A weekend at Canberra
He’s been everywhere, Man.
… and I tagged along with Amelie to Australia Capital Territory, Canberra.
The Pom, AKA the “Everywhere Man“, has now travelling over 9500km and visited 40 towns out of the 93 places written in the song “I’ve been everywhere, man”, by Geoff Mack. Funny how the words spread, the Pom is now quite a celebrity among all the small towns he has visited, and also getting lots of media attentions from the local newspapers and radio stations. His next journey will be some times in March. So if you are or know someone from the places that he has yet to visit, make sure to drop him a line and let him know what he can expect or anything he must see while in towns.
It is a only short trip and we decided to bring our pooch Amelie with us for a weekend getaway instead of sending her to a boarding house. Having a dog with us does change the dynamic of the road trip, especially taking extra attentions on planning – a pet-friendly accommodation for instance. Fortunately we found the Canberra Retreat runs by Judy who is more than happy to welcome Amelie into her home. The back extension of the house has been turned into a cosy Bed & Breakfast, fully equipped with kitchen utilities and breakfast is already prepared for us every morning, a beautiful oriental en suite with rustic Art Deco decorations reminiscing throughout the whole place. Amelie settling in almost instantly and treated the place likes her own home, which is always a good sign.
There are actually more than just breakfast Judy had prepared for us. We were actually served with a strong daquiri and morsels of goat cheese tarts to welcome our arrival. The breakfast on the first morning was a simple affair of cereal, croissants, bread with homemade preserves and kumquat jams, made from the citrus trees at the back of the house. Here is Amelie hoping that the Pom will drop some crumbs on the floor for her. 
click to enlarge
The breakfast pie
The next morning, Judy brought us a pie for breakfast. A pie? Breakfast? The breakfast pie is still piping hot straight out from the oven. I cut it open and revealing two large hard-boiled eggs with bright yellow yolks sitting in the middle, topped with layers of bacons, then baked with even more eggs poured all over it inside a gorgeous golden puff pastry. This is actually the first time I see a breakfast pie and definitely a nice recipe to keep in the repository. Definitely a breakfast that I would make one day for those special mornings when I just feel like something bit more luxurious.
Clockwise L to R: Amelie is happy out travelling with us; the tiring looking sign outside restaurant; Garlic bread - 4.00; La Dolce vita menu
La Dolce Vita – Kingston
There are some good restaurants in Canberra that I would like to visit but that will have to wait when we don’t have our pooch with us. Pooch = outdoor seatings, fast! We decided to head into Kingston, where there are quite a few restaurants spread out within two blocks. On the first night we settled at La Dolce Vita, an Italian restaurant with mainly pizza and pasta on the menu. First thing I noticed is the price which is actually quite steep and it is not just this particular restaurant. I found that most restaurants in Canberra is actually charging Sydney prices. I don’t mind to pay a good price for a good meal, but I was actually very disappointed with what I was offered with the money that I paid for.
The Pom orders Chinotto to drink but only been told it is sold out. What do you mean sold out Chinotto in an Italian restaurant? They are having a laugh. We eventually settled on lemon, lime & bitters and also decided to grab some garlic breads as starter, only then it came out as two thin slices of white bread with butter spread and garlic sprinkles. I was half eating it and still grumbling in dissatisfaction, pulled out the camera and took a shot of it.
Penne Alpollo - 18.90
The Pom orderes the Penne Apollo, which look betters than its taste. The pasta itself is a little below al-dante, tossed in garlic and shallots served with a few fair chunks of chicken pieces. I find it a little under seasoned and on the dry side, “with a hint of chilli” as promised on the menu, was actually just a little sprinkle of paprika instead of dry chilli flakes that I’d hoped for.
Filleto é Gambari - 29.80
Paprika must be cheap, my Filleto é Gambari is also heavily covered in red powder. A supposedly medium-rare Scotch fillet is topped with garlic prawns on a creamy white wine sauce, served with couscous, green beans, grilled vegetable and a green salad. I’ve learned a trick from Helen (GrabYourFork) when asked how I would like my meat to be cooked – “When in doubt, always go for medium rare; as usually the meat will come out cooked a little longer than you’d asked for”. This theory has been proven on many occasions and despite my order for a medium-rare; my fillet is actually medium-well done; almost too dry to chew. I also noticed the size of the scotch fillet is more like a steak than a fillet.
A very expensive lesson learned.
Bann Latsamy
On our second night, we ventured out to Manuka and just wanted a simple meal after the disappointment the night before. We found Bann Latsamy, a Laos-Thai restaurant in the arcade with outdoor seatings shy away from the public walkway in an alcove, and decided to give it ago. It took us a while to get the attention from the waitress to bring us the menu and drink. After getting the menu, it was another long wait to get her back to our table to take our orders. She was apologetic, explaining that it was her first day at work and stressing out; but I would have expect that at least she could have learned and memorised the menu a little, instead of having me to point at the items on the menu and she then copied word by word and said, “I actually don’t even know what the dishes are.” Hmm… not good for business to say that to a customer, but at least she was honest.
Another thing I noticed is all restaurants in Canberra have drinking water bottles subsidised by the government and the Department of Health and Ageing, with slogan “Count your drinks for better health” on it. I think that’s pretty nifty to have a joint initiative like this.
crispy wrapped prawns (4pcs) - 9.90
I am glad that the food here at Bann Latsamy made up for all the little mistakes. We shared an entree of king prawns wrapped in wonton skins, then deep fried to a crunching crispness. The prawns are firm and bouncy, what a fresh prawn should be. Wrapped up nicely with traditional thai sweet chilli dipping sauce and mayonnaise.
Som Tum - 15.90
click to enlarge
Don’t be deceived by the dull looking Som Tum here, it packed quite a deadly heat just as what a good Som Tum should be. The shredded green papaya salad is very strong in flavour of the pungent Thai fish sauce, with only a few cherry tomatoes on top and some shredded cabbage on the side. The Pom believes that the heat level is bearable, until he had his third and fourth mouthful of the salad then realises it is time to reach for that glass of water.
Instead of steamed jasmine rice, we go for the sticky rice which served in the traditional bamboo-woven basket, which is in a fancy, quirky, disconcerting shape of a bomb.
Stir Fry Drunken Style with Chicken - 19.90
We had our eyes on the hot pot roast duck, but unfortunately it has been sold out for the evening and settled on the Stir Fried Chicken in Drunken Style. Can’t really taste any “drunken” character in the dish, but it is a hot dish with generous amount of tender chicken, stir fried with bamboo shoots, soft tofu cubes, fresh beans and carrots, garnished with a long stem of young green peppers. This dish is the hottest among them all.
three season fish - 24.90
Another dish on the special menu, the three season fish is possibly my favorite of this evening. The generous slices of Ling fish fillet are battered then deep fried till golden brown topped with three different sauces and served on a bed of steamed green vegetables. I am bit confused whether it supposed to be three different sauces, or a sauce combined with three different flavours? Either way, the sweet and sour chilli sauce really brings out the flavour of the Ling Fish.
I had a quick chat with the boss while paying the bill and only soon found out that they are actually from Laos, that explains Laos-influenced on most dish. Laos food has definitely become one of my favourite food after visiting the country last year.
We absolutely enjoyed the trip to Canberra, checking out the Masterpieces from Paris, and stopping over at some towns which are off the beaten tracks. Perhaps I will have a better luck with the food next time when I am in Canberra.
Canberra Retreat Bed & Breakfast 7 Barada Cres Aranda Canberra, Australia 2614 Phone 02 62511999 Mobile 0438 511991 La Dolce Vita Restaurant 34 Giles St, Kingston ACT 2604 Phone: (02) 6295 7877 Opening Hours Mon - Sun 12pm - 2pm; 6pm - 10pm Baan Latsamy Shop 9 Flinders Way 2603 Ph: (02) 6295 0426 Opening Hours Monday - Sunday 11am - 10:30pm
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
awww Amelie is just the cutest dog ever!
It’s been yonks since I’ve been to the berra. Looks good, even if paprika is smothering lots of dishes
.-= Iron Chef Shellie´s last blog ..Eating Out: Moka Pot Cafe =-.
Mmm breakfast pie looks awesome! I always order my steaks “rare” if I want “medium-rare”, and only on one occasion has it actually come out as a rare steak so I think Helen’s trick is a keeper! LOL at the bomb-looking basket haha
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday =-.
Manuka is a nice suburb but it’s a little tricky to find a nice and authentic Asian restaurant. The breakfast pie is a brilliant idea.
yay! Canberra!
Haven’t been the the asian, but have had the italian several times. They seem to cope well with groups
OH NOOOOO the meat was ruinnneedddd… ruuiinneeeddddddddddddddd /sob sob sob
the pie looks awesome tho mmm
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Sepia – Sydney CBD, Sydney (Valentines & CNY 2010) =-.
Hello Amelie! woof woof!
.-= ladyironchef´s last blog ..Boathouse Fullerton: Best New Restaurant =-.
Awww Amelie! Yay for pet-friendly accommodation! Will def check this place out for my next getaway
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Beef and Beer Tasting Dinner @ Mumu Grill, Crows Nest =-.
Aww.. That’s a shame about the Italian restaurant. At least the Laos one made up for it.. And what an awesome breaky pie!
I live in Canberra and the food scene is really really bad. There are only a few restaurants that are good and most of the places are so expensive… I will have to try the Baan Latsamy though.
Sounds like you had a nice little getaway. Not happy about the overcooked meat, something tells me I’d be sending that one back.
ps Amelie is adorable!
.-= john@heneedsfood´s last blog ..Lorca, Melbourne CBD =-.
Wow, that puppy doesn’t look like so much of a puppy anymore!
Nice pics Billy
Wow, the breakfast pie at La Dolce looks really fab. Canberra isn’t so boring after all!
.-= joey@FoodiePop´s last blog ..Tomislav (Modern Australian) – Darlinghurst =-.
It was great to have you and Amelie along for the Canberra trip. I think Amelie blended right in at the B&B – a home from home for her.
.-= Peter´s last blog ..Kurrajong, NSW =-.
Wooooo~~
Loved the pie pics~~ something i could try too!!!
Hope u had a good time here in Canberra…this little humble town of ours =)
.-= Yuki´s last blog ..It’s Jazz Apple Cafe again! =-.
Enjoyed the post.
Dining in Canberra can be patchy (wouldn’t go as far to say it is ‘really, really bad’) and you need to do a little checking to avoid the bland. Kingston has a concentration of so-so Italian restaurants and La Dolce Vita is normally dependable, although it does have its quirks (try ordering lasagne for example).
One question occurred. When you have a sub-par meal like this one, do you mention it to the staff (and if so how do they handle it)?
I live in canberra too. I’m a student so i can’t afford to eat in pricey areas like mauka or kingston. My favourite places to eat would be Essen in the city and Chinese Kitchen in woden (get the noodle soup, it’s amazing).
Great post anyway. It was nice to see a post from a person not from Canberra that didn’t completely bash it.
I lived in Canberra for 20 years and always found Kingston to be overpriced and uninspired. Sorry you wasted your dollars. Manuka is ok but again, overpriced.
I quite like Dickson (Canberra’s Chinatown). There’s a vegan vietnamese place there called Au Lac that’s pretty good. Also I second cafe essen in the city…
Canberra has many great places to eat!
Try SILO in kingston for breakfast or lunch, urban food in new acton
or Abels Kopi Tiam in Manuka for delicious malaysian food or taze in city for turkish!