Review Index

Canberra & Region Cafes & Restaurants & Pubs
Alto - Revolving restaurant on Black Mountain
Banana Leaf - Sri Lankan and modern Australian, a favourite, in Civic.
Beppe's - Italian cafe & deli in Belconnen Fresh Food Markets.
Bharat - Very cheap & good Indian cafe in Belconnen
Blu Ginger - New Indian in Civic.
Cafe Momo - a pleasant and useful cafe in Bruce
Carlo's - cafe in Watson
Charcoal Restaurant - old fashioned steak house in Civic.
Cream - Large modern cafe/bar in Civic (and again)
Courgette - Fine dining at the university end of Civic.
Debacle - Good upscale pub/cafe in Braddon.
Delissio at Curtin - Mostly Italian cafe-restaurant, serves good food.
Dendy Premium - Cafe/Bar with in-seat service at the movies.
The Dumpling Inn - Good Chinese at Jameson
Edgar's - Neighbourhood pub at Ainslie shops
Elaine's Gourmet Pies - Excellent pie shop in Dickson.
Ellacure - Classy cafe/restaurant in Bruce.
Firestone - Woodfired pizza, Italian food and bar at Dickson
Flathead's - Fish & chippie at O'Connor shops.
Four Rivers - Szechuan and Yum Cha at Dickson. (More a mention than a review)
George Harcourt - Pub at Gold Creek Village.
Godori - A tiny Civic cafe with great Korean food
The Gods - Very nice cafe at ANU Arts Centre
Grazing - Fine dining with local produce in a historic old hotel at Gundaroo
Jewel Of India - Food-court fast Indian, with gorgeous naan.
Le Tres Bon - Lovely country style French restaurant in Bungendore
Lemongrass - Superior Thai food in Civic.
Little Thailand - Good standard Thai in Dickson.
Lerida Estate - Cafe in a winery (not a review, food not tried there.)
Lyneham Pide Hut - Reasonable Turkish pide joint.
Maddisons - Tuggeranong club restaurant, stone grill gimmick.
Merino Cafe - pretty country cafe in Gunning, nice food.
My Cafe, Manuka - Useful standard cafe in Manuka
My Friend - Cheap and cheerful Vietnamese, at Watson shops.
National Portrait Gallery Cafe - Pretty good cafeteria, near the lake in the tourist precinct.
The Oaks Brasserie & Gallery - Yarralumla garden cafe, bit exy & slow.
The Old Canberra Inn - Good old fashioned pub in Lyneham. Regular Blues nights.
ONA Coffee - public service lunch spot with very good coffee and curry.
Podfood - Cafe/Restaurant in Pialligo garden setting.
Pulp Kitchen - Ainslie brasserie with simple and good European dishes.
Rani's - Moderately cheap and cheerful Indian, in Civic.
Rocksalt - Relaxed modern Australian fine dining, in Hawker.
Rubicon - Fine dining in Griffith.
The Studio - The National Film & Sound Archive's charming courtyard cafe.
Rocksalt - Classy mod Oz restaurant at Hawker shops.
Satis - Great little vegetarian cafe at Watson shops.
Sub-Urban - useful bar with decent pub food, in Dickson
Taj Agra - Indian in Dickson
Tak Kee Roast Inn - Great Chinese BBQ in Dickson.
Tien - new Vietnamese in Dickson, seems promising.
Trattoria Italia - Italo-Australian club bistro, in Forrest.
TurkOz - Good Turkish pide house in Dickson, a favourite.
University House Cellar Cafe and Bar - lovely beer garden at ANU.
Vanilla Bean - Reliably good cafe in John Curtin building at ANU.
Yum Thai - A good Thai place in Dickson. (And they deliver!)
Zambrero's - Good fast food, Mexican style, in Civic.
Zen Yai - Thai, in Civic.
Zierholtz Brewery - Fyshwick brewery, recently added a German restaurant/bar.
Zucchero - simple and good cafe/patisserie on Manuka lawns


Canberra & Region Shopping
Ainslie IGA - umm, the Ainslie IGA.
Bharat and Exotic Spice Centre, two Indian grocery shops in Belconnen.
Bungendore Food Lovers - deli cafe, cures their own ham.
Bruno's Truffels - chocolatier and baker, cafe at Mawson
Canberra Region Growers' Market at EPIC. Essential!
Cedars of Lebanon - wonderful Lebanese grocery at Mawson
The Cherry Seed - cupcakes at Ginninderra
Choku Bai Jo - and again - new farmers' produce outlet in North Lyneham
The Cook and Grocer - small gourmet food supplier and cafe in Gungahlin
Cooking Coordinates - kitchenware retail, and a little kitchen theatre at Belconnen market
Eco Meats - organic butcher with interesting game selection, at Belconnen market.
Fresh Mart - middle Eastern baker and grocer at the Jamison centre.
Fruitylicious - amazing Italian & European deli and mixed business at Gungahlin
Handmade Market - local handcrafts, occasionally at the National Convention Centre (It outgrew the Albert Hall long ago).
Grandma's Little Bakery - cafe, bakery and middle eastern food shop on the highway near Collector.
The Hub Asian Supermarket - Huge and accessible south east Asian grocer at Gungahlin.
Kim's Groceries - Korean and Japanese groceries in Civic.
Knead - bread and patisserie at Belconnen Fresh Food market. Good coffee.
Night Markets by the lake, in winter.
Nuts About Bungendore - Hazelnut and chestnut orchard, pick your own, just outside Bungendore.
Pialligo - a region with several good things to check out
Saigon Grocery - a Vietnamese grocery shop with great fresh veggies

Other Canberra & Region
I decided not to bother indexing plays and concerts and other one-off events. You missed them already! I'll note some recurring items, though.

The Hive - semi-regular variety show at Gorman House. (Defunct as of 2009.)
National Folk Festival - a huge festival with a very wide definition of folk, annually at EPIC.
Stomp! - quarterly dance showcase & classes & dancing at the Albert Hall.
Tableaux Vivantes - art, music, dance and a wild blend of Canberra's subcultures at the Front.
Australian Blues Music Festival - annually, at Goulburn. Only an hour away.


Non-Canberra
Belmondo, the Rocks, Sydney
Byron Bay - various places
Cafe Albion - good Braidwood cafe
Cairns - lots of places mentioned here
Chocolate Dog - South Newtown cafe with good breakfasts
North Street Cafe, Bateman's Bay
Malaysian Laksa House, Sydney city cheapie in QVB basement
Melbourne Miscalleny, many places briefly mentioned
Monet, Bateman's Bay
Not Bread Alone, Crows Nest, Sydney
Red Oak, Sydney boutique brewery
The River Moruya - and again
Star Deli - reliable Bateman's Bay cafe/restaurant (not a deli)
Suzanne's Bakery, Mogo - and again
Tetsuya's! Sydney city. World famous.