Canberra
Tak Kee Roast Inn in Dickson
(Three #Canberra Beanies) 
After weeks of prodding from fellow foodie and sympathetic fellow-dad Sir Bungle aka @JohnMalnar I finally dropped into Tak Kee Roast Inn in Dickson Canberra for some Gow Gee.
Now those of you who have been paying attention to the ACT Department of Health notices (or the Canberra times or RiotACT) over the past few years may remember a story regarding some health notices and warnings about food storage and preparation practices at Tak Kee in the past. I’m assured by my friend John, who eats there regularly, that he has never had anything to complain about and the fact the place is regularly packed with people at lunch and dinner leads me to believe they have learnt from their past mistakes and fines.
Anyhoo… I arrived a bit early and unlike my other recent lunchtime reviews, had a toddler in tow. So the challenge was to get some affordable food for both of us. I decided to take Sir Bungle’s advice and order a Gow Gee soup.
My Gow Gee arrived very quickly and I realised I had failed to follow Mr Bungle’s strict advice and had mistakenly omitted the beef brisket form my order. Never mind, my Gow Gee sans beef brisket was very delicious, particularly on a wet autumn day. To feed the ankle-biter I also ordered a small combination fried rice, knowing she liked rice, ham, peas and egg, which I expected in the dish.
It looked great and was bigger than expected. I tasted it (always check for temperature with kids and they don’t like things that are too spicey). It was delicious. I assumed she would love it and put it in front of her. But she tasted a spoonful and decided she didn’t like it. Bloody hell! This may have had something to do with the fact we were surrounded by people ordering all sorts of dishes and I suspect now (wisdom of hindsight) she thought she could be a bit pickey and choosey as well. Oh well, looks like dad was eating rice too!
I had another quick look at the menu, and asked her in my nicest voice “Bubba, would you like some spring rolls?! They are very yummy and you like eating spring rolls!” … which wasn’t as patronising as it sounds because I’ve seen her devour the things repeatedly. She nodded! I ordered a serving of two spring rolls.
By now Sir Bungle had arrived and (not surprisingly for a regular) seemed to make his order through osmosis. It went something like this: “G’day ladies!’ – “Hello Mr, how are you?” – “Good thanks, bit cold today. How are you?” – “We good Mr. You want usual?” – “Yes please! and I’ll have a couple of your pork spring rolls too”. Within a few minutes Sir Bungle had his regular fix.
Sadly for me, the arrival of yet another soup seemed to convince Ms 1.9 that she also needed soup. The spring rolls looked and tasted awesome and no matter how much I coaxed her they were instead enjoyed by dad and Sir Bungle.
Unsurprisingly, Ms 1.9 did end up eating a lot… of my soup. And those tea cups double as perfectly-sized noodle soup bowls for a toddler aspiring to be a food critic.
My experience at Tak Kee was very good. I can see why Mr Bungle raves on about it and why so many people I know have been regulars for so many years. I think the episode with ACT inspectors is well and truly in the past and I’ll happily recommend it as a place to eat affordable and tasty authentic Chinese food. I’ll give it 3 #Canberra Beanies for value & taste.
Goes without saying, the prices for the Beef Brisket Gow Gee soup and other tasty dishes at Tak Kee are VERY good.
Noodle Cafe Garema Place
(Three #Canberra Beanies)
I recently had the pleasure of joining another Canberra Foodie (Eileen, better known as @TheFoodAvenue) at her favourite inner-city affordable eatery – Noodle Café in Garema Place.
Noodle Café is located right next to HonkyTonks, so makes a convenient pre-party dinner venue as well as a great place to meet friends for a cheaper and satisfying lunch for as little as $10.
The $10 lunch specials are varied and the main menu has plenty of other affordable options as well.
I chose to ask if I could have an authentic beef Pho that included tripe, a delicious dish I grew to love at authentic Vietnamese restaurants around Australia. The friendly waitress obliged, even though this dish wasn’t on their usual menu. It cost a few dollars more than the lunch special pho but was well worth it.
My lunch partner Eileen chose her favourite dish, a delicious combination chow mein with perfectly cooked noodles (the two beautiful photos below are hers). We also shared a couple of fresh and perfectly cooked vegetarian spring roles and a couple of tea pots of chinese green tea, all for the extremely reasonable price of $33. Considering the excellent table service (with complimentary prawn crackers) and the freshness and taste and large portions I was extremely impressed.
The flavours of the food were amazing. If the food is not exactly to your liking, there is the usual plastic container of chilli and flavouring sauces that anyone who frequents authentic Asian restaurants would be familiar with.
Noodle Café gets 3 #Canberra Beanies and joins our list of top ten affordable eateries in Canberra.
If you’re not sure where to find this place, have a look behind the big screen in Garema Place or next door to Honky Tonks. Or if you prefer Google maps, just look up 5 Garema Place.
Meet a #Canberra Foodie: Megan (@Girlhassparke)
I recently had the pleasure of sharing a lunchtime meal with veteran of the Canberra blogging scene. A veteran you ask? Well, yes, she’s been blogging for over 5 years, that’s about 4 years and ten months longer than me, so I was hanging on her every word and looking for suggestions and sage blogging advice. Megan (better known as @Girlhassparke) recently impressed me with this cool and succinct post about a hidden little treasure in West Belconnen. I‘ll let you read it yourself and then visit it, and then think about how short our lives are in this amazing world, how lucky we are to live in Canberra, and how important it is to always try something new and take an unplanned peek around the corner, even in our own neighbourhoods and city.
Who are you Megan? I am Megan a 26 year old living in Canberra, Australia. By day, I am a legal policy officer, who toes the work dress code in an effort to satisfy my love of bright colours and fun pieces. I have a coffee addiction that I have managed to restrain to one cup a day (occasionally two).
When I am not working for the man you can probably find me eating, travelling, being with my friends or family, sweating it out at the gym or comatosed in a ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ marathon.
I have been blogging for four years at Time After Tea but decided that I wanted a fresh start with a blog that more accurately reflects my life, goals and dreams and where I am today thus the creation of ‘The Girl has Sparke’.
So why should you visit the ‘Girls got Sparke’? Because it is a normal girls story, and guide to getting the best out of life! For me that means making the most of the simple things but also setting my sights on the stars. This blog will talk about the little and the big and everything in between. Whether that is reviewing the cake store down the road, building a workable wardrobe, to planning overseas travel and investing money wisely.
I am on a mission to constantly strive for my goals, better myself one step at a time and share my passions with others. I also hope to learn and grow with people who read my blog and create an engaged community.
Age? 26
Where do you live? Scullin.
How long have you been blogging? For five years, previously at www.timeaftertea.com but more recently at www.thegirlhassparke.com .
Other hobbies? Travel, reading, exploring, shopping. I enjoy following some other amazing blogs such as www.garypeppergirl.com
Apple or Android Apple.
Car/Bus/Bike? Bus! <I’m guessing she’s looking forward to the free wifi on Action buses!>
Favourite TV show? True Detective, Homeland, Real Housewives of New York.
Favourite Devices? iPad, iPhone, Toshiba laptop.
Can we take a peek at your home screen?
Most used app? Afterlight (photo processing)
Favourite Social Media? Instagram
What’s the first thing online you check each morning? Twitter
What do you worry about at night? If I’ve turned the gas off on the stove J
Most exciting recent news? Planning a trip to Europe later this year!
Ideal Career? Political Advisor
Recent Book you recommend? The Snowchild by Eowyn Ivey
Recent online video you laughed at? http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/parody-kiss-video-features-dogs-article-1.1724262
Favourite Food? Mexican (her fave Mexican in Canberra is GYG)
You can learn more about Megan at www.thegirlhassparke.com
Megan is on twitter at https://twitter.com/Girlhassparke, and her Instagram account is http://instagram.com/thegirlhassparke
Meet a #canberra Foodie: Dr Gary Lum (@garydlum)
Dr Gary Lum is a well-known Canberra foodie to anyone on Twitter. As well as being an accomplished cook and social media practitioner, Gary is a great ambassador for our home town, despite the fact that his favourite NRL team are the Broncos …well, he was originally from Queensland! 🙂
I love Gary’s blog and it was great to read this page and learn more about him (the interview in the Canberra Times wasn’t satisfying enough!). I hope he always finds the time to keep up his prolific writing and cooking. I think he’s a great role model for any Canberra men who, who like me, want to improve themselves (physically and intellectually).
Who are you Gary? I’m a Brisbane boy in love with Darwin and living in Canberra. I grew up in Brisbane and completed my medical and specialty training there. The first consultant job I had was running territory-wide pathology services in the NT based at the Royal Darwin Hospital. I was there from 1996 until 2007. During that time I learnt a lot about medical management and spent some time outside my comfort zone managing the Royal Darwin Hospital. It was in 2002 that I did a seven month stint and bang in the middle of it terrorists struck in Bali. Along with the entire team at the hospital we went about receiving, resuscitating and then relaying on burns patients around the country. You can read my take on it at http://yummylummy.com/2012/10/12/the-2002-bali-bombings-my-experience-and-my-memories/ In 2007 I took up a position as a branch head in Australian Government to continue my career in health emergency management.
My love affair with food was ordained when I was born into a Chinese family. On my Mum’s side we’re fifth generation Australian but the only non-Chinese part was an Irish great great grand mother. My mother is a fabulous cook and she’s also a domestic science teacher. She taught me and my younger brothers the basics and we’ve never looked back. My father is also a good cook so growing up I was surrounded by excellent role models for cooking. While living in Darwin my eating habits became quite poor and my exercise routine consisted of walking to my car. At my peak I reached 100 kg which for a 170 cm tall bloke is obese. After reading various books and thinking about what I wanted to achieve I elected to go down the low carbohydrate route. As a medical practitioner I’m aware of the controversy and the risks. For me though, it helped me shed nearly 30 kg in a few months and maintain a weight at about 75 kg for some years. It got me into a position where I could exercise twice a day and keep trim. When I arrived in Canberra I started putting on weight again and this year returned to the low carbohydrate way of living. I had peaked to 82 kg and didn’t want to buy new clothes. I’ve quickly shed 6 kg and feel a lot better.
Age? I was born in 1965.
Where do you live? I live in Belconnen near Lake Ginninderra.
How long have you been blogging? I started the blog in August 2010 after exploring various social media platforms beginning that year. Having a blog seemed like a natural extension to being on twitter and tumblr.
Other hobbies? My hobbies are cooking, eating and photographing food. I’ve always enjoyed photography and in my clinical career collected a large collection of clinical images from patients with severe wound infections.
Apple or Android? Before smart phones I was a Diehard Windows PC man. I laughed at Mac users. In about 2008 though my experience with Windows had reached a nadir. How could Bill Gates let me down? I bought a MacBook and haven’t looked back. When smart phones became available I naturally bought an iPhone and then an iPad. For personal use I am exclusively Apple. I have no control what I use at work. That said, I love my work BlackBerry. It is simply the best tool for texting and writing e-mails on a handheld device. All that said, I have no criticism of android products. I’ve just never used them. The Apple products satisfy my needs.
Car/Bus/Bike? I love cars. I love big heavy thick metal plated cars, I love V8 engines and I love engines with minimal exhaust baffling. I love modified engines. I grew up with fitters and turners and they modified the engines of their cars and we loved driving fast. I love driving fast and one of the greatest joys was living and working in the Northern Territory when the Stuart Highway was an open road and I could drive the 1000 km from Darwin to Tennant Creek in less than six hours. My favourite car was my 1978 CL Chysler Regal Le Baron with a 265 cubic inch hemi six which breathed through a Holley 350 twin twin barrel and ran extractors to twin down pipes. After that I owned several V8 Falcons including an XE Fairmont Ghia with a 351 cubic inch Cleveland V8. I now drive a VW diesel because fuel costs so much money but I still dream of a big V8 in front of me with power to the rear wheels. I’ve never caught a bus in Canberra but I do own a bicycle. It’s gathering cobwebs at the moment.
Favourite TV show? I love everything Star Trek. The premise of Gene Roddenberry to have a better more ethical life exploring the universe really appeals to me. I fantasise about being the captain of a starship. Apart from Star Trek I enjoy The Big Bang Theory, Top Gear, Master Chef, My Kitchen Rules and the Great Australian Bake Off.
Favourite Device? I have an iPhone 5, an iPad 3, a MacBook Pro and an iMac. I wear a fitbit everywhere and share my stats daily to twitter and Facebook. For food photography I use a Nikon D90 at home and when I’m out a Canon PowerShot G16 because it has a nice f2 aperture and shoots in RAW. I’ve fallen for Adobe Lightroom for post processing.
Can we take a peek at your home screen?
Most used app? Twitter and Instagram are the most used apps.
Favourite Social Media? I’m addicted to Twitter and use three accounts, viz., @garydlum, @Yummy_Lummy and @DrGaryLum
What’s the first thing online you check each morning? My work e-mail, then personal e-mail, then WordPress, then Instagram, and then Facebook. I’ll also check in to a few places on Foursquare for good measure.
What do you worry about at night? I try not to worry. When something starts to disturb me I actively think other thoughts.
Most exciting recent news? Free wi-fi for Canberra town centres. That’s got to be a good thing. Hopefully Belconnen will get it soon.
Ideal Career? I’m doing what I enjoy now. I’m an adviser in Australian Government and an Honorary VMO in ACT Government.
Recent Book you recommend? Ship of the line by Diane Carey. It’s a Star Trek novel set over the TOS and TNG eras with some DS9 elements.
Recent online video you laughed at? I can’t remember but I’m sure it had cats in it doing silly things.
Favourite Food? My favourite food is congee or jook. It’s comfort food and great for Canberra winters. Very close is my Mum’s wonton soup because it’s communal food. My best wonton meal was a couple of years ago with my parents and brothers all participating.
You can learn more about Gary and his many passions at http://yummylummy.com/ . Gary is on twitter at @garydlum, @Yummy_Lummy and @DrGaryLum and here’s a link to his Instagram account.
The Canberra Times interviews four Canberra Food Bloggers
Link Posted on Updated on
The Canberra Times interviews four Canberra Food Bloggers Recently @MattRaggatt from the Canberra Times interviewed four Canberra food bloggers for the Food and Wine Supplement (comes out Wednesdays). The four bloggers were chosen after consulting with long-time Canberra blogger Liz Posmyk and I understand they were specifically looking for food bloggers who do a lot of cooking. The interviews are quite interesting and reveal a little bit more about some of my favourite food bloggers (Liz and Gary) as well as a couple of bloggers who I knew nothing about (Shari and Susan). It’s a good read! http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-blogs-finest-20140307-34bgv.html
Love this quick Canberra review by Tara’s parents
I love this quick Canberra review by Tara’s parents. Reminds me how much fun it is to take visitors around our beautiful city. Well done Tara! 🙂
All about Dr Gary Lum, well sort of
All about me, well sort of. is a great summary of a guy who is becoming one of my favourite bloggers to follow in Canberra. Dr Lum has a can-do attitude and the charts to prove he’s making progress. His cooking and food reviews are straight-up honest and fun to read. I hope he keeps blogging for a long time! 🙂
and yes, I will track him down and invite him to share a meal at his favourite affordable food joint in Canberra very soon!
Some wise advice about what lies around the corner …
I really enjoyed reading this great post from a fellow Canberran about the wonderful things that may lie just around the corner…
It reminded me of all the (often random) unplanned adventures I’ve had in life and all the wonderful surprises we can experience if we put our fears of the unknown to one side, at least temporarily.
As a very new blogger it also impressed me how much relatively young writers (through their blogs) can show wisdom beyond their years. We should always listen to people who have constructive and considered ideas to share.
Have a read and I hope you also enjoy it.
Meet a #Canberra foodie – James Tew (@TweetCanberra)
If you just read my previous re-post from James Tew’s blog http://raising3daughters.com/haha-bar/ you will know that as well as being a social media gun he’s an unfulfilled foodie! (which gives me an idea for another post – “what is a foodie?” – stay tuned for that one). James has recently burst onto the #CBR twitter scene after being sent to Canberra by the Navy from Perth. And Perth’s loss is our gain. Last Sunday I had the pleasure of enjoying a great brunch with him and his lovely family (wife Christine and three delightful daughters) at the Ha Ha Bar in Belconnen, where Christine works. We had a lot to talk about.
Who are you James? Well where do I start? I’m a Dad to three daughters, a husband to a function manager, an Australian Defence Force Officer, an online content manager at Tweet Canberra, social media coach, blogger, university student and an amateur bbq’er. I love social media, I love how I can connect to anyone and everyone at the same time. I specialise in Twitter and blogging and have been known to run a few workshops on those topics here in Canberra. I started Tweet Canberra on the 18th of Jan 2014 and I’ve taken it close to 1,000 followers (as of the beginning of March). It’s going from strength to strength but the general idea is that it connects the Canberra community on Twitter. I’ve seen a lot of support for Tweet Canberra, it’s solved lots of problems for people and has created a lot of value in this short period of time.
Age? 25 (26 next week)
Where do you live? Dunlop, Canberra.
How long have you been blogging? 2 years. My primary blog (raising3daughters.com) is coming up on 1 year but my personal blog (jamestew.me) where I talk about social media is going on two years. It’s under going some re-development at the moment, to make it mobile friendly and content rich.
Other hobbies? I’ve got three kids, they are fair non existent. I like reading, golf and barbecuing
Apple or Android? Real men have android. I was a Apple fan boy for many year, I still use a MacBook Pro but my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 runs my busy life.
Car/Bus/Bike? My bike has a flat tire and I haven’t fixed it so car. Plus I can’t put three girls on the handlebars.
Favourite TV show? At the moment I have a couple: Last man Standing (I see myself as Tim Allen in 20 years), House of Cards, Arrow, The Crazy ones, The Tomorrow People and I’ve just started watching Q and A
Favourite Device? My new MacBook Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Can we take a peek at your home screen? I like to keep it clean and minimal.
Most used app? Hootsuite followed closely by Gmail
Favourite Social Media? Twitter hands down. They don’t use an algorithm to tell me what I like to see (cough Facebook cough)
What’s the first thing online you check each morning? I open three tabs in chrome (they stay open all day) Gmail, Calendar and Hootsuite.
What do you worry about at night? I wonder what ungodly time my kids will wake up tomorrow…
Most exciting recent news? The Rum Bar is doing buy 1 get 1 free drinks for Tweet Canberra followers
Ideal Career? Social Media adviser/social media coach/blogger/public speaker/stay at home dad so I can all of them whilst spending more time with my girls.
Recent Book you recommend? The war of Art by Steven Pressfield
Recent online video you laughed at? Robin Williams is the star of the Crazy ones and in episode 7 of season one he takes on an advertising account for Australian Tourism. Needless to say he gets frustrated and does this http://youtu.be/v0NTYlR3Fhw
Favourite Food? I am a sucker for tapas but I love slow roast meat on a webber!
James is a great guy to follow if you want to keep up to date with news and happenings in Canberra. @TweetCanberra or if you want to share some daddy blogging or ideas @James_Tew. His blog is very impressive for a blogging newbie like me (it has all the bells and whistles I aspire to understand and utilise) raising3daughters.com
Meet a #Canberra foodie: Richard @richardtuffin
Our latest foodie interview is with Richard from atrtphotos.com . Richard is well known amongst #Canberra tweeps as he has been a regular organiser of #cbrtweetup over recent years. I think I first met Richard at a nearby winery where he dazzled us with his knowledge of Australian wine and appreciation of good cuisine and local wineries. Richard’s passion for Canberra (and photography that promotes our beautiful city) has led to him being a regular in local media with recent forays in the Canberra Times and on ABC 666 radio. He’s a long-time Canberran who loves this city and loves promoting it on a daily basis. He’s also a passionate AFL fan, following his beloved Carlton Blues. Richard is a proud progressive who wears his political heart on his sleeve. And it’s a big heart! I joined Richard for brunch at his favourite local eatery, Tilley’s in Lyneham.
Who are you Richard? I’m a father who enjoys everything Canberra has to offer. I love photography and recently started doing it professionally. I’m also experienced in Social Media and website constuction (WordPress, Drupl, Dreamweaver). If you like to hire a photographer for your function (corporate, family, weddings, etc.) you can contact me and check out my photos through my Google plus page.
A recent photo of Richard Tuffin with one of his smaller lenses outside of Tilley’s in Lyneham, Canberra.
Age 46
Where do you live? Tuggeranong.
How long have you been blogging? About two years.
Other hobbies? Photography, supporting AFL, parenting
Apple or Android? Always Android. Samsung all the way!
Car/bus/bike? Still car but I did aquire a mountain bike recently so I need to give that more love in the near future
Favourite TV show? I enjoy watching footy, #qanda and The Project
Favourite devices? Only ones that are for good (ie. Android).
Can we take a peek at your home screen? Richard asked “which one?” lols, then he said “Try this one”.
Most-used app? Twitter.
Favourite social media? See above!
What’s the first thing online you check each morning? www.CanberraTimes.com.au .
What do you worry about at night? The Coalition front bench…
Most exciting recent news? That you would be shouting me a free brunch at Tilleys!
Ideal career? Photo journalist.
Recent book you recommend? Don’t hold this against me but I’m gonna say the Bible!
Recent online video you laughed at? The new Speaker Bronwyn Bishop in Question Time. <Ed: I swear that was his answer>
Favourite food? 🙂 right now? free brunch at Tilleys! Also all the great cakes at @CBRCakeClub.
You can see some of the great photos which Richard took at the February Canberra Cake Club here.
Richard’s photography website can be found here: artphotos.com and you can follow him on Twitter @richardtuffin
CBRfoodie 