One of twenty new restaurants in Canberra
My friend Jane’s husband has arrived back home from overseas so instead of the usual two of us, this time three of us went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago to this new restaurant in Canberra which has received great reviews. The theme of the restaurant is Japan meets Korea and is great for casual dining. It has a pretty big menu with several vegetarian and vegan options.
I walked into the city from my home which is just under an hour and was fortunate to see the sun setting; a lovely sight on this evening.
And then through the streets of Braddon which is now where all the new restaurants in the city are located. It’s become a very trendy street also with cafes, trinket shops, bars and of course restaurants.
I arrived at the restaurant and met Paul and Jane who were already seated with a glass of wine in hand and one ready for me – great friends!! We were in a booth which unfortunately had very slim seats and the table was unmovable and did not allow much space between the seat and table. A little uncomfortable!
But lots of positives, the restaurant is filled with contrasting quirks – from a traditional Japanese waves mural to the Harajuku-themed ladies bathroom, ’80s Japanese pop culture ads covering the bar fridges, and a mesmerising wall of lucky cats when you first walk in.The bar itself is also pretty impressive although my photos don’t really show how impressive – the lights have names of what spirits are on offer.
And then there are the lucky cats…
The restaurant has dishes that are meant to be shared; I think this is a trend with a lot of new restaurants now. I ordered the miso & honey baked sweet potato with garlic kumara chips and blackbean with sesame and lime. We all tasted this and each of us said it was exceptional.
Jane and Paul ordered the Szechuan peper squid with salted black bean, lime, coriander and aioli.
Followed by the pork and shrimp wontons with black vinegar…
Also Mum’s chicken which is a boneless poached chicken, Singapore sauce, cabbage with sesame and soya sauce.
And last dish they ordered was the steamed fillets of barramundi fish topped with samba, pickles and crispy eschallot. They enjoyed them all apart from one dish but now i can’t recall if that was the squid or the chicken…
I also ordered the kimchi fried rice with egg and sesame; wow this was huge and too much for me to eat; Jane and Paul took it home for their son Harry to have at school the next day. But it was delicious; very tasty!
My other dish was the Tasty Tofu Bao which I thought was going to be very small but like the rice dish was quite large and way too much to eat. It came with shitake salsa, coleslaw and a teriyaki and kimchi mayo. Again very tasty I must say but just too big to finish.
It was a lovely evening with my friends and I would return for the food but not for the small seats and tables.
What is it with cats in Chinese restaurants?
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Did your kimchi fried rice with egg have spicy peppers in it. They look like jalapeños.
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Wow I am truly surprised – and amazed – by all those dishes, they really are different from what we get in the regular Asian food restaurants, how original and unique! You can definitely go back for the food, and Sue, I think you got a great idea to walk (wow, an hour!) to the restaurant, this is such a healthy attitude, AND it allows you to enjoy your dinner so much better (and the wine, haha!!). You are everything but a Lazy-Su yourself (good pun, isn’t it?!). By the way, I really like how the menu looks like, especially the names of sections. Braddon city sounds like a lot of fun and lots of new places for you to explore and try out. I expect my autumn and winter to be well occupied by reading your posts!
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So many fantastic adventures. Thank you for sharing!
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I want to go there. 🦋
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I recall Braddon as an “Italian” location when I was there. Bike shops and furniture stores, too. It looks like it is transforming now.
The menu looks very asian fusion. A lot of Korean restaurants in Sydney have a Japanese component as well, not surprising given the history of Korea. Your portions look very generous. Lucky you had friends there to help you.
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He he. Hope you are feeling better by the way.
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I don’t think so John as I dont like them so probably would have noticed.
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Hey Sophie. Sometimes I am a little lazy but definitely do 10,000 plus steps a day using my step counter on my wrist. Allows me to eat lots then. Hope you are well. X
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Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Very much appreciated.
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Glad you like it Gail. Looking forward to your new round of A-Z food.
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You are right. Used to just be bike shops and there were a few car places too. It’s fab now though. There was so much food and as usual I order too much.
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Thank you very much Sue. I’m still feeling much the same.
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Shame Gary. Wishing you a better weekend if possible.
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I hope so. Thank you very much.
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Bon appétit madame !
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Awwww. Thank you, Sue. It’s always a joy to have you stop by. 🍓
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This restaurant has such a funny name! Your pictures tell me that the chefs are not lazy as least! 😉
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Ha ha. Yes it is a silly name really. Thanks Edward.
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Looks like you have ordered all the things in the menu. Lovely description and thanks for visiting at my end.
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Thank you for stopping by too. I think we nearly did order everything. Ha ha.
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Do your friends drive you home or do you walk an hour back home? This really impressed me with your doing this, saving gas and enjoying the sights. The variety was so unusual, Sue. Thanks for sharing all aspects of this special evening. 🐱 🍀 Lucky cat for you! Smiles Robin 🐦
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Dear Robin. We usually Uber home as it’s too dark to walk so Uber is best option option and inexpensive. Thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Hope you are having a lovely weekend.
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My pleasure Sue, enjoyed reading your post 😊
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