I sneaked away from work on two occasions to head to lunch at Such and Such by the Canberra Theatre – it was quick solo dining.
I’m really happy to see a ‘Not Alcohol’ menu. On the two occasions, I try the Such and Such Shandy with peach, earl grey, lime and Heaps Normal XPA, and another citrus mocktail. I like that they are both decently priced at $8-10.
I order the flat bread with toum ($6 each). Toum is a Lebanese garlic aioli type sauce that’s pasted over the flat bread and sprinkled with salt. It is AMAZING. I love bread and this does not disappoint. The flatbread is still warm from the oven, the toum just melts into it, and I want another piece after I finish it all. I order this on both dining occasions because it’s that good.
The school prawns 666 spice ($18) have the shell on and are nice and crunchy. I love the combination of spices mixed throughout. It’s the prawn version of popcorn chicken.
The bbq beef and sesame ($13 each) is essentially a small skewer on a leaf that you are meant to eat all in one go. It’s quite pricey for just the one skewer but it does taste good – there’s char and a sticky sweet marinade.
One of the mains I try is the ricotta and cauliflower gnudi ($23) which is like a gnocchi but made with semolina rather than potato. It’s served in a small bowl and does not look like a lot, however the gnudi are very large pieces and I find myself getting full quickly. I love the crunchy crushed macadamias, mushrooms and cheese on top.
The pork and fennel ragu with pappardelle ($34) is even better with a beautiful slow-cooked fall apart ragu that isn’t too heavy for lunch. Again it looks like a small serve but it is filling.
For dessert, I try the strawberry rice ($20) consisting of jasmine rice, aerated white chocolate and stewed strawberries. This is a very light and delicate dessert while still giving me that sugary hit. I really want to try the chocolate plum cake but am told it is quite big and best shared between two.
Such and Such has a funky modern vibe indoors but you can also sit outside in the sunshine or underneath the shade of some umbrellas. The menu seems to change daily. If you want to try it out, I recommend you go with at least one other person and try the $100 set menu. It does work out cheaper than just going solo and trying 3-4 dishes on your own. It’s great to see another option for city and pre-theatre dining.
Such and Such
220 London Cct, Canberra
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