.

Toriness, the Indian food at the food court at Belconnen Mall is at least as good as in an Indian restaurant. Not sure about the Civic one that ruth complimented.

Someone paid SAGE a compliment – I simply don’t believe it. Sage at Gorman House? They actually beat Carlo’s for bad attitude.

ruth, come on you must be joking recommending a food court vendor in a best restaurants thread – not to mention the jewel of india in the canberra centre food court is v ordinary now ….it was good when they first started up in the food court (i went there a lot because i love indian food) but it is consistently awful now, complacency maybe, i don’t frequent it anymore. i do rate their manuka restaurant however i’ve only been there once about 6 months ago so it might have also gone downhill as well.

i chuck in a vote for rama’s in pearce though – awesome indian!!! and their ‘hot’ – wow it is HOT!!! mmmm-mmm 🙂

VASCO’s!! – Portuguese in Kingston.

Ad’s Cafe in Weston Creek.

Delissio in Curtin
Verve in Manuka

I’ve had 1 bad and 1 good ‘La Scala’ experiences. But LoveBumps likes it a lot, so we’ll give them a tie-break when her mother is over next month.

And the other place we’ll go is Old Parliament House. If you haven’t been, grab a lunch there next time you have out-of-towners cluttering up your diary. It’s quick, cheap for what it is, and a uniquely ‘Canberra’ experience.

astrojax said… “thai is good at two sisters in dickson and a place in manuka, round the corner from beluccis”

Thai Cornar? Where Timmy’s used to be. Friendly bunch.

The food van in gunghalin, dont know if its still there, does some ridiculously huge and awesome burgers.

The best restaurant in Canberra was Neptunes Tavern in City Walk which my late father established and managed from 1971 to 1977.

wagons is all wrong – the best japanese in canberra is ‘tasuke’, round the corner from iori… (actually, both are quite good!)

i have a long list of places to eat in canberra, many already given above, but to recap:

tudo in o’connor for the best vietnamese in town (ask the embassy or viet taxi drivers, they’ll all agree)

tak kee, dickson, for bbq chinese, though their laksa, oncew fantastic, is now merely quite good

phuo coqc in dickson is also good vietnamese – none of these places is at all expensive and all do great take away.

have to add sammy’s kitchen in civic, too, as another ‘second kitchen’ for me.

the other end of the market has, for me, rubicon in griffith and chairman and yip in civic. lanterne room in campbell is a new addition (another thread applies), with courgette ok but over-priced and the place up on telecom tower pretty great too.

i’m yet to find a great italian place, but both rama’s in pearce and jehangir in swinger hill do fiery fantastic indian for good prices and great service. ruchi’s in belconnen, too.

silo bakery in winter does a fantastic cassoulet, but you have to be quick and you have to book. their pies are pretty good too, and their breads. don’t mind a dobinson’s pie, neither llamafrog.

other good places already mentioned are dickson noodle house – oldie but goodie – firestone in dickson and the pizza arte place in kingston for a great pizza (can we do cork st cafe in gundaroo for ‘in canberra’? – awesome pizzas) thai is good at two sisters in dickson and a place in manuka, round the corner from beluccis (which i don’t rate, btw), also three mothers in civic. none super brilliant, but all pretty good. portia’s for chinese in kingston should have been related highter up, it is fabulous.

and the wig and pen for pints before and/or after, of course!!

Also Cafe Injoy at Gold Creek has an outdoor play area and is well stocked with high chairs and little tables and chairs. It’s good for a coffee or light meal (or meeting with your parents’ group). Babycinos are free.

“Somewhere to eat with kids under 10?”

The Mawson club is pretty good too as they have a big play room right off the bistro.
Also the Belconnen Soccer club has a great outdoor play area with lots of softfall – good for an outdoor drink or club meal while the kiddies go beserk.

Portia’s Place in Kingston has fabulous Asian food. I agree with wagon – the Shuntung lamb is a must try. So yummy! But I heard a rumour that Portia is closing down her restaurant to do aid work overseas? Can anyone verify this?

I love Kismet in Manuka. Cheap and extremely tasty Turkish food. Kebabs are great and I love their baklavas.

Chairman & Yip – it’s pricey but the early bird special is good value.

Hubby and I really enjoy Jewel of India in Manuka, and the Jewel of India in the food court in Civic (near Borders).

Courgette’s. Excellent service and food is good too. I know its ‘high end’ but its the best I have been to , out of all the ‘high end’ restaurants I have visited.

I proposed to my wife there. 18 months later we went back for our 1st anniverssary dinner and the manager and some of the staff still remembered us. Some of the waitresses even come and asked my wife how the wedding went and generally were really interested in how we were. That’s service.

Belluci’s (Manuka) used to be a favourite. Now they’ve squished so many tables into the place – you can’t hear what your friends/family are saying at your own table! Too noisy now. The atmosphere is a killer.

Best restaurant in Canberra for romantic or special occasion? Rubicon in Griffith. Consistent service, good food and great atmosphere – every time.

For a night out with friends? Turkish in Jamieson, Belco.

Somewhere to eat with kids under 10? (that’s harder to find than you might think): Hellenic Club.

Caf – yeah, Lemon Grass is great quality but the serving sizes are a bit small.

Iori is definitely the most authentic Japanese in town.

Best pumpkin soup in Canberra, ne the world, MY PLACE! lol

Griffith Vietnamese for the win! It’s vietnamese, it’s in Griffith. Looks like a dive and cheap as chips, but it’s damn tasty – especially if you don’t order off the menu and just get Tam (friendly manager guy) to pick you something special.

Fair enough…I’ve been there several times & food (& service) has been first class every time.

justbands said :

Upscale….The Rubicon at Griffith Shops….yuuuuummmmmmmmmm.

A relative (foodie) raved about Rubicon too. We had our work Xmas lunch there, and it was bloody ordinary, to be brutal. The service was excellent (smidge intrusive but they were eager to please), but the food was fussy, overly weird, and I can’t remember being impressed by anything at all. I guess it’s hard to do banquety things, but it was a thoroughly pointless meal. They need to re-think their dishes when they do this kind of thing.

The Thai House in Weston is awesome. The Vietnamese takeaway at Fisher Shops (they deliver) is very good too. Upscale….The Rubicon at Griffith Shops….yuuuuummmmmmmmmm.

Best Japanese in Canberra is Iori in the Civic interchange – a massive lunch costs around $13 and is the best value in Canberra (in my humble opinion).

Love Bella Vista, and also adore Noodle House and the Ethiopian restaurant in Dickson. The Shantung lamb at Portia’s in Kingston beggars belief it is soooo good.

Best thai – Zen Yai in civic good food, good price, good portions.
Kingston Grind do a good Chicken burger, sadly don’t sell booze though – great beer battered chips too.
Mees sushi, best sushi in town – it’s a shame it’s in Maunuka though, not easy to get in and out quickly at lunch time. Freshly made, not mass produced like sizzle bento.
Madame Woo in kingston, best Laska won ton in town and everything else I’ve tried there I’ve never been disappointed with. They do a $10 lunch menu which is fantastic value.
Cafe in the house @ OPH not bad for lunch, nice place to take a nanna, resonably priced beers and decent food. Not huge portions, but not tiny either.
Hmmm, most of the rest have been mentioned already. There’s a few there I’ll be trying out though.

Ruffnready: Best Thai is either Lemon Grass (Civic or Woden) or Thai Spice in Woden.

Apart from that, some of my favourites (most of which have already been mentioned) are:

Sage
The Charcoal
Bella Vista
Portia’s Place
Ginseng
Sammy’s (new location is a HUGE improvement)
Jimmy’s Place
Wasabi
Rama’s
The Tandoor
Civic Asian Noodle House (yes, I have defected from the Dickson NH).

This thread is so handy. There’s quite a few places mentioned here that I’ve wondered about: now I can try them with confidence! As it is, the only bought-food i’ve had recently is Pizza Arte in Kingston, which is takeaway only. But they’re still the best pizzas I’ve found in Canberra.

Since they remodeled, APK at Woden has improved markedly. I twice simply left before they got around to taking my order beforehand. I’ve been there three times since, and each time the service has been efficient and friendly.

The quality of the food never seems to have suffered, it’s just you can now actually order some!

The other half and I had a great meal at La Bella Vista at Belconnen last night. Ordered the fish of the day, stuffed trout fillets with spinach and fetta. Taste was magnificent, although for trout fillets there were quite a few bones.

Service was good, although the waiter had his learner plates on; the owner manager floated between tables being bright and bubbly.

All round good experience.

My list includes:

Rama’s in Pearce for Indian, Portia’s in Kingston for Chinese, The Ginger Room at OPH and Anise in Civic for a night out, The Charcoal Restaurant (old School) and Kingsleys Steakhouse (nu skool) for a char-grilled meatfest, Royal Canberra Golf Club for lunch during the week.

Lee’s Inn? Lee’s Inn? I think someone has the wrong thread here.

I’ll chuck in another ‘aye’ for La Scala in Civic.

Element at Griffith Shops is another favourite for a special occasion…..Sage in Gorman House in Braddon used to be another but my last 1-2 tmes there I’ve been a little meh about it, I think it’s because of it’s highly seasonal menu and my OCD tendencies (therefore having a favourite dish and wanting it there every time I go somewhere).

A new favourite is D’Browes at Narrabundah Shops – it is owned and run by the chef who worked for years as chef of Marinetti’s at OConnor shops (which I no longer recommend now he’s gone!) – AMAZING gorgonzola pasta!! As well as many other italian and modern Australian dishes.

Order a mixed plate or a shaved lamb plate from Kismet Kebab in Manuka! Go on! I haven’t been able to stop eating them.

Pulp kitchen is soo good, bit a little expensive sometimes.
Tudo’s in O’Connor is great,
as is Fekete’s Ethiopian in Dickson, the serving size is always just right and that weird vinegar bread stuff… brilliant

Also, I’ve been to La Scala 3 times in the last year and had great food (large portions) and excellent service each time.

Milk and Honey does fine fusion cuisine.

Anyone been to Pulp Kitchen at the Ainslie shops?

Some cheap eats:

Theo’s takeaway at Ainslie, or the Bungendore servo, for a hamburger,
the jungle duck at Mekong Delta in the city,
dodgy surroundings but great combination won ton noodle soup and the best spring rolls in Canberra at Tak Kee Roast Inn, Dickson,
fish’n’chips at the Watson takeaway,
chili chicken and mixed veges at Lee’s Inn.

My favourite Chinese these days is Rasa Sayang which does all the classic dishes well (especially chili beef!), Taj Mahal still does great Indian food, as does Rama’s, and you can get a great rump steak at El Dorado.

Fine dining is best done with the right partner, which I have been lacking for a while, so no comment there.

What’s the best Thai in town, people?

I think the Chairman and Yip early bird special (out by 7.45pm) is a great, after work, top notch, faboo meal. Always fantastic.

I also really rate The Asian Cafe as the portions are so generous you really don’t need to spend a fortune for a fantastic meal.

A lot of Chinese places mentioned really cater to the ‘gui lo’ crowd, although Regal is good. Jimmy’s and Ruby restaurants in Dickson for real Chinese food, for Yum Cha it used to be the Italian club, but the chef has now moved to the place near Woden Plaza.

Vietnamese would have to be Tudo in O’connor.

I love Chats on ANU campus for lunch. The menu is great and not too pricey. I am also loving Peppered Prawn underneath Sky Plaza (don’t let that stop you from eating there). Maybe a little pricey but worth it.

I haven’t found a really good Italian restaurant in Canberra in 2 decades. However, a relative reckoned he had one of the most impressive pasta dishes ever at… Grandes, Manuka lawns.

I really enjoy getting down to the Gungahlin Golf club. Close to home, Meals come fast when you’re hungry and tired, are really good – great steaks, big enough serves but not ridiculous… and you don’t have to dress up – it’s a place to actually relax and just be. Great raffles some nights. Not snobbish at all… and not expensive. Kids welcome too.

Chinese – Rebeccas Chinese Inn @ Kippax gets my vote

Kramer, I don’t think the pide house has moved. It was still there last week.

And i forgot..VIP Pies in civic has the best pies in canberra:)

The boathouse is excellent, a couple of weeks ago had their degustation menu, one of the best meals i have ever had – pricey but worth it. and their service was impeccable – attentive without being overly so.

I am completely loyal to dickson noodle house for laksa, the best on the planet

Chinese – king fook in florey, reasonable prices and delicious food.

Flatheads in oconnor for fish and chips and the best steak burger around.

la pasa’s singaporean food will change your life.

Still looking for a really nice italian restaurant.

(yes we dont cook often;))

I loved the old Austrian Club restaurant 🙁

Basil at Byrne’s mill in QBN is lovely – but on the pricey side. But at least the food is stuff you would never cook at home – blue cheese souffle etc.

My favourites are:
– Vietnam Village Inn at Page shops (there’s a reason it survived there as long as it has) it’s the first restaurant I can remember going to as a little kid.
– Thai House in Weston, awesome food, especially the green curry.
– Kitchen of India in Ngunnawal, the Rum Meat is great (although I haven’t been there in a while).
– Italian Kitchen in Kaleen, great surf n’ turf, and really good fish & chips.
– Flathead Cafe in Turner, for the best fish and (OK) chips.

Ant – I think the Pide House at Jammo has just moved to the newly renovated Jamison Plaza. So I don’t think there will be dusty carpets and aged decor. Hopefully the prices are still good.

I’m a big fan of Sabayon on West Row. Everything’s high-end except the prices, and service is excellent. One of the few places where they bring you an amuse-bouche before you order, and a sorbet if you decide on dessert. Best cheese plate I’ve ever had, anywhere, ever (including Gary Danko’s). The food is consistently excellent. It’s part of the Aubergine & Courgette group, but better and cheaper that either.

Debacle are fine for most things, but $5 for sparkling mineral water? Really?

Slow Noodle Fast and Central Cafe in Queanbeyan. Martys food van for a quick feed at Phillip. Turkish Pide House at Woden for a night out at a bargain price.

Delissio is the spelling imarty. They have a similar restaurant in Braddon, very nice.

I’ve had numerous good feeds at Debacle (Lonsdale St Braddon) too.

I was unaware Artespresso was taken over but certainly we had a fantastic meal there about 8 months ago.
Delissio in Curtin is excellent – I live nearby, packed out every night, book ahead!

We recently ate at Mezzalira (sic?)in Civic – the food is fantastic but the portions are tiny and expensive. I actually went to ali baba around the corner afterwards.

Chinese would be Dumpling Inn belconnen. Very good

But everyday eating that will kill me soon is Dobinsons Bakery Canberra Centre. not a restaurant so shoot me.

Artespresso has gone downhill since the Sammuts left. Not bad service but it seems like they might be scrimping a bit on cost of ingredients. The bloke I dined with (president of the Food Media Club) agreed. Haven’t tried the Austrian since the new people took over, apparently the same people who went broke at Red Hill amongst others, so I’m told.
As stated here before by others, Delizioso (sp?) in Curtin is quite good as is the cafe in the art gallery near the Mint.

Timmy’s Kitchen and Thai Cornar in Manuka, especially for Timmy’s Shantung Chicken and Thai Cornar’s laksa. Pho Phu Quoc in Dickson is also pretty excellent. The Blue Elephant in Braddon does a brilliant Indian ‘buffet’ selection for about $10, too, if I recall.

And it’s not a restaurant, but the Jewel of India (no link to the actual restaurant of the same name) in the new upstairs foodcourt in the new part of Canberra Centre (near Borders) is fantastic.

Oh and for a late supper check out a quaint little cafe in the Woden car park – RJs – standing room only!

Bellucis, Mekong Delta, Artespresso, Austrian Club

We went the Lanyon Homestead for dinner last week. Excellent service.
The menu had enough unique dishes(roo, possum, rabbit, yabbie, emu) to set it apart from the usual steak/pasta fare.Yummy desserts and good coffee.
3 courses for 6 people = $300 !
Well worth the trip.

Lee’s Inn for the winn. Ridiculously cheap yet good quality Chinese takeaway type food, conveniently located in Manuka, open till midnight and I think even 1am on weekends. When you’re working till after all the other restaurants and cafes are closed, Lee’s is the ONLY option if you’re not after McDonalds, Oporto or Ali Baba.

Tuong (everyone calls him Lee), the owner for 25 years, is a really good bloke – hardworking, dedicated and always friendly, even when customers are being difficult.

Lee’s isn’t the place you’d go to impress on a first date, but the place you’d go once you’re comfortable with each other and want to have a cheap night out without the ceremony of going somewhere overpriced with small portions on large plates.

For the cheap and cheerful takeaway it is, I’d give it five stars.

Still love the Pide House at Jammo. It’s a great place to go in winter, with old carpet, dusty plants, busy-as, friendly fast service, and lashings of food. Tasty food!

Value for money, not upper class (at all), and great for a family feed.

La Scala to me was overpriced but it was 4 years ago. Quite small portions from what I remember.

I know you said not upper class stuff, but we went to The Boathouse a few months back and were rather impressed.

Service was excellent, food was great, and we weren’t rushed.

I’ve also liked La Scala the few times i’ve been there.

Hey guys I believe the ‘2006 AHA People’s Choice Award’was actually an OutInCanberra initiative not a City Search promo.

Im a member of the site and was sent the following link asking me to vote, http://www.outincanberra.com.au/peopleschoice/. I chose Academy as best bar/nightclub and Pangaea as best restaurant. Does anyone know who actually won the award??

Gotta love the Laksa, soft shell crap and smoked duck at Madam Woo. They got a new web site, check it out at http://www.madamwoo.com.au

Cafe Enjoi ?
Lassiters ?

George Harcourt does a great lamb shanks – good for a lazy sunday afternoon – in the sun with a pint of ale

Hi, I was just doing a bit of restaurant research as were coming to canberra on the weekend from melb. and dont want to waste time at bad food joints. Have found this site great! you should set it up so you get more hits from food/restaurant searches. thanks

I was forced to have breakfast at Chill on a Sunday morning a couple of years ago. Bloody waste of time and toooooooo far to go for bacon and eggs.

I can walk down to Black Pepper in Belco and get the same tosh for a cheaper price. And better views too.

Ah, memories of the veggies as extra. Come to think of it, the plates at Chill were somewhat sparse in that regard, too.

a personal peeve of mien is a waitron asking what ‘sides’ you want.

sides.

just say fucking ‘side order’.

Amen, bonfire. Sadly, there are a few underhanded attempts at bringing back the worst excesses of nouvelle cuisine. Such as charging another $12 for a plate of vegetables if you want to eat them; rather than just putting a decent portion on the plate with your meal.

Thankfully, there are still fine dining restaurants out there that refuse to succumb to “what’s trendy in Sydney” syndrome; and while still expensive make you feel like you got a decent feed for your $100/head.

im having an 80’s flashback – huge square plates, traffic light dobs on plates and big bills.

please – no retro-nouveau cuisine!

Another restaurant review! Chill, in Campbell. Went there last night. Quite pricey, $230 for 5 people, mains in the mid to upper $20s. The decore is fantastic, with sound muffling built in. The service was excellent: friendly, efficient and skilled. The food? Only OK, I’m sad to say. Nouvelle Cuisine appears to be back: tiny lumps on huge plates. It was well done, but not stellar. And not justifying the price. I’d love to go back if the prices became sane, but right now I’d say the food/price ratio is letting them down.

Featuring a locals’ gobble-guide could help attract people to Riot-Act. And I’d find it useful!
If it was stuck on the front page, it’d get more traffic (and web spiders). The Riot-Act format is a bit daunting for casual net users (until they get used to it).

I agree – are you RA people able to make any stickys???

This topic needs a permanent bookmark or something on the front page!
Anyway, I just got lunch at the little cafe place in the Pavilion on Northbourne (used to be the International, jungle bar place).
Very quiet little cafe, sparse and modern. But the food was good, and the prices sane. Normal Oz modern cafe fare, well cooked and well presented. Best chips ever! Big and fat and crunchy and pale. Friendly, relaxed service.

It saddens me to see mezzalira in here, but i guess i can understand why it is. the food is great, and the service is efficient if not somewhat cold. I however wont go there on principle after working there breifly a little over a year ago. I have done a fair few dodgy hospitality jobs in my time but i havent worked for ruder people in my life. i should have taken heed of the fact that there has been a ‘staff wanted’ sign in the window for as long as i can remember, but didnt. all the other staff memebers appologised constantly for the rudeness of the owners, claiming that it was how all new staff were treated and it got better. this was true but the way older staff member were treated was still fairly unsatisfactory.

Went to a quite good, and cheap, greek place last night at North Lyneham, called Cafe Charisma. It’d be better in summer, as it has hard tiled floors and is very open and sparse, but the food was great, and in huge portions. The chef is an older greek lady, the waitress was really eager to please, and I’ll definitely be back in the warmer months. It’s BYO everything and there’s a grog shop next door, so the grog part of the meal is much cheaper than usual.
http://www.outincanberra.com.au/charisma/

stay tuned for more… next category… italian…coming soon

Ok already… doesn’t anyone venture outside of Dickson or Inner Nth?
Here we go….

Chinese
Ginseng (Manuka) all out winner (also, best laksa in town) casual and inexpensive, fun and friendly staff with a mix of classic and slightly more contemporary dishes-try the five spice squid, awsome…:Madam Woo (Kingston)second place… similar to Ginseng but a little funkier. Looks like a lolly shop and serves some killer dishes like soft shell crab or tea smoked duck.
Special mentions: Chinese for Big Night Out…Chairman & Yip(CBD) – fantastic sampling menu around $110 with wine for about ten courses, unusual and innovative dishes-even jellyfish tastes good here- and stylish surrounds; Chinese for authentic Chinatown experience…Ruby (Dickson) – the kitchen is open til around midnight and they have the whole live seafood thing going on and tables full of late night Chinese diners

For Economy Grazing:
Lemon Grass Thai on London Cct the winner – consistenly good and good value.
Pho Phu Quoc in Dickson for reliable Vietnamese – always busy, cheap and cheerful
Rasa Sayang in Dickson – stuck in a time warp, haven’t changed the “blackboard” menu in about, oh 15 years -try the Ikan Asam – yum!
Fekerte’s is great.
Flavours of India in Gungahlin, and Civic too I think. A cut well above the standard Indian local.

For (very) special:
The tasting menu at Dijon is sublime, just the thing for a special occasion. $135 pp with matched wines or $100 without – the whole thing was a revelation of flavour. And they threw in an extra course when they heard it was our (admittedly 25th) anniversary.

Rama’s in Pearce – great for groups, and their medium spicy got contractions going when I was sick of being pregnant.

Mezzelira has been reliably good for years. never had a bad meal or bad service there.
The Charcoal Restaurant, next door, has been reliably excellent for even longer.
Have a soft spot for the Pide House in Jamieson: crowded carpeted room, dusty plants, chaotic but friendly (fast) service and great value food. We always end up taking doggie bags home.

Jazz: I love the place and the people at Mekong. The only thing that worries me is that I occasionally see Joe fishing in Lake Burley Griffin when I skate there…

Big fan of the Thai House, Weston. Where else can you take an esky or two full of beer in for a 30th, not get charged corkage, have a great raucous banquet with a dozen friends and do it all for for about $25 a head?

mmm, Great laksa at the mekong. I have one from there at least once a week. Come to think of it that may be why joe gives me freebie samosas occaisionally, which i might add are also delicous.

LG – I reckon there are places in a similar market that do better food than Rocksalt (Sage, Anise, Zucchini, Eggplant etc); but their service is so damn good it’s hard not to love the place.

Rocksalt in Hawker. Not cheap, so definitely only for special occasions, but great food and fabulous service.

I have to try Bollywood Masala sometime then. The Mekong 3 doors down from the Wig and Pen is an old favourite, too. Their Lao style spicy salads have some kick…

i was blown away by the superb indian i had recently at bollywood masala in dickson. its now firmly on my favorites list.

my other favs would be Zen Yai on london circuit, Chairman and Yip, and Waters Edge.

DaNmAn is spot on about Mezzalira too, I took my missus there for Valentines this year and the whole experience was just fantastic.

For something a bit special I strongly recommend Chairman & Yip in Civic – every meal I’ve had there has been superb (and their chocolate dessert – capped in gold flake – is fantastic).

Tempting as it sounds to have a laksa-off there’s a basic problem with it.

Take-away Laksa is invariably arse.

Furthermore there is no need. The Tradies Nooder How has by far the best anywhere.

My’s Vietnamese in Weston do a decent nosh up

He he…Laksa off would be great 😉

Hrmms…

Green light for the RiotACT Laksa night JB ?

Kinh Do at Macquarie does some great take away. I don’t think I would ever go there to eat though.
Can’t beat the Central Cafe for meal size.
Got food poisoning from the Laksa House in Weston once and haven’t been as fond of laksa’s since then.

Echo the call for Kinh Do at Macquarie shops. Tackiest decor ever – but awesome food done cheap, especially the takeaway.

Central Café Queanbeyan!!

I second Danman over Maelinar…sorry Mael, Dickson Noodle beats Sammys imho. Haven’t tried the Thai Garden…

Rucchis in Belconnnen. Lamb Saag and Cascade Premium Lager. Is there anything better ?

Fekerte’s Ethiopian in Dickson and at the Kingston Markets. The chicken dish and the pumpkin dish are my two faves.

Ramas in Pearce.

Niche Indian in East Row (apparently the same people who used to run the restaurant in Downer). $12 all you can eat at lunch followed by a $3.50 lunchtime pint of Cascade Pale Ale at Mooseheads (the only time i will go to mooseheads).

Three Mothers Thai in Civic. Bad acoustics (as echoing as hell)but great food and great service for good prices).

Ethiopian at Gorman House on Saturdays. Go the red lentils, pumpkin and spicy beef.

The Waterfront in Gungahlin. Good cheap takeaway.

The laksa at thai garden is on par with the noodle house laksa…

DaNMaN, I’m gonna check out your Dickson chicken laksa against my Civic chicken laksa.

I hear Ethiopian cuisine is good for those on a diet.

AD .. I think you can try them at the Kingston Bus Depot Markets. I was just told that they have a stall there. Coke cans optional hehe

Kingsland in Dickson. Vegetarian cuisine that will please even the most uptight hippy or worst vego-phobe alike.

The Italian Kitchen in Kaleen for great meals and really generous portions.

And who could forget The Pancake Parlour, the only place you can get a decent dinner (or a pancake fix) at 11pm at night.

Thanks Wonsworld funnily enough I was actually saying to my GF alst night that I fancied trying some curried coke can…(sorry that was really bad) seriously though I have been keen to try the ethopian cuisine….

Mr. Shab: Apart from the duck’s feet at Jimmy’s. Brrrrr… I forgot: In terms of Asian, I also love the Griffith Vietnamese and Khin Do (sp?) at Macquarie Shops. I think they are run by the same people.

For class – I also a fondness for Sage.

Cheap – the Nixon Doodle House can’t be beat (especially now they’ve stopped washing the Laksa pots again).

I’d also like to see a smackdown between Jimmy’s in Dickson and Ginseng in Manuka (though I’m backing Jimmy – he’s a scary looking dude). Both are reasonably priced and excellent on all fronts.

AD.
FEKERTE’S ETHIOPIAN CUISINE restaurant in Dickson do a pretty good fish curry type of thing. And whilst not my fave place, I can recommend the restaurant all round. If you have a few people, go and try the lunch banquet (the fish dish is a part of it).

As for my fave eating hole, it may not be fine dining, but Marty’s van in Phillip is always pretty handy coming home late from a show.

Sammy’s Kitchen in Civic for the chicken laksa that you will compare every other laksa you ever eat again against.

Spice of India in Belcos Mallos does one of the hottest vindaloos going around…

Speaking of which does anyone know where I can get a good fish curry… I used to get a beautiful goan fish curry from toorak…. and there used to be a good one in watson but someone told me that the indian restaurants there had closed…

Pangea in Manuka – where Tossolini’s used to be – if you haven’t checked it out yet do it soon.

On the cheap – can’t beat the Schnitty at the Austrian Club in Mawson.

And with Vic on Ramas – that place kicks arse but I would advise take-away or delivery because the dining space can get a bit squeezy.

Mezzalira on London is good 1 on 1 with my lady.
For the undisputed best Duck/chicken/seafood/vegetarian laksa in town go to the Tai Garden restaraunt in Dickson chinatown, in the courtyard near turkoz and Zeffers

I used to like Montezumas but then they became wholly franchised, leaving me rather disenfranchised. They still have the best margaritas around though and they do have a comprehensive allergy/intolerance menu which is fantastically useful.

WEnt to Ginseng in Manuka the other night. Upmarket Chinese with regular prices. The ninja waiters pulled our chairs out, had our table reset, water and glasses and our napkins on our laps almost before we sat down. Great food too, they even made tofu taste good.

Ramas in Pearce here.

Flatheads or the van at Wanniassa for fish & Chips, Sage or Verve for a slap-up feed and The Ginger Room or Anise for somthing special. Can’t go past the wine list at Ginger Room for choice and value.

Carlo’s as a tradeoff between a hearty meal and something a bit upmarket. Flatheads as a fish-and-chip shop where you can take a beer.

Sage for upmarket, Pronto for a boozy wine & pasta, Tandoor for takeaway, Fish-o-king at Mawson for fish&chips.

Bang for buck?

Tradies Nooder How!

Class, go Sage.

Fun dinner with friends, go Debacle.