Fine dining on a Saturday in Canberra
Courgette Restaurant is located just on the outskirts of the CBD in Canberra; not a particularly good spot as it’s a bit in the commercial area but definitely worth locating to try the food. It’s owned by one of Canberra’s great chefs James Mussillon.
It’s luxurious inside but also cosy so you feel comfortable in the main restaurant. There are options for group dining in private dining rooms and I have done this a couple of times before for work but I really prefer the main area.
One of the special things about the restaurant is the separate private dining room called the Cellar Room which is located [unsurprisingly] in the cellar surrounded by over four-hundred different bottles of wine and seats up to ten people.
The restaurant has a great lunch time special with three courses for just $66; I think this is surprising for Canberra in a fine dining restaurant as it’s inexpensive…we commenced with sparkling mineral water and my friend Jane ordered a really nice bottle of French wine (most enjoyable).
I started off with a corn fritter dish which was really not your typical corn fritter but came beautifully displayed on a wooden platter with baby corn and a mustard dressing.
Jane ordered the Morton Bay bug tail, seared scallop and chorizo with sweet peas, baby kale and fermented black garlic. Jane is a real ‘foodie’ and said both her entree and main course were fabulous.
Then for main course I had the roasted heirloom carrots, with crunchy seeds – so delicious…and so beautifully presented.
Jane ordered the beef dish which was also so well presented and even I said that being a strict vegetarian. It came with truffled mash, sweet and sour red cabbage with a port and thyme jus.
Our desserts were amazing; Jane had the fresh raspberries short bread mille feuille with fresh cream.
I ordered the baked hazelnut tart which came with coffee marscapone mousse, and praline dust. Didn’t like the mousse I must say as it was coffee flavoured and I don’t drink or like coffee but loved the rest of the dish.
Loved the experience and will definitely return.
Sue's Fabulous Travels 
Sue, I was missing your posts lately, and I surprised myself this week hoping for a new restaurant review of yours, so now I’m happy again! Courgette, what a funny name for a restaurant! I love the wooden platter, it makes the food look special, and so do all the little mustard spots. Nice and impressive cellar in the back, I like the atmosphere of this place 😉 Good to have you back, have a great weekend Sue!
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Love the beautiful plate presentations. They do that well in your part of the world. Like the bread picture too. In Scotland and Ireland recently we always had good bread everywhere we ate. We bought a large loaf of such at our local farmers market since we’ve been back but unfortunately devoured it in a fairly short time. Such is the hazard of good bread.
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Such delicious food beautifully plated, Jane’s main course and her millefleur looked divine. Have a great weekend, it’s a mini heatwave here – just what’s needed to makes us Lancastrians a little more cheerful after such devastation to hit our neck of the woods earlier in the week.
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Hi Sue, Such an enjoyable luncheon. Looks so delicious from your beautiful photos.
Love the presentations. 🙂
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I haven’t been to this one. As you say, it’s in an unusual part of town for fine dining. Having said that, the lunch special looks amazing. Truffle mash has me salivating!!!
I find the variety of plates used quite interesting. Most restaurants have a consistency in plate styles but the variety here seems very eclectic. The wooden platter from Bungendore maybe? Some of those ceramics look like they’re from Bison in Pialligo.
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Great post Sue, I really like it there.
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Mmmm everything looks so delicious and so nicely presented! I love lunch specials like these too 🙂
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The wooden plate has a fish shape, don’t you? In general the food looks very beautiful and fancy, and my eye was caught by the displays of your desserts… Splendid and looks so yummy!
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Thank you Sophie. I will write to you finality and let you know why I was absent but thank you very much for thinking of me and missing my posts. X
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Thanks John. Yes I know the feeling of devouring good bread especially with some good cheese. Glad you ate well in your travels.
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Hi Marion. Thanks for your comments. Yep dessert was good. Yes dreadful news but glad there was a little cheer for you all.
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Thanks so much Amy.
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Yes the different plates added to the occasion. Maybe from Bungendore as they have great pottery there don’t they.
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Thanks Gary. It’s great isn’t it.
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Thanks so much Julia.
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Thank you so much. Yes the desserts were so good. I loved the wooden plate too. It just added to the loveliness of the dish.
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Looking forward to it. I hope all is fine with you though… Lots of love Xxxxx
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Right back at you. Xx💜
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The dish that came with the wood platter looks so interesting. I thought it edible at first glance lol. All the food looks so good though
Vicky
https://vickysscrapbook.com/
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Thanks so much as always Vicky.
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