Dinner with some visiting South Korean colleagues
In one of the outer suburbs of Canberra there is a lovely Italian restaurant called Rubicon and one night a friend and I took two of our international visitors there for dinner.
It’s a quaint little place that’s been around since 2000 and has four small dining rooms including a terrace which is lovely for small parities. I have eaten here a few times and on this occasion, which was a Monday night, it was pretty quiet.
I don’t usually eat a great deal on week nights so ordered a lovely salad of fennel, orange, radicchio and hazelnuts; delicious. I really love fennel.
For entree our visitors ordered the gruyère and chestnut twice cooked soufflé with tomato kasundi and labneh which they shared.
My Aussie friend Jon ordered the scallops and confit chicken with bacon jam, apple and calvados [which I now know is an apple brandy from the Normandy region in France].
So far the meals have been delicious. Then our international guests ordered the chargrilled Wagyu rib eye with miso onions, boulangère, gentlemen’s relish and horseradish which again they shared. I really have no idea what ‘gentlemen’s relish’ is…or why it’s called that but they loved their meal.
Jon ordered the duck breast with pickled blood plum, salt baked celeriac, beets, black eye beans, kale and duck brick…he loved this too…but again no idea what a ‘duck brick’ is….some restaurants just have strange names for things I think!!
Of course there were the obligatory fries with the meal….I would love to say I didn’t have any but I did have a few…
It was a rather quick meal as we had been out sightseeing all afternoon and I was a bit tired [getting too old to stay out late these days], but a lovely meal and the main thing is our international guests enjoyed themselves.
Looks fab! Here’s a link to solve one mystery.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman's_Relish
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I ate there in a large group years ago. I don’t remember the courses but I do remember having a good time there. Thanks for the reminder.
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Wooo the restaurant looks lovely! And the food is delish!
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Some more mouth watering dishes Sue – I particularly like the look of the meringue and strawberry dessert, Eton Mess perhaps. We keep a tub of Gentlemen’s Relish in our kitchen cupboards, it’s made from anchovies and has a strong, salty taste. We like it as a quick snack on granary toast but I also add a spoonful into cottage pies, pasta dishes etc to add more flavour. The one we buy is made by Elsenham in the U.K. (You’d think I was a good cook providing this information but I’m not really)! Marion
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Delicious post with fab photos! I’d order the duck if I were there. 🙂
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A splendid looking meal, I would be tempted by the fries too, they look really good..
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I must have told you before, Sue, but I’m gonna say it again. I am really amazed the see the quality of the meals that are served in all of these restaurants you are going to in Australia. I am as well led to contemplate the diversity and number of complex, researched, thought-through and beautifully made dishes that can be offered in a single restaurant, each time you go somewhere different. In France, although we have a high number of amazingly talented chefs, they should watch their asses, because Australia has nothing to blush about in terms in gastronomy. Which makes me very happy to know that you to live there and can enjoy that many great foods, hahaha!
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Exotic, fabulous dishes. Haven’t had any of these. Thanks for this delicious journey, Sue!
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Interesting names indeed… but most importantly you and your guests enjoyed your meals 🙂
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Ah thanks Stevo. Will check it out now.
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Most welcome.
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Thank you Jessica.
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Glad you were feeling like eating a nice meal Amy.
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Yes I agree. thank you!!!!
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How lovely Sophie. I know you French certainly know how to cook and that is such a lovely compliment from France to Australia.
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Most welcome. So glad you stopped by.
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Yes exactly and that’s what is important isn’t it.
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