13 February 2007

Where should Maelinar go if he's a winner?

| johnboy
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Maelinar, without even knowing it, has won the first two of three stages to be a Reader’s Digest sweepstake winner!

To entice him into showing interest in the process they’re inviting him (see below) to nominate where he’d like to have his celebration dinner at the expense of Reader’s Digest.

So where would you go for dinner in Canberra if someone else was paying and money was no object?

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ta, danman… mea culpa.

but one thing in this thread is clear – canberra needs more restaurants!

Ingeegoodbee6:18 pm 14 Feb 07

It’s a no brainer … The Ginger Room or Aubergine … everyone else is selling you short order cooking at an over inflated price. The exception is of course the Charcoal Grill if you’d prefer to savour the wonderful taste of flame grilled assorted characters from “Babe” with a decent choice of wines.

Can’t believe the lack of Julep Lounge love!. Lavender gnocchi, mmmmmm.

I think Della Piazza has one of the best wine lists in Canberra. Other than some of the wines its not exhorbitant.

Bellucis can wander towards the exorbitant – well, it’s certainly not cheap, anyway…

I’m not after value for money, I want exorbitant 80’s style power meal catering at an insane price.

Readers Digest is paying…

(as long as belluccis or cafe DP are exorbitant I’ll consider them – I’ve been to neither recently)

No one mentioned belluccis in Dickson or Caf̩ Della Piazza in Garema Р2 local industry institutions

Sigh. God Mael you are a hard driver. Ok here is my preference:

Rocksalt (1)
The rest (2) (3) (4) (5)

Astrojax – in response to your above comment – read the Comment by aich jay — 13 February, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

hey, no-one has mentioned ‘gourmet chicken’ next to o’malleys in civic. would the result of this poll be different after seven pints of wig and pen fine ales??

😉

Quality is in the eye of the beholder i reckon – I have brickie mates who think tradies schnitty is the best feed in the world and think that restaraunts like rock salt and aubergine and all their frilly noncy poofy trimmings are far to expensive and 100% lost on them.

Perish the thought of them going to Lygon Street.

Sage all the way. Rubicon a distant (but still highly desirable) second. Anise third.

Ottoman 1
Aubergine 2
Ginger Room 3
Rocksalt 4
Charcoal Grill 5

Put a Number to it LG

(LG)
Rocksalt 1
Ottoman ?
Ginger Room ?
Charcoal Grill ?
Aubergine ?

This is preference voting at its best !

Rocksalt Rocksalt Rocksalt Rocksalt!

ok, here’s the scoreboard:

Rocksalt, Ottoman, Ginger Room, Charcoal Grill, or Aubergine are all safe bets. Exxy food but great service and dining.

Out of those 5 which would you score ? Ratings please !

Absolutely! Wnt to Rocksalt last night – food and service was as fabulous as always.

smiling politely8:23 am 14 Feb 07

I’m with Ingeegoodbee on the Ginger Room at the back of OPH. The “knowledgable sommelier” is a lovely fellow by the name of Frederic – he’s a reassuring type of person that doesn’t look down at you from on high if you’re a bit shy about asking dumb wine questions. Very helpful. And I’ve found the food to be consistently excellent as well. You can see both their menu (seasonal) and wine list here – http://www.gingercatering.com.au/ginger.htm . The wine list has a good mix of local, Australian and continental European varieties – worth it if you’re looking to expand your horizons a little. If they only had more Islay whiskies as well they’d be neraly perfect….

If you go interstate – try the Quay Restaraunt in DArling Harbour – me and Mrs Danman ate there last year.

Its a 3 chef hat restaraunt – degustation at 150 a head, wine matched = 220.

We ate a’la’carte there – cheapest bottles of wine a scant 70 bucks – entrees starting at around 25 dollars.

Very expensive – but only go there if your a chef or fine food appreciator – otherwise just go to a good cafe/restaraunt.

Got to second Habib’s vote, my family took me to Alto for my birthday. You usually expect a revolving restaurant to be a tourist trap, but this was very good. Not cheap, but if someone else is paying, go for it!

Alto at back mountain tower, other than that go to the Ginger Room at OPH and quaff all their Grange

“”rocksalt is way over rated. such an awful location especially next to a chicken shop.””

Who really cares.. Isnt it the feed that matters not the location! And you never have to worry about not getting a carpark like many other places.

Ingeegoodbee5:07 pm 13 Feb 07

“What’s the restaurant out back of Old Parl House? It’s pretty damn good.”

It’s the Ginger Room. Excellent wine list, knowledgable sommelier, interesting food. The Lobby is out the front of the OPH.

Chill at Campbell shops has interesting food.

Rocksalt has a great wine list, but it is otherwise a very plain restaurant.

neanderthalsis4:33 pm 13 Feb 07

Definately the Ottoman, go for one of the banquet options and try some of the great local wines. If mingling with Pollies and public servants isn’t your thing though, Legends in Manuka is pretty damned good too.

Now that I think about, and given the suggestions by others of some fine Civic dining institutions, how can you go past an all expenses paid slap-up at the Chicken Gourmet?!

LG, smart move having a birthday the day before Valentine’s….two free meals on the trot!

Christoph, good recommendation. And there’s a Valentine’s dinner on there tomorrow night…

Llamafrog – ever been to rocksalt? Sure, hawker shops are awful (and right near what I call “heroin apartments”) but is my fave restaurant ever. It’s so good.

So Rocksalt gets my vote! Hopefully being taken there by the boy for my birthday tonight (but he won’t say – it’s a surprise, am scared dinner will consist of big mac and strawberry sundae!)

I’d do lunch at the Sunrise cafe (civic bus interchange) or dinner at the Taj Mahal Indian (above the sex shop on Northbourne) – true Canberra institutions!

Christoph Zierholz3:22 pm 13 Feb 07

Seeing it is expenses paid for, why not grab a cab and head out to Grazing Restaurant at Gundaroo. Great food and service. Might not be Canberra per se but they have some good beer on…

central cafe in qbn

cafe at dfat is pretty good.

rocksalt is way over rated. such an awful location especially next to a chicken shop.

Ottoman or Rocksalt, definitely

now all y’all have to do is wait until 12 Dec 07 to see where he heads off to.

Harem restaurant in Kingston. My wives love it.

rubicon is very good. courgette is also excellent (though probably worth having someone else foot the bill!) chairman and yip still rates as one of cbr’s better places for a feed. i’d have to find a three-sided coin and toss it…

got to agree with aich jay… Rubicon for me too!!
Though not sure what it is like of late as they did loose the best damn chef they ever had last year!

I would have to pick The Italian Kitchen at the little Kaleen shops – tiny little restaurant but amazing food! (they even do take away)

I also rate:
Con’s Seafood @ Mawson
Rocksalt @ Hawker
Shogun @ Garema Place
Turkish Pide House (i prefer Jamison – super friendly)
and good old Zeffirelli’s

What’s the restaurant out back of Old Parl House? It’s pretty damn good.

The Lobby I believe

Since (to judge by his advert) Maelinar is a pretty little elf, may I suggest SANTA Lucia in Kingston?

Definitely Boathouse. How they scored the most valuable real estate a restaurant could ever hope for I blowed if I know…

(See other comments about continuous – sorry ‘cohesive’ – development of the lakeside)

And I’d go to the Rubicon

What’s the restaurant out back of Old Parl House? It’s pretty damn good.

And if we’re getting them to pay for a trip outside Canberra, I have an unexplained urge for a kebab from Yiro’s in Glenelg (Adelaide). Perhaps it’s just a pregnancy thing.

Sage for mine.

it appears that C. Thomas’ signature and hadwritten note are the work of a good colour ptinter

Well duh.

That would be correct.

I’d want to have a close look at the original copy, but it appears that C. Thomas’ signature and hadwritten note are the work of a good colour ptinter, rather than any penmanship on the part of Mr/s Thomas.

Haha, it took me nearly three years to stop Readers Digest sending me those frequent “you’re a winner” crap letters.

Anyway, for a good feed, sure the Ottoman is good – at a price. Cost me over $750 (for 8) a few years back. Probably out of my range altogether now. But hey, it’s a free dinner – enjoy!

Ottoman Cuisine. Easily the best restaurant in Canberra these days. I’d recommend the salmon dolma for entree (matched with Moet) and the live crayfish for main (perhaps with a ’95 Howard Park Cab Merlot).
Courgette on its day is outstanding too.
Chairman & Yip lost its magic some time ago, Dijon is good but not in the same league as Ottoman and Courgette. Aubergine has lost its touch and Boathouse never had it to begin with.
Charcoal Grill is for spivs and ne’er do wells on a big night out – I think of it as John Howard’s idea of a fancy restaurant.

Growling Ferret11:18 am 13 Feb 07

Thai House Weston – and its BYO esky full of stubbies!

Julep Lounge, without question.

I count:

Charcoal Grill or Aubergine as a first option

Boathouse as a third option

Green Herring or RockSalt as latter options

Is this the best Canberra has to offer ?

Charcoal Grill.

Get them to pay for a trip to melbourne and go to Vlado’s charcoal grill 🙂

I thought the boathouse was just a wedding factory these days?

Green Herring in Gunghalin or Rocksalt in Hawker.

Aubergine or The Boathouse. Classy

I second the Charcoal…

*drool*

Charcoal Grill, when they’ve got the beef stroganoff available, coupled with one of their fine wines.

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt9:42 am 13 Feb 07

Central Cafe in Queanbeyan.

blingblingbears9:22 am 13 Feb 07

Aubergine Restuarant…

Isn’t it just great that ‘C. Thomas’ went to the trouble of writing a hand-written note on the bottom. It just gives me a warm glow all-over.

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