The first meal I've cooked in a week turned out pretty yummy. We had grilled roo fillets, with a cajun spice rub. I accompanied the roo with baked potatoes and onions, a parsnip & pumpkin gratin, and some lightly steamed snowpeas. Lovely. There's cream in the gratin, but all the rest is low fat so it's not a heavy meal.
Recipe: Parsnip & Pumpkin Gratin
500g pumpkin
500g parsnips
1 cup cream
3 cloves garlic
a handful of fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add it and the herbs to the cream. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for an hour or so. Peel pumpkin and parsnips, slice finely, and layer in a baking dish or pie plate, drizzling strained cream over each layer. Bake for 45 mins at 190C.
Notes: Exact quantities? Meh. Use what you have. Herbs? Whatever's in the garden. Thyme matches the cajun rub, so that's a plus here.
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Monday, 10 December 2007
Thud!
I have made Dwarf Combat Muffins.
I actually tried to make bran muffins, on the theory that healthy portable breakfasts might be useful this week while I'm running round being an organiser at a conference. I used a recipe from 101Cookbooks, and being me, I made a few small substitutions. Oat bran instead of wheat bran; maple syrup instead of honey; macadamia oil instead of butter; low fat yoghurt instead of full-fat. I also made 12 regular size muffins, rather than mini-muffins.
I would have thought this would be OK. But no; they are very heavy. I'm not sure if it was because of my swaps, or because the recipe had so little leavening. 1 1/4 tsp carb soda seemed too little for 2 cups of flour, but I was trying to stick as close to the basic recipe as I could. I'll try again with SR flour, I think.
They are not a total failure - they're nice to the taste. Buttered hot from the oven, they were delicious. I ate two - and shortly after felt that it was a mistake. I was stuffed full of heaviness. I needed no lunch. Cold, they are too heavy to be nice, so they are useless to carry around. Unless perhaps you want to hurl heavy raisin-studded projectiles at an opponent.
I actually tried to make bran muffins, on the theory that healthy portable breakfasts might be useful this week while I'm running round being an organiser at a conference. I used a recipe from 101Cookbooks, and being me, I made a few small substitutions. Oat bran instead of wheat bran; maple syrup instead of honey; macadamia oil instead of butter; low fat yoghurt instead of full-fat. I also made 12 regular size muffins, rather than mini-muffins.
I would have thought this would be OK. But no; they are very heavy. I'm not sure if it was because of my swaps, or because the recipe had so little leavening. 1 1/4 tsp carb soda seemed too little for 2 cups of flour, but I was trying to stick as close to the basic recipe as I could. I'll try again with SR flour, I think.
They are not a total failure - they're nice to the taste. Buttered hot from the oven, they were delicious. I ate two - and shortly after felt that it was a mistake. I was stuffed full of heaviness. I needed no lunch. Cold, they are too heavy to be nice, so they are useless to carry around. Unless perhaps you want to hurl heavy raisin-studded projectiles at an opponent.
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Warm Beef Salad with Thai Dressing
A free day on the schedule at last, and I've done some shopping, some Xmas preparations, and made a nice salad for dinner. And blobbed on the couch with teh internets for a reasonable time.The shopping was highly successful - I now have some decent wet weather pants and a new motorcycle helmet, and the house is well stocked with cherries and mangoes and assorted sandwich makings and random Xmassy ingredients that I'm sure I'll think of some use for. Glace fruit and raisins and pistachios and cranberries. Bound to be useful.
And I am getting a new icecream maker! My old one had a freezer disc that went in the bottom of the bowl, but the disc started leaking. Anti-freeze flavoured icecream seems like a Bad Idea, so that's off to the bin - it's ten years old; no replacement parts seem to be available any more. Oh well. I'm getting an attachment for the KitchenAid, and the shop said they'd have it by Wednesday. And then they rang me to say they'd found one in the back room! I'll go get it tomorrow. Clotilde's chocolate sorbet is calling to me...
This isn't a proper thai beef salad, but it shares the basic flavours.
Recipe: Warm Beef Salad with Thai Dressing
Thai Dressing
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
Salad
4 cups mixed lettuce
1 large tomato
1/2 lebanese cucumber
3 spring onions
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves (1/2 bunch)
4 tablespoons chopped mint leaves (1/4 bunch)
Extras
1/4 cup mixed roasted nuts
1 bunch asparagus (8 medium stalks)
2 lean steaks (150-200g each)
Mix all dressing ingredients well. Taste and adjust flavours as desired.
Toss all salad ingredients in a bowl.
Heat grill, cook asparagus for 2 minutes, and then cook steak to required done-ness. Rare is best! Slice thinly.
When all is ready, assemble salad: toss through dressing, then top with steak slices, asparagus and nuts.
Serves 2 as a main meal salad.
Notes: Of course this is more of a concept than a recipe to be followed exactly. Use your favourite salad vegetables and extras. Proportions are flexible. You must have mint, coriander and onion - but spanish onion or shallots will do. Some thai basil would be a nice addition. The dressing is likewise important - it's a very strong flavour base, with a mix of sweet, sour, salt and hot. But if you have no palm sugar, then jaggery or dark brown sugar will do; and fresh chilli is good to use instead of flakes.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
The Salmon Report
A quick lunchtime post - the cured salmon worked well. I'm currently eating slices of it, together with a rice salad made of leftover brown rice, capers, cornichons, spring onion & mayo. I also have some radishes and sugar snap peas. Yum.
I left it to cure for a day and a half. When I lifted the salmon out of the brining bowl this morning, it seemed a little hard around the edges. But just sitting in my lunchbox in the fridge for a couple of hours has evened it out nicely.
Later edit: it keeps really well once it's cured. I finished the last chunk on the 15th.
I left it to cure for a day and a half. When I lifted the salmon out of the brining bowl this morning, it seemed a little hard around the edges. But just sitting in my lunchbox in the fridge for a couple of hours has evened it out nicely.
Later edit: it keeps really well once it's cured. I finished the last chunk on the 15th.
Monday, 3 December 2007
No time!
Successive days in the next couple of weeks look like this:
Tomorrow work drinkies & rehearsal; rehearsal; music lesson & rehearsal; work Xmas party & concert, SATURDAY!; concert; conference & dinner; conference & dinner; conference & dinner; conference, music lesson & rehearsal; conference & show; drinkies with friend & show; SUNDAY! MONDAY! Concert; WEDNESDAY! Rehearsal; dinner in Sydney; Saturday in Sydney; Concert; then finally on leave for Xmas Eve.
There's certainly not a lot of cooking time in there, although there is plenty of singing and eating.
The main concert is a Messiah, presented by CAMRA. Not a beer thing, this CAMRA a small organisation in which my singing teacher Pat is a major player; they put on a couple of major musical performances a year. It is going to be good; the choir is really nicely balanced with plenty of tenors. It's at St Phillips in O'Connor this Friday and Sunday, at 7.30pm. (Follow the link for details.) I also have a studio concert on Tuesday 18th, in which Pat's students sincg Purcell and Xmas music for each other and a few friends. And on Sunday 23rd Dec, my regular choir Cantorion (oops website out of date) will be singing at the National Museum of Australia - it's a free program of Xmas music, at 1pm.
And then in addition, work is busy. I'm on the organising committee for the conference, so that makes for a very hectic couple of weeks before and during. We're setting up local cheapie dinners for each night that it's on. I might squeeze in a few reviews here and there...
Tonight I was going to make that prawn noodle salad from Delicious, but it was raining and cold, so I ended up making the prawns into a stirfry instead. There's enough leftovers for a couple of meals, and we've got a good stock of salad and sandwich makings. But when I'll be shopping and cooking again, I don't really know. I do intend to make a cake, though it's way too late for my usual boiled fruit cake. That needs three months of maturing with regular brandy baths. But I have found an intriguing recipe with mashed pumpkin and dried apricots, so I'll be trying that out close to Xmas. We're spending Xmas at home. Peace and quiet - I hope!
Tomorrow work drinkies & rehearsal; rehearsal; music lesson & rehearsal; work Xmas party & concert, SATURDAY!; concert; conference & dinner; conference & dinner; conference & dinner; conference, music lesson & rehearsal; conference & show; drinkies with friend & show; SUNDAY! MONDAY! Concert; WEDNESDAY! Rehearsal; dinner in Sydney; Saturday in Sydney; Concert; then finally on leave for Xmas Eve.
There's certainly not a lot of cooking time in there, although there is plenty of singing and eating.
The main concert is a Messiah, presented by CAMRA. Not a beer thing, this CAMRA a small organisation in which my singing teacher Pat is a major player; they put on a couple of major musical performances a year. It is going to be good; the choir is really nicely balanced with plenty of tenors. It's at St Phillips in O'Connor this Friday and Sunday, at 7.30pm. (Follow the link for details.) I also have a studio concert on Tuesday 18th, in which Pat's students sincg Purcell and Xmas music for each other and a few friends. And on Sunday 23rd Dec, my regular choir Cantorion (oops website out of date) will be singing at the National Museum of Australia - it's a free program of Xmas music, at 1pm.
And then in addition, work is busy. I'm on the organising committee for the conference, so that makes for a very hectic couple of weeks before and during. We're setting up local cheapie dinners for each night that it's on. I might squeeze in a few reviews here and there...
Tonight I was going to make that prawn noodle salad from Delicious, but it was raining and cold, so I ended up making the prawns into a stirfry instead. There's enough leftovers for a couple of meals, and we've got a good stock of salad and sandwich makings. But when I'll be shopping and cooking again, I don't really know. I do intend to make a cake, though it's way too late for my usual boiled fruit cake. That needs three months of maturing with regular brandy baths. But I have found an intriguing recipe with mashed pumpkin and dried apricots, so I'll be trying that out close to Xmas. We're spending Xmas at home. Peace and quiet - I hope!
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Sorrel and Salmon
... though not together, which now I think of it is a pity. They ought to match rather well.
I got to the Growers' Market at EPIC yesterday, for the first time in months. Some changes are dramatic: with the November rains and the spring growth, prices have come way down on salads. Stone fruits are making an appearance, and the cherries are in, hurrah! I got me a kilo of beautiful dark Rons for $7, and I'm half way through them already. I have no restraint with cherries. The only recipe required for me is "Rinse. Eat."
I bought some sorrel, which I have never cooked before, and I ran a small experiment. After looking in my cookbooks and googling, I found that some people recommended cooking it for 10 minutes, and others recommended using it raw, or nearly so. I tried a small leaf, and it is deliciously lemony and tart, but with a slight astringency. This would make it unpleasant in bulk in a salad, but it should work as a herb accent.
I made myself a test sorrel omelet for lunch. First, I rinsed the sorrel, de-stemmed it, and shredded it finely. I cooked half of the sorrel well, by pan frying it gently in butter for 5 minutes. The other half I just blanched by pouring boiling water over it in a colander. The pan fried version reduces very quickly - two cups of very loosely packed shreds reduced to under two tablespoons of puree. I put the blanched version on one half of the omelet, and the puree on the other half, folded it up and ate it with some beautiful grainy sourdough toast. The result was unambiguous - well cooked wins! The lightly blanched half had more volume, and more in-your-face attitude, but it was also notably more watery. It also retained some of the astringency of the raw leaf. The pureed half balanced much better with the eggs, and was more delicate, while retaining a good lemony bite.
The salmon part of this post is another experiment, but even more uncontrolled. This month's Delicious has a cured salmon recipe, while Good Taste has a gravlax one. They are drastically different - one hour cure vs 2 days; 25og salt/sugar mix for 1kg salmon vs 750g salt/sugar for 300g salmon! Well, how can you go wrong with that range of options? I decided to make up my own.
Recipe: Cured Salmon
375g coarse sea salt
250g white sugar
rind and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons limoncello
400g skinless salmon fillet
Mix the salt, sugar, lemon rind, juice and limoncello together in a non-reactive bowl. Pin-bone the salmon and cut into 3 or 4 even sized pieces. Coat the pieces in the curing mixture, cover and refrigerate for some time: 1 hour to several days... When ready to serve, rinse well, and dry with paper towel. Slice finely.
Notes: I can't tell you how well this works, because I only put it in the fridge before lunch. You could leave the salmon whole if you have a nice even chunk. Also, that pin-boning thing is a pain. It's easy enough to detect the fine bones by running your fingers over the fillet. But getting them out isn't so easy. It helps to get a solid grip on them - my tweezers were not effective - and notice that the angle is determined by the grain of the flakes in the fish.
I got to the Growers' Market at EPIC yesterday, for the first time in months. Some changes are dramatic: with the November rains and the spring growth, prices have come way down on salads. Stone fruits are making an appearance, and the cherries are in, hurrah! I got me a kilo of beautiful dark Rons for $7, and I'm half way through them already. I have no restraint with cherries. The only recipe required for me is "Rinse. Eat."
I bought some sorrel, which I have never cooked before, and I ran a small experiment. After looking in my cookbooks and googling, I found that some people recommended cooking it for 10 minutes, and others recommended using it raw, or nearly so. I tried a small leaf, and it is deliciously lemony and tart, but with a slight astringency. This would make it unpleasant in bulk in a salad, but it should work as a herb accent.
I made myself a test sorrel omelet for lunch. First, I rinsed the sorrel, de-stemmed it, and shredded it finely. I cooked half of the sorrel well, by pan frying it gently in butter for 5 minutes. The other half I just blanched by pouring boiling water over it in a colander. The pan fried version reduces very quickly - two cups of very loosely packed shreds reduced to under two tablespoons of puree. I put the blanched version on one half of the omelet, and the puree on the other half, folded it up and ate it with some beautiful grainy sourdough toast. The result was unambiguous - well cooked wins! The lightly blanched half had more volume, and more in-your-face attitude, but it was also notably more watery. It also retained some of the astringency of the raw leaf. The pureed half balanced much better with the eggs, and was more delicate, while retaining a good lemony bite.
The salmon part of this post is another experiment, but even more uncontrolled. This month's Delicious has a cured salmon recipe, while Good Taste has a gravlax one. They are drastically different - one hour cure vs 2 days; 25og salt/sugar mix for 1kg salmon vs 750g salt/sugar for 300g salmon! Well, how can you go wrong with that range of options? I decided to make up my own.
Recipe: Cured Salmon
375g coarse sea salt
250g white sugar
rind and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons limoncello
400g skinless salmon fillet
Mix the salt, sugar, lemon rind, juice and limoncello together in a non-reactive bowl. Pin-bone the salmon and cut into 3 or 4 even sized pieces. Coat the pieces in the curing mixture, cover and refrigerate for some time: 1 hour to several days... When ready to serve, rinse well, and dry with paper towel. Slice finely.
Notes: I can't tell you how well this works, because I only put it in the fridge before lunch. You could leave the salmon whole if you have a nice even chunk. Also, that pin-boning thing is a pain. It's easy enough to detect the fine bones by running your fingers over the fillet. But getting them out isn't so easy. It helps to get a solid grip on them - my tweezers were not effective - and notice that the angle is determined by the grain of the flakes in the fish.
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.
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.
Recipe Index
Categories: Salads Soups Baking Desserts Veggies Mains Misc
Salads
Asparagus Salad
Balsamic Mushroom and Bean Salad
Caramelised Chickpea and Orange Salad
Cheese Salad
Chicken Noodle Salad
Finger Lime Vinaigrette
Greek Salad Dressing
Jicama Salad
Mixed Bean Salad
Rojak
Silverbeet and Orange Salad
Tarragon & Mustard Potato Salad - and a second variant
Tomato and Onion Salad (Indian)
Thai-ish side Salad
Soups
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Green Pea Soup
Leftover Roast Whatever Soup (and again)
Lentil and Chorizo Soup
Pea and Ham Soup
Pumpkin, Chestnut and Potato Soup (not a proper recipe)
Roast Tomato and Red Lentil Soup
Silverbeet and Lentil Soup
Desserts
Aussie Apple Compote
Boozy Fruit Compote
Caramel Cider Pears
Chocolate Sorbet
Cinnamon Icecream
Creme Brulee, Christophe's recipe with truffles
Creme Caramel, Maggie Beer's recipe
Fruit Sorbets
Generic Clafouti
Grapes in Yoghurt
Lemon Delicious Pudding
Midnight Black Fruit Compote
Orange Jelly
Rhubarb & Berry Sago
Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding
Sherry Berry Trifle
Stewed Rhubarb
Summer Pudding
Tiramisu
Baking - Cakes, Bread, Biscuits, Pies etc.
Also pancakes & dumplings & such. You know. Floury things.
5 Minute Chocolate Cake
Anzac Biscuits
Beer Bread
Berry Muesli Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Boiled Fruitcake
Buttermilk Scones
Cake decorating glaze
Chocolate Chickpea Cake
Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
Coconut Passion Cake
Cranberry Marmalade Muffins
Crazy Cake
Dumplings
Finger Lime Tart
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Hobart Berry Cake
Gingerbread
Iced Fruit Mince Scrolls
Impossible Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Maple Apricot Scones
Molasses Cookies
Muesli Bars
Muffin of the Week (random use-up)
No-Knead Bread
Orange Macaroons
Pineapple Upside Down Muffins
Pumpkin Fruit Cake
Pumpkin Pie
Raisin Polenta Cake
Raspberry Spice Cake
Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes - version 1, Donna Hay
Ricotta Mixed Berry Pancakes - version 2
Seedcake
Spinach and Cheese Damper
Sweet Potato Muffins
Treacle Bran Muffins
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Welsh Pancakes
Wheatless, Eggless, Butterless, Milkless, Sugarless Cake (for real!)
Xmas Cake (same as boiled fruitcake above)
Yoghurt Fruit Loaf
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Muffins (just ingredients, see Muffin of the week for technique)
Vegetarian Mains and Vegetable Side Dishes
Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios
Beetroot Greens Agrodolce
Braised New Potatoes
Briami (Greek potato, tomato & zucchini casserole)
Cauliflower/Macaroni Cheese
Cheat's Dhal Makhani (Three Tins Dhal)
Chestnut & Potato Mash
Dhal Panchphoran
Impossible Spinach Quiche
Mushroom Risotto
Pea & Lettuce sambal
Pumpkin & Parsnip Gratin
Roast Cauliflower with Sage and Almonds
Roast Tomato, Capsicum and Garlic Pasta Sauce
Saute Cabbage with apple
Smashed Potatoes (with duck fat!)
Sorrel and Brie Baked Frittata
Sorrel Omelette
Spiced Spinach (Moghlai Saag)
Spinach, Cheese and Rice Bake
Spinach Dahl
Spinach and Potato Bake (a random use-up, not quite a recipe)
Truffle Omelette
Truffled Mushroom Fettucine
Weeknight Baked Potatoes
Main Dishes, Non-VegetarianArrabbiata Pasta Sauce
Artichoke Dip
Asian Style Poached Chicken
Baked Beans With Ham
Baked Black-eyed Beans with Ham
BBQ Lamb with lemon and herbs
Beef Bourguignon
Beercan Chicken
"Bolognese" spaghetti sauce
Bourbon Marinade (for kangaroo)
Cassoulet
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
Carolina BBQ/Slow Cooked Pork (Slow Cooker)
see also the Turkey variant
Christmas Dinner Risotto
Corned Beef in Beer (Slow Cooker)
Cured Duck Legs
Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce
Greek Lamb Casserole (Slow Cooker)
Green Chilli Turkey (Slow Cooker)
Grillade des marinières du Rhône (beef casserole)
Ham and Ricotta Lasagne
Kangaroo Keema
Lamb and Black Bean Chilli
Lamb meatball curry
Lamb Saag (lamb and spinach curry)
Lamb and Spinach Curry (exactly the same but with more veggies and a different take on veggies.)
Larb (Thai minced pork salad)
Masak Fauzi (meat almost-curry in chilli & onion puree)
Meatloaf (a random fridge one, not really reproducable.)
Northern Thai Pork and Tamarind Curry
Pasta with Pesto, Bacon and Cream Sauce
Pasta Saltimbocca
Pulled Pork - aka Carolina BBQ/Slow Cooked Pork (Slow Cooker)
Pumpkin and Potato Kibbeh Topped Mince
Roast Chicken with stuffing and gravy
Seven Hour Saltbush Lamb (Slow Cooker)
Slow baked lamb with lentils
Shanghai Noodles with Brown Bean Sauce
Slow Roast Hoggett
Smoked Chicken Microwave Risotto
Spag Bog
Warm Beef Salad with Thai Dressing
Miscellaneous - drinks, dips, nibbles, pickles, preserves, sauces, breakfasts, or otherwise unclassifiedBrown Rice Porridge
Cured Salmon
Couscous porridge with apricot orange compote
Daikon Pickles
Duck Stock
Egg & Caviar Dip
Grapefruit Salad (breakfast, not dessert, IMO)
Gravy, traditional style from pan drippings
Honeycomb Toffee
Hot Toddy
Light Parsley Sauce
Mango Salsa
Native Pepper Dip
Okonomiyaki
Pesto, Traditional Basil
Pickled Garlic
Sage and Onion Stuffing, for chicken
Seville Orange Marmalade
Smoky Devils on Horseback
Spicy Feijoa & Green Tomato Chutney
Strawberry Jam
Vanilla Extract
Xmas Breakfast Eggs
Salads
Asparagus Salad
Balsamic Mushroom and Bean Salad
Caramelised Chickpea and Orange Salad
Cheese Salad
Chicken Noodle Salad
Finger Lime Vinaigrette
Greek Salad Dressing
Jicama Salad
Mixed Bean Salad
Rojak
Silverbeet and Orange Salad
Tarragon & Mustard Potato Salad - and a second variant
Tomato and Onion Salad (Indian)
Thai-ish side Salad
Soups
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Green Pea Soup
Leftover Roast Whatever Soup (and again)
Lentil and Chorizo Soup
Pea and Ham Soup
Pumpkin, Chestnut and Potato Soup (not a proper recipe)
Roast Tomato and Red Lentil Soup
Silverbeet and Lentil Soup
Desserts
Aussie Apple Compote
Boozy Fruit Compote
Caramel Cider Pears
Chocolate Sorbet
Cinnamon Icecream
Creme Brulee, Christophe's recipe with truffles
Creme Caramel, Maggie Beer's recipe
Fruit Sorbets
Generic Clafouti
Grapes in Yoghurt
Lemon Delicious Pudding
Midnight Black Fruit Compote
Orange Jelly
Rhubarb & Berry Sago
Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding
Sherry Berry Trifle
Stewed Rhubarb
Summer Pudding
Tiramisu
Baking - Cakes, Bread, Biscuits, Pies etc.
Also pancakes & dumplings & such. You know. Floury things.
5 Minute Chocolate Cake
Anzac Biscuits
Beer Bread
Berry Muesli Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Boiled Fruitcake
Buttermilk Scones
Cake decorating glaze
Chocolate Chickpea Cake
Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
Coconut Passion Cake
Cranberry Marmalade Muffins
Crazy Cake
Dumplings
Finger Lime Tart
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Hobart Berry Cake
Gingerbread
Iced Fruit Mince Scrolls
Impossible Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Maple Apricot Scones
Molasses Cookies
Muesli Bars
Muffin of the Week (random use-up)
No-Knead Bread
Orange Macaroons
Pineapple Upside Down Muffins
Pumpkin Fruit Cake
Pumpkin Pie
Raisin Polenta Cake
Raspberry Spice Cake
Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes - version 1, Donna Hay
Ricotta Mixed Berry Pancakes - version 2
Seedcake
Spinach and Cheese Damper
Sweet Potato Muffins
Treacle Bran Muffins
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Welsh Pancakes
Wheatless, Eggless, Butterless, Milkless, Sugarless Cake (for real!)
Xmas Cake (same as boiled fruitcake above)
Yoghurt Fruit Loaf
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Muffins (just ingredients, see Muffin of the week for technique)
Vegetarian Mains and Vegetable Side Dishes
Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios
Beetroot Greens Agrodolce
Braised New Potatoes
Briami (Greek potato, tomato & zucchini casserole)
Cauliflower/Macaroni Cheese
Cheat's Dhal Makhani (Three Tins Dhal)
Chestnut & Potato Mash
Dhal Panchphoran
Impossible Spinach Quiche
Mushroom Risotto
Pea & Lettuce sambal
Pumpkin & Parsnip Gratin
Roast Cauliflower with Sage and Almonds
Roast Tomato, Capsicum and Garlic Pasta Sauce
Saute Cabbage with apple
Smashed Potatoes (with duck fat!)
Sorrel and Brie Baked Frittata
Sorrel Omelette
Spiced Spinach (Moghlai Saag)
Spinach, Cheese and Rice Bake
Spinach Dahl
Spinach and Potato Bake (a random use-up, not quite a recipe)
Truffle Omelette
Truffled Mushroom Fettucine
Weeknight Baked Potatoes
Main Dishes, Non-VegetarianArrabbiata Pasta Sauce
Artichoke Dip
Asian Style Poached Chicken
Baked Beans With Ham
Baked Black-eyed Beans with Ham
BBQ Lamb with lemon and herbs
Beef Bourguignon
Beercan Chicken
"Bolognese" spaghetti sauce
Bourbon Marinade (for kangaroo)
Cassoulet
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
Carolina BBQ/Slow Cooked Pork (Slow Cooker)
see also the Turkey variant
Christmas Dinner Risotto
Corned Beef in Beer (Slow Cooker)
Cured Duck Legs
Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce
Greek Lamb Casserole (Slow Cooker)
Green Chilli Turkey (Slow Cooker)
Grillade des marinières du Rhône (beef casserole)
Ham and Ricotta Lasagne
Kangaroo Keema
Lamb and Black Bean Chilli
Lamb meatball curry
Lamb Saag (lamb and spinach curry)
Lamb and Spinach Curry (exactly the same but with more veggies and a different take on veggies.)
Larb (Thai minced pork salad)
Masak Fauzi (meat almost-curry in chilli & onion puree)
Meatloaf (a random fridge one, not really reproducable.)
Northern Thai Pork and Tamarind Curry
Pasta with Pesto, Bacon and Cream Sauce
Pasta Saltimbocca
Pulled Pork - aka Carolina BBQ/Slow Cooked Pork (Slow Cooker)
Pumpkin and Potato Kibbeh Topped Mince
Roast Chicken with stuffing and gravy
Seven Hour Saltbush Lamb (Slow Cooker)
Slow baked lamb with lentils
Shanghai Noodles with Brown Bean Sauce
Slow Roast Hoggett
Smoked Chicken Microwave Risotto
Spag Bog
Warm Beef Salad with Thai Dressing
Miscellaneous - drinks, dips, nibbles, pickles, preserves, sauces, breakfasts, or otherwise unclassifiedBrown Rice Porridge
Cured Salmon
Couscous porridge with apricot orange compote
Daikon Pickles
Duck Stock
Egg & Caviar Dip
Grapefruit Salad (breakfast, not dessert, IMO)
Gravy, traditional style from pan drippings
Honeycomb Toffee
Hot Toddy
Light Parsley Sauce
Mango Salsa
Native Pepper Dip
Okonomiyaki
Pesto, Traditional Basil
Pickled Garlic
Sage and Onion Stuffing, for chicken
Seville Orange Marmalade
Smoky Devils on Horseback
Spicy Feijoa & Green Tomato Chutney
Strawberry Jam
Vanilla Extract
Xmas Breakfast Eggs
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Metapost
I've been rethinking this blog thing. Actually, Kate Harding made me do it. She's just got into the A-list blogerati, which is a fine achievement for a fine blog. I refuse to countenance the "word" "bloglebrity", despite its use here on the very page that does the classification into list groups. There's a little widget for you to test your own blog, so of course I did. I expected to be Z-list, if there is such a thing. And there isn't, so I make D-list. Wheee!
Apparently, to be influential, you need to post persistently and often. Certainly some of my favourite blogs not only refresh pretty much every day, but even have several posts per day. Kate Harding and PZ Myers spring to mind. But this isn't true of all of them - Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini is updated much less frequently.
I'd rather like to be a Clotilde, only for Canberra rather than Paris. That sounds like a comedown, doesn't it? But Canberra has its good side, and Australia in general can easily rival France for quality and variety of food. Anyway, I don't think my posting frequency is going to slow me down. But it is about the quality of the content. And to bring that up to scratch I should consider my hypothetical audience, not just my friends.
So hello, hypothetical audience. I imagine that you are probably from Canberra, or at least planning to visit, or maybe moving here. In that case, my reviews and local activities will be of interest, even if you don't care for my recipes and cooking tips. You might like both, of course, but there's no guaranteed overlap. Or you may be a food-lover who has wandered in from a skeptic or atheist message board, since those are the places I hang out on the net. In that case, a few recipes will be the main thing for you, and perhaps the odd thoughts on topics totally unfoodie. Also, I'm sure I need more pictures. By coincidence, I've just got a new phone with a camera. That should be a bit easier than remembering to dig out the SLR whenever I go out for a meal.
To help keep things clear for this hypothetical audience, I need to have separate posts for separate topics. And things need to be easier to find. So in the interest of clarity, I'm going to create a recipe index and a review index; and before it's too late I will rethink my labels. "Food" was a bad idea, for instance, and I've used it inconsistently. I'm much more in need of a "not food" label. Oh yes, I have one: "blah blah blah".
The management apologises for any disruption to service while this fiddling about is going on. And also for how long it's going to take, because why would I reorganise a blog at the busiest time of year for me, when I've got performances and conferences and all the Xmas prep to do? Procrastination is the only plausible answer, and maybe that's not a good thing. But at least I can start with the multiple small posts vs one big post plan.
Apparently, to be influential, you need to post persistently and often. Certainly some of my favourite blogs not only refresh pretty much every day, but even have several posts per day. Kate Harding and PZ Myers spring to mind. But this isn't true of all of them - Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini is updated much less frequently.
I'd rather like to be a Clotilde, only for Canberra rather than Paris. That sounds like a comedown, doesn't it? But Canberra has its good side, and Australia in general can easily rival France for quality and variety of food. Anyway, I don't think my posting frequency is going to slow me down. But it is about the quality of the content. And to bring that up to scratch I should consider my hypothetical audience, not just my friends.
So hello, hypothetical audience. I imagine that you are probably from Canberra, or at least planning to visit, or maybe moving here. In that case, my reviews and local activities will be of interest, even if you don't care for my recipes and cooking tips. You might like both, of course, but there's no guaranteed overlap. Or you may be a food-lover who has wandered in from a skeptic or atheist message board, since those are the places I hang out on the net. In that case, a few recipes will be the main thing for you, and perhaps the odd thoughts on topics totally unfoodie. Also, I'm sure I need more pictures. By coincidence, I've just got a new phone with a camera. That should be a bit easier than remembering to dig out the SLR whenever I go out for a meal.
To help keep things clear for this hypothetical audience, I need to have separate posts for separate topics. And things need to be easier to find. So in the interest of clarity, I'm going to create a recipe index and a review index; and before it's too late I will rethink my labels. "Food" was a bad idea, for instance, and I've used it inconsistently. I'm much more in need of a "not food" label. Oh yes, I have one: "blah blah blah".
The management apologises for any disruption to service while this fiddling about is going on. And also for how long it's going to take, because why would I reorganise a blog at the busiest time of year for me, when I've got performances and conferences and all the Xmas prep to do? Procrastination is the only plausible answer, and maybe that's not a good thing. But at least I can start with the multiple small posts vs one big post plan.
Vietnamese FTW
Mmm, Vietnamese. One of the great cuisines of the world.
I had a little synchronicity event yesterday. The Dec/Jan edition of Delicious has a recipe for a Vietnamese prawn & glass noodle salad, which I instantly wanted to make. And when I dropped into a second hand bookshop (to buy a copy of Black Beauty as a Secret Santa gift for someone on an internet forum that I frequent) I found a Vietnamese cookbook. It's Lemongrass and Lime, and I just had to have it, because the pictures are so beautiful. Even if at one point it shows a picture of longans and labels them as mangosteens. Huh.
And the final touch was that the Bloke and I and a friend went for dinner to our local Vietnamese. We're back on the rice and spice train now - I knew the all-western kick wouldn't last long. Our local is "My Friend" at Watson shops. It's your standard Asian cheap and cheerful in style, with plastic tablecloths, BYO license, fake flowers, Vietnamese popular art on the walls, and a long menu. They do home delivery, and I was very glad of their chicken and sweetcorn soup while I was so repeatedly sick last winter. The bloke was also glad of it as I was not cooking, and he doesn't care to cook for himself.
The service is just fine for the kind of place it is: attentive enough without hovering, casual but competent. They give you a basket of prawn chips to nibble while you peruse the menu, which is a nice touch, and the food generally arrives in good time.
Their food is pretty good, too. It's not full-on gourmet, but it fills the local niche nicely. We had some truly excellent prawn and pork ricepaper rolls, a prawn and chicken hotpot, pork with cashews and snowpeas, and beef with lemongrass and chilli. Add in some garlic fried rice, some plain steamed rice, and whatever they charge for corkage for our 6-pack of beer, and it was $60 to stuff 3 people very full. There are minor flaws: they tend to overdo the sugar, soy and salt in their dishes, and at other times I've found their chicken stir fries to be too fatty for my taste. But the vegetables are fresh and crisp, and the pork is nice and lean, and it's served piping hot, and it hits the spot very well with a cold beer or three.
It's a very convenient local and I'm very glad we have it. I'd recommend it to anyone in the inner north area, though it's probably not worth specially trekking across from distant suburbs. I'm sure you have your own local cheap and cheerfuls.
I had a little synchronicity event yesterday. The Dec/Jan edition of Delicious has a recipe for a Vietnamese prawn & glass noodle salad, which I instantly wanted to make. And when I dropped into a second hand bookshop (to buy a copy of Black Beauty as a Secret Santa gift for someone on an internet forum that I frequent) I found a Vietnamese cookbook. It's Lemongrass and Lime, and I just had to have it, because the pictures are so beautiful. Even if at one point it shows a picture of longans and labels them as mangosteens. Huh.
And the final touch was that the Bloke and I and a friend went for dinner to our local Vietnamese. We're back on the rice and spice train now - I knew the all-western kick wouldn't last long. Our local is "My Friend" at Watson shops. It's your standard Asian cheap and cheerful in style, with plastic tablecloths, BYO license, fake flowers, Vietnamese popular art on the walls, and a long menu. They do home delivery, and I was very glad of their chicken and sweetcorn soup while I was so repeatedly sick last winter. The bloke was also glad of it as I was not cooking, and he doesn't care to cook for himself.
The service is just fine for the kind of place it is: attentive enough without hovering, casual but competent. They give you a basket of prawn chips to nibble while you peruse the menu, which is a nice touch, and the food generally arrives in good time.
Their food is pretty good, too. It's not full-on gourmet, but it fills the local niche nicely. We had some truly excellent prawn and pork ricepaper rolls, a prawn and chicken hotpot, pork with cashews and snowpeas, and beef with lemongrass and chilli. Add in some garlic fried rice, some plain steamed rice, and whatever they charge for corkage for our 6-pack of beer, and it was $60 to stuff 3 people very full. There are minor flaws: they tend to overdo the sugar, soy and salt in their dishes, and at other times I've found their chicken stir fries to be too fatty for my taste. But the vegetables are fresh and crisp, and the pork is nice and lean, and it's served piping hot, and it hits the spot very well with a cold beer or three.
It's a very convenient local and I'm very glad we have it. I'd recommend it to anyone in the inner north area, though it's probably not worth specially trekking across from distant suburbs. I'm sure you have your own local cheap and cheerfuls.
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