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Tag Archives: ACT

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020

25 Sunday Oct 2020

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels inside China

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Kangaroos, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is about a forty-minute drive from the centre of Canberra and I had never been there which is rather embarrassing considering I have lived in Canberra for over fifteen-years. So, with Covid-19 not allowing me any international travel, my list of local sights to visit is long. And this is one place on my list. I did an internet search to find out a little more about the reserve and Wikipedia tells me the name Tidbinbilla is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Jedbinbilla‘ meaning a place where boys become men.

I went with a couple of friends and when we arrived we had a nice surprise in that entrance fees were suspended from August to end of the year to encourage more visitors to return. Guess it worked (even though we didn’t know there were no fees).

It was a pretty hot day and Tidbinbilla has twenty-three different walking trails but we decided on a rather easy walk and chose the Birrigai Time Trail which takes around 75 minutes from start to finish. At first the walking trail is wide enough for a ranger’s car and then the trail becomes less wide as it heads off into the bush with man-made bridges allowing easy access over ponds.

Tidbinbilla has extensive Australian wildlife including birds/reptiles and many different mammal species. When we arrived we all said we wanted to definitely see a koala and platypus and also an emu and kangaroo. Within five minutes we saw a huge emu by the side of the road but too far away for me to capture with my phone; shame! Then my friend pointed out two kangaroos under a tree and I took many photos of them as thought that might be all we would see. But as we walked over a small uprise we saw tens and tens of kangaroos resting under trees and some just checking out the crazy humans holding small rectangular items in front of them (I guess it’s what we all do these days if we don’t bring our proper cameras). Unfortunately no koala or platypus were sighted on this occasion.

On this particular day, the skies were pretty spectacular; a vivid blue with interesting cloud formations; looked a little bit like a sky writing plane had been through.

Then more kangaroos…no matter how many I see I still really enjoy seeing them; so beautiful.

Along our walk we saw many rounded granite boulders or rock formations. I must say these were pretty spectacular and so enjoyable to view.

Tidbinbilla Reserve is such an enjoyable day out and if you wanted a strenuous walk there are plenty of difficult treks but I think for our day it was lovely just to enjoy the typical Aussie bush and scenery and take in the sights.

Walking around Canberra – ACT – Australia – May/June 2020

21 Sunday Jun 2020

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Canberra walks, Lake Ginninderra, Street Art, walking with dogs, Watson Woodlands, Yerribi Ponds

Lovely walks during Canberra’s colder seasons

fullsizeoutput_9ceI love walking around Canberra; well anywhere really but because I live here in Canberra it’s nice to find new walks for both me and my dogs.  The other day I happened to be driving in a nearby suburb called Watson (named after our third Prime Minister) and came across a great parkland where in parts dogs are allowed off-lead.  I drove straight home, picked up the dogs and returned.  Watson Woodlands is actually eighteen hectares but there is a cleared parkland contained on one side of the road with lovely ponds, ducks, walkways and beautiful Eucalyptus trees scattered around.IMG_8739This area of the parkland has two walkways one out in the open with a well worn pathway and the other underneath a canopy of trees.  I love both walks but most people with dogs walk along the well worn path so I usually walk this way as it’s nice for my dogs to see and play with the other dogs.  The walk takes about twenty-five minutes one way then you turn around and walk back; simple!fullsizeoutput_9cc

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IMG_8735Another of my other favourite walks is the reasonably lengthy circular walk around Lake Ginninderra.  It takes about an hour and twenty minutes at a normal walking pace and my smaller dog Axel and I do the walk when we can.fullsizeoutput_9cffullsizeoutput_9d0The approximate seven-kilometre walk is reasonably flat and paved the whole way.  There is a variety of birdlife; swans, ducks and waterbirds and bbq areas, a large and small enclosed dog park and a lovely running stream which flows into the lake.fullsizeoutput_9d8IMG_8651 I love this walk as the trees are beautiful and it’s wonderful to see so many people out and about walking/playing or having picnics.fullsizeoutput_9d2fullsizeoutput_9d1And the final walk I want to mention today is a forty-five minute walk around Yerribi Ponds which is about a fifteen minute drive from my home.  Similar to Lake Ginninderra, Yerribi Ponds has a paved pathway around the whole of the lake making walking and bike riding very easy.  It’s another walk that I can take my dogs but they must stay on a leash.fullsizeoutput_9d6There is also a large variety of birdlife along the ponds and many young children like to feed the birds and fish.fullsizeoutput_9d4fullsizeoutput_9d7fullsizeoutput_9daAt one particular point along the walk there is some great street art created by John Voir which is found on pillars or columns that support the roadway.  fullsizeoutput_9ddfullsizeoutput_9dc

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fullsizeoutput_9e0I find these ponds very children friendly as there is so much for children to do; an adventure playground, basketball court, double tandem flying fox and a pirate ship under a huge shade cloth.  There is also a swing (Liberty Swing)  that can be used by children in wheelchairs; now isn’t that just so lovely.

The trees are beautiful along the way as well as lovely water views and views of the local city centre’s buildings.fullsizeoutput_9e2fullsizeoutput_9dbfullsizeoutput_9e1fullsizeoutput_9e3And when the sun goes down, the weather gets cooler and the scenery changes; looking differently to what it did during the day but equally as lovely I think.  Time to go home – even the local men fishing decide to make it a day albeit without any catches!IMG_8679fullsizeoutput_9d3

 

Remembering eating out – Sage Dining Rooms – Braddon – Canberra – Australia – October 2019

16 Saturday May 2020

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, Braddon, canberra, dining with friends, Sage Dining Rooms, three course degustation

Ah…the good ole days of eating out!

1439887925447This week I was working out how long its been since I have eaten out and the answer was ” it’s been a while”; not just for me of course but for everyone and I know how difficult it is for restaurant owners and staff – so I hope for their sake (and mine) that restaurants open soon.  Then came some good news a couple of days ago that restaurants and pubs here in Canberra are opening with limited patronage…yay!  Only ten people allowed inside to ensure adherence to social distancing but that’s fine as it allows me to go out and enjoy a meal with friends.sage-courtyard-810x608So…back to this post.  Last October my friends Ray and Natalie invited me to Sage Dining Rooms located at Gorman House in Canberra for lunch to celebrate Nat’s birthday.  Sage has an interesting history. The whole complex used to be accomodation for interstate public servants comprising small individual bedrooms with a series of lounges and a dining room.  The hostel was decommissioned in the 1970s and the communal dining and living rooms were refurbished to create Sage.  fullsizeoutput_9b7Sage is definitely one of Canberra’s best fine dining restaurants and has won many awards over the years.  The wait staff are extremely well versed with the ingredients of every dish and as they are serving, they provide that information.  The decor is lovely; fresh flowers on every table, linen tablecloths and napkins, cute chair and bench coverings and the place is spotlessly clean.fullsizeoutput_9b6We ordered the three course degustation with mine being vegan to cater for my dietary requirements.  There is also a five course degustation but I find it’s just too much food as the restaurant provides an amuse bouche with our first drinks (lovely glass of champagne) and then a complimentary small dish is also offered between each course – all delicious tiny mouth fulls but when you have five dishes and tiny bites between each you get very full very quickly!fullsizeoutput_9b8fullsizeoutput_9bbAll dishes are beautifully presented and food is absolutely delicious.
fullsizeoutput_9b9fullsizeoutput_9baAnd desserts are fabulous too…fullsizeoutput_9bdfullsizeoutput_9bcr0_0_1500_2000_w1200_h678_fmaxSage-dessertAnd then came a lovely surprise for Nat…fullsizeoutput_9beI am so looking forward to Sage Dining Rooms re-opening…

 

 

Momoda Restaurant – Canberra – ACT – Australia – August 2019

30 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, dining with friends, Momoda Restaurant

Great find in Canberra

172-Momoda-ExteriorEarlier this year I saw a restaurant called Momoda as I was walking past on my way to meet friends for a drink and since then I have dined there about four times.  On this occasion, a few months ago, I arranged for a group of friends to join me for dinner.  I invited my Chinese friends, my friend Jon and another friend Anne (who I have known since school).  The menu is extensive with vegan and vegetarian options and also with lots of meat and seafood dishes.fullsizeoutput_946The name Momoda is Chinese slang meaning kiss-kiss which is an expression of affection used at the end of text messages similar to “mwah” in English. Cute! The food here is delicious; so many choices for me as a vegan and lots of great dishes for my meat eating friends as well as the many choices of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks.fullsizeoutput_945fullsizeoutput_93fI always order the cauliflower san choy bowl which comes with peanut satay and baby cos lettuce which allows you to make your own little parcels of deliciousness.  Also on my list is my absolute favourite – crispy eggplant with Chiang-Jiang red vinegar, roasted sesame and ginger chilli.  Now this is good!
172-Momoda-san-choy-bowl.jpgfullsizeoutput_94afullsizeoutput_94bI have also ordered the wild mushroom bun, with pumpkin seed, king mushroom and black pepper which was very good and there is a dumpling called the double cheeseburger dumpling – yes you read correctly; that is definitely a combination of West meets East – we didn’t order this.  All the buns and dumplings we have eaten here have been great!

The Enoki Mushroom Spring Rolls are really good and my friends chose the meat version; Mongolian Kangaroo Spring Rolls with Sichuan chilli salt, wombok and ginger salad.  I must say I have never heard of a Mongolian Kangaroo so who knows how both link but anyway they were good I am told.fullsizeoutput_942fullsizeoutput_947My friends shared quite a few dishes including the scallop and prawn dumplings topped with diced pickles, Grandma’s sticky pork belly; twice cooked pork with caramel lemongrass chilli jam, the pork and Chinese chive dumplings with black vinegar and ginger chilli dipping sauce and the BBQ pork Char Siu buns – all delicious I was informed.fullsizeoutput_943fullsizeoutput_949Momoda_1Momoda_3The restaurant’s interior is worth the visit; dimly lit with a really lovely decor that includes Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, fans on the walls and unusual items like an old leather suitcase displayed on a shelf and non-Chinese lanterns hanging on the walls – all adds to the ambience I think.  20180825_121309-e1536565678678

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fullsizeoutput_944The owner Irean is from Mainland China and has a wonderful sense of humour.  I love that she remembers you from previous visits. And to top it off, my Chinese friends Peter and Katie said to me at the end of the evening that they loved each of the dishes and because they are used to typical Chinese food they were so impressed with the quality and variety of the dishes.  I guess this is because the dishes are traditional Chinese but with a very modern twist.  Certainly not the Aussie/Chinese dishes like beef in black bean sauce or sweet and sour pork; both dishes my Chinese friends have never heard of.

Definitely a restaurant worth visiting.

 

 

Bicicletta Restaurant – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – December 2018

05 Saturday Jan 2019

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, Bicicleta restaurant, canberra, dining with friends, Eggplant, Gnocchi, Polenta, Vegan food

A Canberra Italian restaurant serving delicious vegan dishesfullsizeoutput_4ef

Isn’t it funny, I live in a small city and; having lived here for nearly fourteen years and have never been to Bicicletta Italian Restaurant (which my ‘foodie’ friend Jane had told me about several times)…but last month that all changed…

I arranged a pre-Christmas dinner with girl friends I have known for over thirty-five years.  We all joined the same employer way back in 1983.  Unfortunately two girls could not make it but the remaining three and myself allowed us to catch up on all the gossip of life.  Even though I have now retired we still keep in contact and only one of the girls is still with the same organisation…although she did leave for many years to run a hotel in the country.  fullsizeoutput_4eaBut back to our dinner…  Bicicletta Restaurant serves locally sourced food and its menu has several vegetarian and vegan options.  In this location, there are several restaurants and a few residential complexes who share a communal vegetable and herb garden. I loved this little area; so beautifully maintained also with an ‘interesting’ statue and small gardens and pathways for local residents to enjoy.fullsizeoutput_4eefullsizeoutput_4e5IMG_4278We sat outside in the courtyard with a view inside the restaurant through large windows.fullsizeoutput_4e7The courtyard is great for the warmer months with lush greenery and coloured chairs and umbrellas.  In late Autumn and Winter, blankets are supplied to keep your legs warm.fullsizeoutput_4f0I loved the look of two vegan items on the menu so decided to try both an entree and main course.  I chose the eggplant dish for entree which was deep fried with a balsamic glaze, polenta chips and a small amount of rocket.  This was an incredibly delicious meal…really too big for an entree but I was not complaining.  I loved it!fullsizeoutput_4ebMy friends shared the Pane, Olio E Balsamico which was a selection of breads; sourdough, baguette and brioche served with butter, aged balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil [forgot to take a photo].

For my main course I ordered the Gnocchi Da Giardino; house made pumpkin, potato and ground herbed gnocchi with roasted baby beets, broccoli florets and wild mushrooms in spinach and a vegan herb pesto sauce.  Another incredible dish – so [so] good.fullsizeoutput_4e6One of my friends also ordered the gnocchi but hers included a topping of crumbed goats cheese.

My friends then chose a range of dishes including the Capesante; pan seared scallops with romesco sauce, green apple tartare with lime and salmon caviar.fullsizeoutput_4ecAlso the Ravioli Di Maiale Arrosto; house made ravioli stuffed with roast pork, apple, potato and thyme in a creamy apple, rhubarb and white wine sauce finished with rocket, toasted walnuts and aged balsamic.  fullsizeoutput_4e8And finally the daily risotto dish with wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, rocket and freshly shaved parmesan.  fullsizeoutput_4e9I thought all the meals looked so appetising and were beautifully displayed.  But in relation to our friendship, no matter how different our lives are now, this group of friends is still very special to me and I always enjoy catching up with them over a meal.

 

 

Lazy Su Restaurant (2nd visit) – Braddon – Canberra – ACT – Australia – August 2018

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Cheezeburger, deep fried tofu, dinner with friends, Dumplings, jasmine tea smoked duck breast, Korean buffalo wings, Lazy Su restaurant, mapo doufu

A Canberra restaurant I love…

fullsizeoutput_330I find that no matter how many new restaurants open in Canberra, I always seems to return to the ones I love and one I particularly enjoy is Lazy Su voted the number 1 people’s choice restaurant in Canberra.  The interior is distinctly Asian with a Japanese-Korean pop culture theme…I love it!!fullsizeoutput_32efullsizeoutput_32cfullsizeoutput_331On this occasion a few months ago I went with my friend Jon and a young Chinese friend we have become close to over the past year or so and who refers to us as his Aussie mum and dad – very sweet!  The menu is good for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans and there is a good choice of wines and spirits.fullsizeoutput_32bfullsizeoutput_332We started off with dumplings; vegan kimchi, tofu and shallots (more for me as neither Jon nor Peter ate any),  pork and cabbage Chinese style dumplings and Korean buffalo wings which the boys told me were spicy and delicious.fullsizeoutput_326fullsizeoutput_334fullsizeoutput_336The boys then ordered a soy braised pork dish with Korean pickles and shallots and a dish of jasmine tea smoked duck breast which was pan-seared with carrot and yuzu citrus purée and charred Asian greens.  Then they shared a Korean noodle soup which contained pork belly, egg and crispy noodles.fullsizeoutput_338fullsizeoutput_339

fullsizeoutput_325I ordered a cheezeburger which has vegan mince, black beans, mustard, vegan cheddar, cos lettuce, tomato sauce and charred leaks.  It was ‘really’ good but quite large so I need not have ordered Grandma’s Spicy Tofu (Ma Po Doufu 麻婆豆腐) with pickled mustard, eggplant, garlic, chilli and shallots.

I only like mildly spiced dishes and I forgot to ask the waiter how spicy this dish was…oh my goodness it made my tongue and lips go numb with the first big mouthful.  What a shame as it really was good but I couldn’t eat any more.fullsizeoutput_335fullsizeoutput_399Peter who was born in Sichuan in China and eats very spicy food regularly told us that to calm the tastebuds and numbness after a spicy dish you should eat sugar; haven’t tried this yet but I do know that milk, water and yoghurt do not work.  We did order some from the waiter but it took a little while to reach us and my mouth had calmed down by that stage.

We did order one more dish which was really tasty; deep friend tofu with an avocado sauce – wow so good.  I think even non-tofu lovers would enjoy this one.fullsizeoutput_329We were way too full for dessert so after an evening of good food and wine and lovely company it was time to say ‘goodbye’…until next time.fullsizeoutput_33a

 

 

 

 

 

Green Herring Restaurant – Nicholls – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – March 2018

19 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, Australian cuisine, canberra, dinner with friends, Green Herring Restaurant, Nicholls

Dinner with Aussie and Chinese friends12e27382-52d2-4f8c-b2bf-d08ab6ab33c9

I visit a local dumpling restaurant regularly with a friend of mine [Jon] and we have formed a close friendship with a young man [Peter] who is from Sichuan Province in China but studying here in Canberra at university.  Lately, we have had dinner with Peter and his girlfriend Katie so Jon and I wanted to take Peter to a restaurant that was typical of Australia.Image 1fullsizeoutput_306Jon chose The Green Herring Restaurant which is located in a historic village near my home.  The restaurant is housed in one of Canberra’s oldest buildings; a 150 year old slab hut.  The Slab Hut was built in 1860 in a small town about 100 kilometres from Canberra and was transported to Canberra in 1970 and has been The Green Herring Restaurant for over twenty years.  The owner told us that the restaurant still maintains the original construction materials from almost 150 years ago with minor modifications and extensions to provide the necessities for restaurant operations.fullsizeoutput_307We arrived and were shown to our table.  The inside of this beautiful building is just as charming as the outside but probably a little too old fashioned for me. fullsizeoutput_30dfullsizeoutput_308We ordered a bottle of Australian wine but found out Peter doesn’t drink so we ordered him a soft drink.  Jon knows the owner of the restaurant having been there several times, so we were lucky to have personal service from the owner that evening.  We started off with a cob loaf with roasted garlic butter and balsamic olive oil as well as dukkah focaccia bread with a duo of dips.fullsizeoutput_305fullsizeoutput_30bFor our main courses, I of course, chose non meat dishes [a very nice pumpkin dish] and Jon discussed with Peter the Australian cuisine on the menu and then ordered for them both.  They ate kangaroo, Australian prawns, Australian lamb and Australian eye rib fillet…fullsizeoutput_30cfullsizeoutput_301fullsizeoutput_2fffullsizeoutput_304

fullsizeoutput_2fdWe also shared a couple of side dishes; beans and toasted almonds and buttery mashed potatoes…fullsizeoutput_30aThroughout the evening, it was lovely chatting to Peter and getting to know him a little better; hearing about his family in China and his studies in Australia.  He has since invited us to meet his family in China [which we are now doing next month; so looking forward to returning to what I call ‘my second homeland’].

It was then time for dessert and as all desserts contained gelatine, I passed!!  But the owner kindly had a lovely little cup of fresh fruit and ice cream prepared for me.  Must say the main dessert plate looked pretty good though.fullsizeoutput_302fullsizeoutput_303All in all a great night of fun conversation which allowed me to practice my Chinese (sometimes successfully)…

 

XO Restaurant – Narrabundah – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – January 2018

16 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Chinese fusion cuisine, dinner with friends, Narrabundah, Tofu, XO Restaurant

Dinner with friends

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There is a small group of friends from my previous employment that I like to catch up with…we started off going out to dinner at a local restaurant but now have decided to catch up at each other’s homes as it’s a little more relaxed.

But our first catch up was at a local restaurant serving South East Asian cuisine.  Unfortunately one of my friends could not attend so it turned out to be just four of us.  What a great night it was…lots of food and wine and so much to catch up on.fullsizeoutput_263fullsizeoutput_262I chose this restaurant as I had been here before and enjoyed the food.  XO Restaurant is located in a small neighbourhood shopping street and is known for its communal share plates.  There is a range of vegetarian and vegan dishes and lots of other dishes for my meat and seafood loving friends.

We started off with steamed dumplings…yum…these were Chinese style dumplings but a little like Italian ravioli containing minced vegetables and wood ear mushrooms sitting in a spicy soy vinaigrette and also a dish of special XO fried chicken wings which were marinated in butter milk and came served with a large dollop of kewpie mayonnaise.fullsizeoutput_265fullsizeoutput_264

We also ordered two plates of Banh Mi; one a vegetarian lentil burger with carrots and cucumber and a mushroom pate which was accompanied by a chilli kewpie mayonnaise.  The other plate pretty much the same but with a pork burger and toppings of carrot and cucumber.  A little more than bite size and so tasty.

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Next dish I chose was the shallow friend tofu with soy and candied ginger.  I do love tofu especially now I am vegan [which wasn’t at the time of going to this restaurant] and this didn’t fail to impress…the tofu was so fresh and the sauce delicious.

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I must say looking back on the evening we really ordered so much food but unsurprisingly managed to eat it all.  I have decided just to list all the dishes as there really were so many…and every one was delicious.

Two dishes of fried Udon noodles; one vegetarian in a Swiss brown mushroom ragout and the other with chicken.

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Sugar snaps tossed in a garlic confit.

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Fried baby squid with a sweet chilli salt.

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Grilled chicken thigh fillet with a pickled vegetable and peanut sauce.

fullsizeoutput_27bNasi goring with squid ink fried rice, spanner crab and fluffy eggs – well that is what the eggs are called, I just think they are a little scrambled; suppose they could be fluffy!

fullsizeoutput_27cSlow cooked black Angus chuck steak reduced in coconut milk and spices.

fullsizeoutput_277Steamed fish cooked with ginger, shallots and shoaling wine.

fullsizeoutput_278Yes… and still more to come.  Only one more dish though…a salmon ceviche with lime caviar, red curry cream and a crispy salmon skin.

fullsizeoutput_268All throughout the evening, wine certainly flowed and our laugher grew louder. Funnily enough we didn’t have any room for dessert.  I really do love catching up with my friends and look forward to the next catch up with this particular group of girls but now know all three that came on this occasion cannot work out a bill even though it pretty much was just divided by four!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman & Yip Restaurant – Barton – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – January 2018

22 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Chairman & Yip, Chinese cuisine

Dinner at a great Chinese restaurant in Canberra

fullsizeoutput_1e4I wanted to thank some friends for something they did for me last year so I thought a dinner out at one of Canberra’s Chinese restaurants would be ideal…it was!

Since its opening in 1992, the Chairman & Yip has become one of Canberra’s longest standing and highly regarded restaurants.  A couple of years ago it moved from the centre of the city to a suburb just out of the city.  I last time I dined at its previous location was in 2015 and really enjoyed the cuisine.  I am not sure why it moved but for parking reasons I am glad it did.  The city is so hard to get a park without paying enormous fees.  68382cf6-c88b-43b9-b887-f02a0a24c2f2

The new restaurant’s interior is dimly lit with lots of black gloss with dark red drapes and chairs – all I think adds to its ambience and the middle section of the restaurant hosting a whiskey bar with lounges and all sorts of whiskeys from around the world.fullsizeoutput_1e6fullsizeoutput_1e3And tables are very nicely presented…1485747011314fullsizeoutput_1e5We ordered a couple of dishes to start;  the Sichuan style crispy chicken with barley and caramelised onion and salt and pepper tofu and we also shared a bottle of white wine.  I did like the serving bowls the dishes arrived in!fullsizeoutput_1eafullsizeoutput_1e8We also ordered the roast duck and mushroom pancake and a mushroom vegetarian pancake for me. These were put together at the table by our waiter so whilst it doesn’t look that great in my photo both were delicious.  I also borrowed a photo to show what they look like inside.fullsizeoutput_1e7

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(source: http://www.thefoodpornographer.com)

Another dish ordered was the fish of the day (can’t remember what it was) but my friends said it was very healthy and tasty and finally the sweet and spicy eggplant which came with sesame, shallots and fried peanuts. I think the eggplant dish was the most delicious and it looked pretty colourful and appetising when it arrived.

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(source: http://www.tripadvisor.com)

fullsizeoutput_1e9fullsizeoutput_1ebA really nice evening and an excellent way for me to thank friends for being so generous.

 

 

 

Bamiyan Restaurant – Braddon – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – January 2018

07 Monday May 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

ACT, Afghani cuisine, Australia, Bamiyan Restaurant, canberra, dinner with friends

A new cuisine to try in Canberra

fullsizeoutput_1a2A few months ago my friend Jane invited me out to dinner and said she wanted to try an Afghani restaurant near the city.  I had no idea what Afghani food tasted like so took a look at the menu on-line and it looked great with lots of vegetarian dishes so off we went.fullsizeoutput_1a8We decided on a banquet as both of us were relatively hungry and Jane suggested all vegetarian was great for me, but we really could not eat all dishes as there were so many!

We started off with a plate of samosa and Afghan pan fried flat bread stuffed with pumpkin, chopped onion shallots, coriander and spices.  Both were accompanied by a raita yoghurt dip and an Afghan chutney…Jane was being very good and did not eat the heavy samosa [I did]…that and the bread was really good.
fullsizeoutput_1a9fullsizeoutput_1b2We were then served a traditional Afghan dumpling which is steamed and topped with yogurt, chickpea tomato sauce and garnished with a little bit of mint.  Again very good and so tasty…feeling a touch full at this stage!fullsizeoutput_1aeOur next dish was called Kachaloo Loobia Korma; a chef’s special comprising a korma sauce with red kidney beans, mild spices and herbs accompanied by a really good naan bread.  As you can imagine very full by now but had to taste this delicious dish and eat the naan bread.fullsizeoutput_1aafullsizeoutput_1acAt this stage I took a little break from eating and took some photos.  It really is a lovely restaurant with great traditional ornaments, pictures and wall carpets. fullsizeoutput_1abfullsizeoutput_1a6And the iconic photograph of the young beautiful green-eyed Afghani girl who appeared on the front of National Geographic in 1985.fullsizeoutput_1a3I did find a photograph of her now on the internet [courtesy NY Times)…still with same amazing eyes just probably not staring as intently at the camera.27xp-afghan-superJumboBut back to our restaurant…still more food to come…the Banjan Boranee arrived which is another traditional Afghani dish of fried eggplant covered with cooked tomato and yogurt sauce and it was supposed to be garnished with dry mint but I couldn’t see any.  Loving this dish so much along with a separate [large] dish of rice topped with a layer of julienne caramelised carrots, sultana and almond nuts [had to pick out the sultanas but apart from that a delicious aromatic rice].fullsizeoutput_1b1fullsizeoutput_1adA really good restaurant that I must take my friend Naomi to as she lived in Islamabad for over four years and I think she would love the food and ambience which I know is similar to that of Pakistan.

 

 

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  • Centennial Vineyards Restaurant – Bowral – Southern Highlands – New South Wales – Australia – June 2020

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Pisicuta Briciola Te… on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
Sunshiny SA, Kavitha on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
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Recent Posts

  • Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020
  • Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020
  • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020
  • Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020
  • Centennial Vineyards Restaurant – Bowral – Southern Highlands – New South Wales – Australia – June 2020

Recent Comments

Pisicuta Briciola Te… on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
Sunshiny SA, Kavitha on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…

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Recent Posts

  • Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020
  • Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020
  • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020
  • Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020
  • Centennial Vineyards Restaurant – Bowral – Southern Highlands – New South Wales – Australia – June 2020

Recent Comments

Pisicuta Briciola Te… on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
Sunshiny SA, Kavitha on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Main Beach – Gold Coast…

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