A night out at one of Canberra’s top twenty restaurants
My frequent dinner partner, Jane and I met one evening for a drink before dinner. I had done my usual and walked into the city to meet her at a local bar/pub. It was raining all the way into the city but I took an umbrella and must say did enjoy the hour-long walk. I had been to this bar before with a group of friends where we sat upstairs, but this time we met downstairs just for a glass of wine before walking to the restaurant to meet another friend from interstate.
Bentspoke is a pretty funky bar with options to sit outside with a heater (as it was the middle of winter) or inside..we chose inside.
After finishing our drink, we walked over to the restaurant and met our friend Peter. The restaurant I chose was a new Indian in the local restaurant area. At Darbar Indian our table was reserved with a small blackboard with my name on it…rather sweet. But unfortunately within five minutes a large family group arrived; the size of the group is not the problem; it was the parents allowing their two children to run around and scream [a lot]. We were the only two tables in the restaurant and with parents not controlling their children it was pretty annoying. There was plenty of dishes to order from the menu.I ordered the masala dosai for entree after asking Jane and Peter if they would share with me as the waitress told me it was a pretty big serve. The dosai is a thin, crisp golden brown rice pancake rolled with spiced potato masala and served with coconut chutney and sambar. It tasted good albeit a little bit spicy.Peter ordered the chicken chat pat an aged chicken marinated in spices, lemon juice and deep fried. It’s then tossed with curry leaf and fenugreek powder and coriander. It’s served with a lemon wedge and spanish onion.Jane ordered the chef’s specialty which was called Jal Pari Hariyali – a marinated Tasmanian salmon fillet with tumeric,cashew paste, cumin and coriander powder with lemon juice and pan friend.For my main dish I ordered the malia kofta; dumplings made from potato and cheese and tossed in a combination of curry leaves and mustard seeds then simmered in a Moghhlai gravy. This is a dish I always order at Indian restaurants. It was nice but not the best I had ever had. I am not too sure why it wasn’t that delicious, I think it was the sauce – not as creamy as others.Peter ordered the chicken tikka dish to share with Jane. It was boneless chicken cubes that have been marinated in yoghurt, spices and smoke roasted. Pretty good they both said.Jane ordered a goat curry for main course, again to share with Peter. It came diced and stewed in a medium spice and flavoured with onion, fenugreek seeds and fresh curry leaves. They both liked this dish too. Great company but a little spoilt by screaming children…probably won’t go back.
Jane Dickinson said:
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Little Miss Traveller said:
The restaurant and food look good Sue but what a shame about the unruly children. We almost always took our boys out to dinner with us when they were small but they were well behaved and interested in their surroundings. Once we were dining at a smart restaurant on Park Lane in London when our younger son was about 5. The waiter brought everyone a large, leather bound menu and our son caught it on the edge of an empty wine glass which fell to the floor and broke. He was quite embarrassed but the waiter appeared with a dustpan and brush and we were moved to a different table. The boys then got free desserts too! That I believe was our only incident ! M.
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joliesattic said:
I don’t like screaming children either. I put a lot f that on the parent, but what does an owner do? As a parent, my youngest daughter was unruly, not necessarily noisy but she began to climb over the seats and hard to contain. The older was never a problem and loved dining out but we decided not to take them out until the younger learned to behave. Fortunately it was a short phase. (From what the younger one tells me now, (they’re in their 40’s) her older sister could be a bully, so I wouldn’t be surprised she did her part in squelching that)
I saw a note once at a restaurant that said parents were to contain unruly children or be asked to leave. That can be a bit bold but it was not hurting for business.
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Gary Lum said:
Yet another Canberra icon I’m yet to visit 😃
I must be getting old Sue because I’d probably leave the restaurant in that situation, I’d pay for what I’ve eaten but explain my tinnitus is in overdrive and hope they deduct the food I hadn’t eaten. Life’s too short. Gee, I think I’ve alrready hit curmudgeon status.
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kasiawrites said:
Yeah screaming children will definitely ruin a good night out 😏
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Well Marion you are the truly perfect parent. I mean that. Considerate of others. I know kids can be kids and I have no issue with that. It’s when they spoil other diners’ evening with the parents doing nothing about poor behaviour. Your little boy back then had an accident and god love him he was embarrassed. Glad he got a free dessert. Very nice.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks for sharing your lovely children’s childhood story. You clearly do the right thing. Sweet children I bet. I have no problem with kids enjoying themselves. It’s what they should be allowed to do. But parents could be considerate of others out for the night to have a nice meal and catch up. I really should have said something to the owner too now I think about it.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
I have been thinking of that might Gary since posting and I really should have said something to the owner. It’s not, however, like they couldn’t hear the screaming. I went for a lovely walk around Gininderra yesterday. Isn’t it great there.
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Gary Lum said:
I enjoyed my walk this morning
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Yep sure did. Thank you for stopping by.
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sileas said:
Sorry to hear that. Some parents don’t know how to control their kids – it’s a shame! I wonder if the staff didn’t say anything about that? At least they should be concerned about their client’s well-being…
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America On Coffee said:
Great South Indian food in Australia! My favorites.. So delicious! Hope the food gave you two comfort and delight away from the annoyance.😕😎
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joliesattic said:
It’s hard to know what is appropriate. When I see children I usually ask the wait staff to seat me elsewhere.
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twobrownfeet said:
Absolutely sinful! 🙂
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Lignum Draco said:
It all looks good. The masala dose was an entree? It’s massive!
A shame about the children running loose.
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dawnwairimu said:
cute bar. that curry dish made my mouth water!
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you very much.
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vinneve said:
Wow! it looks appetizingly YUM 😉
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks Vinneve. Welcome back to the blogging world.
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