One of my readers told me to check out Two Hands Cafe in Fyshwick (thank you!). I’d never heard of this place and after finding its Facebook page, saw that it was only open Monday to Friday. On a day off, I headed to Two Hands to check it out myself. Plonked in the middle of Fyshwick, I spotted the bright turquoise painted cafe exterior with stripey awnings at one end of Lyell Street opposite a curtain shop. Some outdoor seating is provided under the shade of the trees and awnings. Plants along the window boxes and hanging baskets are a nice touch.
Inside, there’s more bright colour with plenty of photos and pictures decorating the walls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
I like this quirky shelf filled with charming items like teapots and teacups, and a photo of Pope Francis. Gives the place a more at-home feel.
I ordered the Good Times smoothie ($6) with mango, strawberry, yoghurt and milk. I wasn’t expecting it to come out in a massive tall stainless steel milkshake cup (shaker?). One of the best smoothies I’ve had – fruity, cold and tasted like ice cream. I only managed to finish half the smoothie as it was so filling and I needed to save room for the food.
The menu offers burgers, wraps, salads and a daily changing specials menu. There’s an Asian influence too with specials such as Malaysian curry, Indonesian roast chicken, Burmese beef salad and more. Most items are around the $15 mark or less. I decided on the pulled pork burger ($13) consisting of slow cooked and shredded pork, smokey BBQ sauce, melted swiss cheese and crunchy coleslaw. Again, this was a bigger serving than expected. Look at this bad boy.
It’s just spilling out with all that pork. Now to the important bits. The pulled pork (made on site) is tender and juicy with big chunks that easily pull apart.There’s hardly any fat and I found it was high quality meat. The swiss cheese had been grilled onto the top of the bun (you can just see it poking through in the photo). The quality of the bread itself is impressive and has been grilled perfectly – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The coleslaw is a good accompaniment giving a crunchy bite. Delicious! One of the best pulled pork burgers in Canberra.
What about the coffee? Well here’s an extract straight from Two Hand’s Facebook page:
Dear coffee drinkers….. At Two Hands, we use a single origin coffee, grown organically by village farming communities within the eastern highlands of PNG.
We work with local roasters, Niugini Arabica, to create a unique roast which results in an intense and aromatic coffee, with dark chocolate undertones and a hint of sweetness.
All our coffee shots use approximately 20 grams, extracted for approximately 26 seconds to create your espresso.
Enjoy.
Staff are happy to have a chat and the food comes out quickly. Honest, down-to-earth and unpretentious service. There are many locals that have discovered and frequent the cafe as I heard several walk in to be greeted by staff and ask for their regular orders. A lot of the items on the menu are home-made and I’m sure taste just as delicious as the pulled pork burger. Gluten free and vegetarian options are available. Prices are affordable (mostly under $15) for the quality of food served. Two Hands is also open for breakfast with multicultural influences on the menu with items such as Canadian waffles, Italian scrambled eggs, and a Mexican breakfast. There’s toasted muesli for a healthier breakfast too.
Two Hands is a hidden gem in Fyshwick and worth checking out!
Two Hands is located on Lyell Street in Fyshwick and is open Monday to Friday. Check out its Facebook page for daily updates on the specials of the day.
Foodgasm 9/10
Price 9/10
Service 8/10
FPJ score 26/30
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