Reflecting back over the year on the last day of 2019, here are my favourite Canberra dishes of the year! (in no particular order).
Poachers Pantry smoked duck breast
The smoked duck breast with foie gras, spiced pear puree, French plum and buttered spinach as part of the Spring tasting menu. We could smell the smokiness of the duck breast which was beautifully pink, succulent and mouthwatering. A well-balanced dish with duck liver foie gras matched with the sweetness of the pear puree and beetroot syrup.
Lamsheds’ asparagus and whipped ricotta
The asparagus with whipped ricotta and zucchini ribbons has a wonderful balance between the sweet currants, crunchy asparagus and pinenuts, all tied in nicely with the mild zucchini and creamy thick ricotta. Such a refreshing dish!
Les Bistronomes’ Beef wellington
Besides the fact that it looks amazing, how beautiful is the pastry? The Les Bistronomes’ beef wellington is succulent and tender in a beautiful shade of pink and comes with a jug of gravy. Just delicious.
Cinnabar’s wasabi beef
Though expensive at $28.80 for a small portion of the wok-fried wagyu beef with wasabi and ginger, I’ve ordered this dish from Cinnabar at least 3 times. The beef is so tender and the sauce is flavourful with a hint of wasabi.
That Italian Place’s Casarecce
The casarecce with pork neck ragout from That Italian Place in Braddon is a sizeable portion with a simple tomato base, combined with slow-cooked pork so that the meats falls apart easily. A well executed simple and delicious Italian pasta.
Miss Van’s takeover of Baby Su – fried chicken banh mi
In the middle of the year, Miss Van’s took over the Baby Su kitchen. I’m still thinking of the amazing fried chicken banh mi. Gigantic with a very generous serve of juicy fried goodness. I hope they do another take over soon! (The next best banh mi is from Ms Ba Co).
Raijin’s black curry
The perfect winter comfort food, Raijin‘s kuro black curry with chicken katsu is a velvety and slightly nutty curry with an initial chilli kick that transforms into an even heat distribution. The black curry is made via a mix of bittersweet chocolate and Japanese curry. This comes with cheesey scrambled eggs and rice.
Super Bao’s braised pork rice
At only $12, Super Bao’s slow cooked pork is tasty, fragrant and full of flavour. The sauce alone over steamed rice is amazing, and balanced out with some pickled radish on top. One of the best places to get a braised pork rice since Taipei.
Yumcha @ CBD’s pork ribs
The Imperial Pork Ribs from Yumcha @ CBD comes served swimming in a gravy-like sauce. The whole rib is intact so it needs to be pulled apart. One touch of a knife and the meat fell off so easily. I really enjoyed this dish and the fact that it came with so much sauce (which is amazing on steamed rice). I’m not sure what was in the sauce – perhaps a plum, soy, and Worcestershire mix, but it was fantastic.
Raku
Basically everything from Raku! Delicious sashimi, oysters, and dessert. I’ve enjoyed the $80 tasting menu, and the $40 express lunch (not cheap but you do pay for quality).
XO’s Asian bolognese
A beautiful marriage between a chicken ragout, udon noodles and a 60 degree egg. The bolognese is rich and flavourful, and the egg adds a creaminess to the dish when mixed in. I’m not usually a fan of Asian fusion, but this works so well.
What are your favourite dishes?
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