There are so many nice restaurants to choose for lunch in Canberra and Tipsy Bull is definitely one of them. It’s located in the city suburb of Braddon which is about an hour’s walk from my home and whilst I have been to this restaurant a few times, it was lovely to revisit as they now have a very good vegan degustation.
The restaurant is actually well known as a gin bar. It has over 100 local and international gins to choose. When you order a gin, it arrives deconstructed on a wooden platter with gin, tonic, ice, gin making tools and garnishes chosen specifically to enhance the flavour of the gin you have selected.
There is a good range of wines to choose from including vegan options. On this occasion I went with four of my friends just to get together and enjoy a chat and a meal. We ordered a bottle of South Australian sauvignon blanc and whilst looking at the drinks menu, I saw a mocktail of pineapple, ginger and mint I really liked the sound of, so ordered one and it was thirst quenching and so delicious!
Everyone started off with crusty bread and cultured butter, mine arrived with olive oil. I always have to limit my bread consumption as I eat way too much and become full even before the first main dish arrives. My first dish to arrive was a very tasty salad of spinach and other leaves, fennel (my favourite), pomegranate, tomato, pepitas (or pumpkin seeds really) and a delicious lemon dressing.
The next two dishes were the cauliflower with garlic puree and olive oil and a dish that wasn’t on the menu but made for me by the chef and consisted of some sort of grain that I can’t recall the name of, a couple of vegetables topped with goji berries and parsley – this was so delicious.
The dishes here are really quite large so I was happy that my friends were willing to taste mine even though they had their own non-vegan dishes. My friend Ray, who is not vegan loves trying my vegan dishes and at this restaurant he particularly loved the grain dish. It’s funny with a degustation, even if the portions are small, I find after about three dishes, I am full. My final dish was dessert and I think I was lucky here as it was sorbet, so nothing too heavy after all the food I had eaten. From memory my friends had heavy dishes but even though they were full, all were finished! Another lovely lunch with great friends.
I 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.
This 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!
Another 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.
The 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.
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.
And 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.
There is also a large variety of birdlife along the ponds and many young children like to feed the birds and fish.
At 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. 
I 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.
And 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!
This 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.
So…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. 
Sage 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.
We 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!
All dishes are beautifully presented and food is absolutely delicious.
And desserts are fabulous too…
And then came a lovely surprise for Nat…
I am so looking forward to Sage Dining Rooms re-opening…
Earlier 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.
The 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.
I 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!
I 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!
My 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.
The 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. 
The 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.
But 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.
We sat outside in the courtyard with a view inside the restaurant through large windows.
The 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.
I 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!
My 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].
One of my friends also ordered the gnocchi but hers included a topping of crumbed goats cheese.
Also 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. 
And finally the daily risotto dish with wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, rocket and freshly shaved parmesan. 
I 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.
I 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!!
On 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.
We 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.
The 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.
I 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.
Peter 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 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.
Jon 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.
We 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. 
We 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.
For 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…
We also shared a couple of side dishes; beans and toasted almonds and buttery mashed potatoes…
Throughout 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’].
All in all a great night of fun conversation which allowed me to practice my Chinese (sometimes successfully)…
I 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.
Nasi 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!
Slow cooked black Angus chuck steak reduced in coconut milk and spices.
Steamed fish cooked with ginger, shallots and shoaling wine.
Yes… and still more to come. Only one more dish though…a salmon ceviche with lime caviar, red curry cream and a crispy salmon skin.
All 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!!
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