On Lonsdale Street in Braddon, you will find The Hamlet – a dining precinct in itself. The large space (an old car yard) has been turned into a new home for Canberra food vans and food trucks. There you will find BrodDogs, Mr Papa, Spit Shack, April’s Caravan, Dream Cuisine, Chasing Mr Morris, Free Range, The Brathaus with more to come.
There are a few outdoor tables and benches, and more seating underneath a large undercovered space. I expect this place to be pretty packed on a weekend. The large black shipping container on the right is apparently going to sell fresh produce in the near future.
The Chasing Mr Morris van (named after the Morris van itself and owned by the team at Nookie Espresso) looks funky and has hot and cold coffee options. A small cabinet usually displays freshly made donuts but there were no food options that day (this was during the New Year shut down period). I must go back for some donuts!
Love this golden Darth Vader in the van. I was told it was picked up at the tip and that the original owner had stopped by completely surprised to see it again.
If you can fit, there’s a small bench inside the van.
It was a hot day and I wanted an iced coffee. There are two iced coffee options at Chasing Mr Morris – the Drew Drew (espresso shot with hazelnut and bonsoy over ice) or the Nam Nam (a Vietnamese iced coffee consisting of a long black and condensed milk over ice) both $5. I didn’t feel like anything too sweet so I chose the Drew Drew. Exactly what I needed! Be sure to mix the hazelnut in with everything else.
I then headed to Mr Papa. Specialising in Peruvian street food, some of you may recognise it from The Forage events. I ordered the chicken empanada ($7) and chanchito ($12).
There are three types of condiments you can help yourself to at the front counter.
The empanada casing was soft, slightly sweet and thicker than I thought it would be. The filling of chicken and egg was yummy but there wasn’t enough of it. I absolutely loved the green sauce (looks like the Lima sauce at the front counter) which I can best describe as aioli-like.
The chanchito is filled with slow cooked pork belly, sweet potato and salsa criolla. The pork belly is AMAZING – so mouthwatering, juicy and not too fatty. Cooked to perfection. The criolla adds punch to the chanchito with the sliced Spanish onions adding awesome pepperiness and crunch. A must try!
Friends headed to the Spit Shack which I reviewed a few months ago at the Pialligo location (it’s also in Braidwood). They do the best lamb and pork rolls with gravy and crackling. They also cook their own pig and lamb on a spit in all locations.
The lamb roll is my favourite and stuffed full of massive chunks of meat. The regular foot long roll is $12.90. The Spit Shack recently introduced a two foot long roll ($25) and a 6 inch roll ($7.90).
I noticed an indoor part to The Hamlet and peeked into one of the windows where I found two wood-fired pizza ovens. A sign for 10 inch custom pizzas is up against the window. So we also have freshly made pizzas to look forward to! 
The official launch party of The Hamlet is due this month once all food vans are settled in. This is a great concept and provides more variety and quick service to customers in the area. A Canberra Times article mentions The Hamlet is temporary and will be open for 3 years before the building is redeveloped.
Head to The Hamlet’s Facebook page for more information. It should be open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. The Hamlet is on Lonsdale Street (opposite Waves carwash).
Foodgasm 7.5/10
Price 7.5/10
Service 8/10
FPJ score 23/30
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