Latest Event Updates
Eat Local markets
A great summary from my friend Kristy lam about the new Friday night markets at the National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. They’ve been running for two weeks now and I expect they will get bigger every week over coming months!
I had hours of late night shopping a head of me but that didn’t stop me from ducking over to the Botanic Gardens to check out their inaugural Eat Local market, where they encourage people to buy local and eat local by offering chemical and GMO free produce from the Riverina, Tumut and the Canberra region. As I drove through the front gates, I was directed to the car park on the left hand side which was a short stroll to the markets. I parked and figured I didn’t have to pay for parking because it was sort of after hours (after 5pm) and I could only stay for a short while.
I was there just in time to see Costa Georgiadis officially cut the ‘ribbon’ to the inaugural Eat Local market with help from some children.
I was limited to what I could purchase because I wasn’t really home over…
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The Vietnamese Down Under (Magpies City Club Canberra)
Three Canberra Beanies 
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Tucked away downstairs under the Magpies City Club in Canberra is Vietnamese Down Under. This place has had a few different incarnations, most recently as “The Underground”. It’s easy to miss it unless you’re a Garema Place regular and/or you notice the bright red A-frames in Bunda Street (next to Gus’s cafe) or in Garema Place near the Magpies Club Entrance.
If like me you’re normally staring at your phone while you walk, you could be forgiven for walking straight past and not noticing the front door.
Come on inside! Don’t be put of by the 70s-style club decor of the majestic stair case. Think how much easier it is to clean after a big Saturday night!
Personally I think there are more attractive community club venues in Civic (The City Labor Club in City Walk and Hellenic Club on Mort St for example, both of which also have awesome lunch specials) but variety is the spice of life! And how many other tasty and affordable Vietnamese restaurants in Canberra also serve schooners of beer at club prices? None!
The menu on the wall reveals a large array of Vietnamese favourites at affordable prices.
I have been here a few times and can attest that the $10 pho soup is quite good. Particularly on cold wintery Canberra days when you want a warmer and quieter lunch venue well away from the wind!
The service is good and fast and I will be back for more. For taste and value the Vietnamese Down Under gets Three Canberra Beanies!
Cheers!
Banh Mi at Little Saigon
Three Canberra Beanies    Â
A few months ago observant food lovers in Civic noticed that the French-Morrocan restaurant Ardeche sadly closed its doors in Anislie Place (just near the Canberra Times fountain and main city-side entrance to the Canberra Centre. The mourning didn’t last long however when it was revealed that the replacement would be a re-incarnation of Little Saigon. Lovers of Vietnamese food would remember the earlier version of Little Saigon which once traded on Northbourne Avenue. The same family has regrouped and put their experience and love of Vietnamese food to good use with a new establishment. As well as the sit-down restaurant which serves Vietnamese favourites such as Pho Noodle Soup and Rice Paper Rolls they also operate a window for delicious Banh Mi (Pork rolls) which they sell for $6.
The Banh Mi is full of tasty ingredients.
  
The service is fast and friendly.
The Vietnamese menu is extensive.
  
I’ll come back to this post and add more pictures of a couple of other meals I have enjoyed here, including the Vietnamese classic Pho Noodle Soup.
This place is great and a welcome addition to the Canberra City Restaurant scene. Three #Canberra Beanies!Â
Spelt and Oats No-knead Bread (pane con avena e farro)
I like the idea of no-knead recipes for bread!
The benefits of oats and spelt have been glorified by the health conscious and seem to be living a new renaissance these days. How lovely to think that these have been staple ingredients in the Italian diet since time immemorial, proving once more that our traditional cuisine boasts health recipes to suit most dietary requirements. Naturally such perks are complemented by one other fundamental asset: the both impart a warm, nutty flavour to bread, making them you best allay in the kitchen. So, if you are trying to stay away from refined white bread, this recipe might be just what the doctor ordered.
INGREDIENTS, makes 1 loaf
300 gr (2-3/4 cups) of spelt flour
200 gr (1- 2/3 cups) of unbleached baker’s flour or all purpose flour
380 ml (1- 2/3 cups) of lukewarm water
1 teaspoon of dry yeast
1 teaspoon of honey
2 teaspoons of salt
1-2 handfuls…
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Can Tho, Belconnen
I haven’t been to Can Tho in Belconnen, but it’s definitely on my list after reading this post from Lily and Ouk!
Okay, so this post is looong overdue. This place is a bit of a regular haunt for us yet its taken me over a year to finally get around to writing about Can Tho’s tasty goodies. Back when I was living in Belconnen, I probably visited Can Tho at least once a week, since moving to Braddon, I don’t get to visit as often but it’s still my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Canberra.
Can Tho sits a little west of the Westfield and just a store or two from Goodberry’s. The store isn’t fancy or anything, and is very much like your typical Vietnamese restaurant in Cabramatta or Bankstown. There are rows of chairs and tables, some basic Vietnamese paintings and a TV at the back. Its not fancy but hey, like any good Vietnamese restaurant, you go to Can Tho for the food, not the decor. While the decor…
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The Canberra Wine & Food Club – unique!!
Great yarn on the Canberra Wine and Food Club.
3.51pm, Thursday 28th May, Ainslie Avenue, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Afternoon folks, it’s a sunny day here in the nation’s capital, but it’s still icy cold! We’ll be off to the ‘Sirens’ restaurant out in Gungalhin – on the outskirts of Canberra – this evening, to do our first ever Yalumba dinner with them, so I’ve got a bit of time to catch you up on one of the best annual events on our Rare & Fine release calendar. And that would be the Canberra Wine & Food Club lunch.
The Canberra Wine & Food Club is one of those fabulous stories that sit out there in the Australian suburbs, and every now and then you get lucky enough to stumble across one of them. Like the day about 12 years ago when our Yalumba sales man for Canberra, the ACT, and all the country through to Bega and Batemans Bay…
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Tasty soup spread at Tosung Firewood BBQ Manuka
Three #Canberra Beanies  Â
I’ve been using a busy job and lots of noisy kids to rationalise my lack of blogging recently. I know what the uber bloggers are thinking, pretty lame right?
Well today was one of those days that all bloggers will understand, when I stumbled upon a find that was so far up my alley that I immediately made plans to share it (and did on twitter and facebook) and spent a few minutes in the afternoon wondering if I would have time to add it to the blog later tonight. Well I am now doing exactly that (ie the kids are finally in bed!)
Today felt like a particularly cold day (even by Canberra standards) and I had a craving for soup!
I had noticed a few times in Manuka the Tosung Firewood BBQ Restaurant on the corner diagonally opposite Coles.
It’s a bit hard to miss the bright facade and the canvass banner advertising $10 lunch specials.
I was warmly greeted by the staff and invited to take a seat. Although it appeared there were no soups on the $10 specials menu I was keen to try their soups. I like Korean soup!
  
I ordered a bowl of spicy beef stock ‪soup with potato noodles and waited patiently. A few minutes later I was surprised to be approached by a staff member carrying a very large tray. Not only did I get a piping hot freshly cooked soup but she also brought a bowl of rice, four small plates of condiments (including my favourite Korean side dish – kimchi!) as well as a large bottle of water.
The service is terrific for the price and beyond what I had expected. Safe to say my mind was blown by the value for money from a $15 order. the rice and condiments ensured I couldn’t finish the soup – a very unusual occurrence for me. The soup was hot and spicy and tasted divine.
I think I just found my new favourite cheap eat in Manuka and will definitely be back to try more of the menu, including the $10 lunch specials and some Korean BBQ!
Highly recommended – Three #Canberra Beanies!
La Sable Patisserie, Mitchell
Great tip from Tara aka InTheTarratory for this Northside bakery. Must try!
La Sable Patisserie is right up there with Pialligo Estate as something I’ve been waiting for for a long, long time. Years ago, the hairdresser who essentially created my hair colour (yes, the red hair) mentioned that a family member had worked at Flute Bakery and was quite the pastry chef (talented family, right?) that I hoped we might one day see something akin to Flute on the northside. (And we all know how much I love Flute.) La Sable opened up earlier this year and – in addition to a big plug on Scotty & Nige’s radio show – it’s getting great reviews around town. One of the greatest things about it is that, unlike Flute, it’s open more hours daily and it’s open on Saturdays!
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Canberra Cocktail Bar Directory
This list of #Canberra Cocktail bars is worth keeping handy for interstate guests and alcohol-inspired spouses 😉
There’s nothing worse than being thirsty for a Martini in this town.
So this list might be handy. It has most of the reliable cocktail bars around town where I think you should, the planets and bar staff permitting, get a decent Martini.
More Info
- Here is my survey of Martini options around Canberra, and a few reviews for the bars below.
- Also, here’s my top 5 list for HerCanberra in 2014.
CAVEAT: Apologies in advance for any errors in the list, and if I’ve missed someone, please let me know. This list is not an endorsement of a particular bar- just a reference for you.
- Who: A.Baker
- Hours: 7am, seven days til late.
- Where: 15 Edinburgh Avenue, New Acton
- Contact: 62876150
- Web: www.abaker.com.au
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