Dumpling Inn Jamison Centre 18 May 2016

Ratings out of 5 stars
Ambiance 4
Taste 4 1/2
Value 5
Service 3
Overally 4 1/2

 

When Megan suggests travelling north side to a restaurant, it must be good and so we were all looking forward to trying the Dumpling Inn in Macquarie.  Despite its location (a complex behind the Salvos store in Jamison) and having no website or online menu, the restaurant was quite crowded on Wednesday night.  Clearly other people already knew about this hidden gem.

As its name suggests, the restaurant has a reasonable selection of dumpling dishes.  It also has some very unusual dishes on its “Chinese special menu” including pig’s intestine with spicy Szechuan style sauce, deep fried golden crispy skin pigeon and jelly pork with pickled cabbage in hot pot.  We weren’t game to try any of these dishes and since we also couldn’t work out from the menu what some of the other dishes were, we played safe and selected a conservative range of dishes.

We regretted this once fantastic food started arriving on other tables and Ron went around the other tables to check what they had ordered. However, we needn’t have worried as a short time later our own fantastic meal arrived.  We started with a sour and hot won ton soup.  This was a standard Thai-style soup broth (stock, lime, chilli, fresh coriander and fish sauce) but it had a good number of won tons which soaked up the (chilli) heat.  As a result, the soup was light, tasty and refreshing without being too hot - a nice way to start the meal. 

 We then ordered a couple of different types of dumplings (Peking meat buns and sesame rolls with tasty chopped meats).  It was a bit of a gamble because we had no idea what either of these would be like.  In the end, the meat buns were just standard steamed dumplings (OK but a little bland) but the sesame rolls were fantastic.  A puff pastry shell casing and a meat filling were served separately and then assembled at the table by the diner. As Megan described the dish, it is similar to a Sang Choi Bao but having a puff pastry case rather than a lettuce leaf. The puff pastry was light and flaky and combined beautifully with the tasty stir fried filling.

 After the soup and dumplings, we ordered 3 main courses (for 5 people) – Dumpling Inn crispy duck, 4 season bean with minced pork and the deep fried fish fillets with sweet ginger sauce. Initially we were worried that this might have been a bit of a fried food overload but actually the combination went surprisingly well. 

 The crispy duck was served “Peking style” with pancakes, cucumber and hoisin sauce. This gave 6 discrete pancakes which was enough for each of us to have a good taste without pigging out. The bean dish was also light and pretty tasty – beans with a small bit of pork which added flavour without bulk.  The final dish was the fish fillets. These were coated in a beautifully crisp batter and had just enough honey-like (and not too sweet) ginger sauce to coat the outside without overpowering it (as Jim would say…yum, yum, yum).

 We had ordered rice but this didn’t arrive – just as well as there was plenty of food without it.  In fact, somehow we ordered way too much food (yet again!) and we struggled through it all.  Of course, we still had to have dessert because “red bean cake” was on the menu (excuse #32).  These are pancakes stuffed with red bean paste and then deep fried. One of Ron’s favourite Asian-style desserts, he describes them as “Chinese pop tarts”. We only ordered one to share among the 5 of us (actually that was all the restaurant had available) but it was enough for a small taste without over indulging. We all enjoyed the dish and it was a perfect way to end the meal. 

 Overall the meal was fantastic and very good value ($25.06 per person).  We’ll definitely be back again and who knows, we may even be a little more adventurous next time (oh OK….maybe not the pig intestines…).

Saigon Restaurant, Pearce Shops Wednesday 4 May 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

Present: Jim, Karen, Ron, Kim, Megan, Andrew was in San Francisco (again) and John was holidaying in Queensland.

 

Ratings out of 4 stars:

 

Ambiance 3

Taste 3

Value 4

Service 2

Overall 3 1/2

 

We’ve had a number of excellent dinners at local Vietnamese restaurants recently (Green Bamboo, My’s, Kinh do) and couldn’t resist trying another one - the Saigon Restaurant in Pearce.  The restaurant was relatively quiet but the few occupied tables looked like retiree regulars which surely must be a good sign!  There was also good car parking available at the venue so we wondered why we had taken so long to get back here.

The menu had an extensive selection of standard Vietnamese dishes (over 130 choices). We ordered our favourite entrées (Vietnamese spring rolls and fresh rice paper rolls) along with 6 main courses (chicken and snow peas with cashews; deep fried fish fillets with ginger sauce; caramelised King prawns with pork; curried lamb with coconut cream and potatoes; beef with Vietnamese mint and peanut; and stir fried vegetables with bean curd). This was way too much food for six people (4 mains would have been plenty) but it didn’t stop us polishing it all off and apparently there was still room for dessert (go figure!).

Both the Vietnamese spring rolls and fresh rice paper rolls were fresh and tasty. The rice paper rolls were particularly nice (almost as good as Kinh do’s!) and we really enjoyed the accompanying hoisin-peanut dipping sauce.  For the mains, the curried lamb was a popular choice. Spicy without being too hot, the lamb was perfectly tender and not too fatty.  We also liked the fish fillets in ginger sauce with plenty of finely grated ginger giving the dish a nice kick.  The other dishes were fairly standard but still quite tasty.  They also combined well as a meal.   The richness of the caramelised prawns was a nice contrast to the lighter chicken and bean curd dishes and the freshness of the beef/Vietnamese mint dish rounded out the whole meal.   

The only dessert choice for the night was a (commercially prepared) caramel flan which was served with a huge scoop of ice cream.  It was a bit uninteresting but nonetheless provided the requisite sugar fix at the end of the meal.  

Overall the restaurant is a good option if you are looking for a standard Vietnamese meal (especially if you like rice paper rolls!) and definitely worth trying again. 

Mr Wei's 20 April 2016

Ratings out of 5 stars
Ambiance 4 stars
Taste: 4 stars
value: 4 stars
service: 3 stars
overall 4 stars

Mr Wei’s menu has a small selection of interesting dishes that perfectly suit its up-market feel.   Although most of the dishes are modern Asian-Chinese, it’s the more traditional Peking Duck that keeps drawing us back. Simple, tasty and beautifully presented, this must be the best version in Canberra!

We were quite restrained this week only ordering a half roast duck along with Master cut eggplant (another favourite), Yu Xiang pork, combined flavour fish, King Qiangtao vegetable balls and Pork Belly (for 7 people).  It was a fantastic combination of interesting dishes with no clear favourite.  Jim was particularly taken with all the dishes scoring each a very high 9/10.  The duck was quite filling and although the other dishes aren’t massive, the seven of us were able to have a generous tasting of each.  These savoured mouthfuls filled us up and more than met our expectations. It was a wonderful meal with great service and ambiance.  

We ended the night with most of us opting for a dessert.  The choice was very limited and relatively expensive.  The dishes were also very Western and much less interesting than either the entrees or mains. Nevertheless they were quite tasty and an enjoyable way to end the night. 

 

Green Bamboo Wednesday 6 April 2016

Green Bamboo Vietnamese Restaurant    Swinger Hill   April 6, 2016

4 Attendees     Kim, John, Ron, Andrew

Entrees

Rice Paper Rolls:                          ​Delicious

Mains

All the mains were very good without exception.  Large serving sizes.

Pepper Fish:                            ​Hot pot style.      Ron and John rated #1.

Minted Leaf Lamb ​​Kim rated #1.  John rated #2

Crispy Skin Chicken​Nicely moist chicken.  John rated #3.  

Bean Curd with Lemon Grass      Fried tofu cubes with a crispy skin and a very soft

interior.  Melt in your mouth experience as the crispy exterior shattered releasing the soft

interior.   Coated with delicious spicy finely chopped cooked lemon grass and

vegetables.     

Andrew rated #1.

​​​​                    

Plain Rice

Chinese Tea.​​​
Very good accompaniment.

Wine

No wine.  Dry evening.

Desserts

No desserts

Ambience

Quiet and sedate.   Good place to hold a conversation.    Nicely patterned gingham tablecloths.

Punjabi Hut Wednesday 23 March 2016

Ratings out of 5 stars
Ambience = **
Taste = ** 1/2
Value = ** 1/2
Service = **
Overall = ** 1/2

Present: Jim, Karen, Megan, Kim, Ron

As its name suggests, the Pujabi Hut specialises in Indian cuisine from the Northern state of Punjab.    The restaurant has only just opened in Manuka but has been in the Canberra area since 2003 and now boasts 3 venues around town (Queanbeyan, Erindale and Manuka).  According to the restaurant’s web-site,  Punjabi cuisine is reknown for its rich (butter/ghee) sauces and is also “simple and healthy”.  We were intrigued by this description.  How can a cuisine be both rich and healthy?  And exactly how did the rich Punjabi dishes differ from the rich Indian dishes offered at other restaurants?  We headed off to Manuka to solve this mystery.

We couldn’t find the answer in the menu. While it offered a nice range of dishes, the choices were similar to other Indian restaurants and if there were simple and healthy options, these were well-hidden.  Despite this, we found plenty of dishes to try and Ron (in particular) was impressed with the number of interesting seafood dishes.
For 5 people, we ordered 5 main dishes: fish marsala (fish cooked in onion, tomatoes, beans and Punjabi Hut’s special spices), butter prawns (king prawns cooked with a rich creamy butter sauce), lamb saag (a mild dish cooked with spinach and exotic sauces), Sabzi korma (seasonal vegetables cooked in cashewnut gravy and spices) and Malai kofta (fresh cheese and potato dumplings simmered in a rich creamy sauce).  We also had 2 side dishes [raita (yoghurt and cucumber) and (banana and cocount)] as well as a mix of garlic and plain naan. 
The dishes came out quickly but without the rice accompaniment making it difficult to start the meal.  We had ordered 2 types of rice – “plain rice” (basmati saffron coloured rice cooked Punjabi style), and “Nargasi Charwal” (rice mixed with nuts, dessicated coconut and sugar).  The Nargasi Charwal came out particularly late and even then had to be made again when the kitchen used salt rather than sugar in the dish.  When the final (sugared) version arrived, it was quite interesting. On its own, it was far too sweet but it combined beautifully with some of the sauces cutting through their richness (and heat) allowing the more subtle spices to come through.
Of the main dishes, Kim, Jim and Karen thought the fish marsala was particularly nice.  It was lighter than the other dishes and had a delicate and tasty blend of spices.  In an amazing “about face”, Ron enjoyed the vegetarian Malai kofta dish while Megan was taken with the Saag lamb (will the world ever be the same again?).  However, neither was the best example of either dish – the kofta were a little dry and the lamb could have been been more fall-apart tender.
The butter prawns had an unusual coconut flavour which worked well with the texture of the prawns.  The first taste of the dish was very nice but the sweetness of the sauce became a little cloying after a while and our final impression was less favourable.  The last dish (Sabzi korma) was also a little uninspiring.  The sauce looked the same as most of the other dishes and wasn’t sufficiently different in taste to stamp its place in the banquet.
Overall the main dishes were all OK without being spectacular and if there was a difference between Punjabi and other types of Indian cuisine, it was not obvious. This was also true of dessert where we ordered 3 serves of the ubiquitous gulab jamun. 
Our meal came to $26 per person which is average for an Indian meal in Canberra and perhaps sums up our experience of the night.  While we were keen to try a different type of Indian cuisine, we found that the Punjabi Hut simply delivered standard Indian fare – rich and tasty without being distinguishable from other restaurants.  As for the promise of “simple and healthy” cuisine, we couldn’t work that out and that part of the mystery remains unsolved!   

 

 

 

Lemongrass Thai Woden 9 March 2016

Ratings (out of 5 stars)
Ambiance " 2 1/2
Taste: 2
Value : 2 1/2
Service: 3
Overall : 2 1/2

The Woden and Tuggeranong Lemon Grass Thai resturants are normally less busy than their popular sister restaurant in Civic but last Wednesday was an exception.  With Belinda Carlisle performing a sold out concert next door at the Southern Cross Club, there was an almost capacity crowd at the Woden restaurant.  To their credit, the restaurant handled the increased demand well and their service was fast, friendly and efficient. 

For 5 people, we ordered 2 entrées (treasure bags and deep fried prawns with almond flakes), 5 mains [(1)Thai Green Curry Seafood; (2)stir fried crispy pork belly with home made chilli kaffir lime jam, green beans and carrots; (3)red curry duck (with tomato and lychees); (4)Massaman beef curry; and (5) grilled bean curd with bean sprouts, salad, crushed peanuts and chilli-plum sauce] and 2 desserts (black rice pudding with coconut cream and home made cocount ice cream).  At around $30 per person, it was reasonable (rather than good) value for money. However we did end up with plenty of left overs.  Was this because we ordered too much or simply because Ron was away in Singapore? 

Both entrées were reasonably good.  John and Jim particularly enjoyed the treasure bags with their rich coconut and corn based filling.  Kim and Karen preferred the prawn entrée – the nutty almond flakes were a great contrast to the sweet prawn meat and the deep fried savoury batter.

We also really enjoyed 2 of the main dishes – the grilled tofu and the red curry duck.  The grilled tofu was perfectly cooked – firm and caramelised on the outside but quite soft and silky on the inside. The sweet chilli-plum sauce matched both the tofu and the salad greens and brought the dish together. 

The red curry duck is a long time favourite among the group.  The duck works well with the rich red curry sauce.  Normally the lychees would also create an explosion of sweetness in the dish cutting through the richness of the sauce.  Unfortunately this time only 1 lychee was on the plate and so this element was missing. 

We had high expectations of the two curries (green curry seafood and Massaman beef) but neither was especially memorable and Megan in particular was disappointed.  The dishes were swimming in  sauce and the beef in the Massaman curry was a little dry and chewy.  We have had much better meals at Lemon Grass Thai and we wondered if the crowded restaurant affected the quality of the meals.  This may also have explained our least favourite dish  - the crispy pork belly.  It had a very strong and overpowering belacan flavour.  Someone may have been a little heavy handed with the home-made chilli jam!

 

My's at Weston 10 February 2016

My’s restaurant in Weston is a popular local Vietnamese restaurant particularly among large family groups. It therefore tends to be quite busy early in the evening but quietens down later on.  However even when crowded, the restaurant has a nice family friendly feel and the service and ambiance is very good.

Only a small group of us were in town for our fortnightly dinner so we had to wonder whether it was luck or design that Jim brought along a particularly good bottle of wine to share.  As we sipped this delightful tipple, we may have got a little carried away with ordering and so the night ended up being much more expensive than usual ($40 per head) and not particularly good value for money.   

For 4 people, we ordered 1 entrée (prawn and zucchini fritters), 4 mains (Banana blossom salad with crispy pork belly and Prawns, Twice cooked boneless Duck in Plum sauce, Rock salt soft shell crab, Barramundi with green apple salad) and a dessert each (coconut rice cream with brandy). 

The entrée (prawn and zucchini fritter) was a bit surprising.  Rather than a fritter, it was a whole prawn wrapped in grated zucchini and then deep fried and served with a sweet fish sauce.  It looked interesting but the elements of the dish were all separate and there was no real combination of flavours.  The result was OK without being great. 

Also, unfortunately for us, along with a deep fried entrée, all of our main courses had an element which was either fatty or deep fried.  That meant that while each dish was individually good, the combination was a little too heavy (our fault rather than the restaurant’s!)

Of the main dishes, the duck was particularly popular. Perhaps it was the effect of Jim’s wine but we found that the more we ate the dish the more we liked it.   The duck was beautifully cooked with perfectly crisp skin. The very sweet plum sauce was perhaps was too sticky so didn’t seem to coat the duck effectively and there needed to be more crispy noodles.  However, true to form, our duck lovers (Jim and Ron) thought the dish was fantastic and rated it very highly bumping it up to number 1 in the rankings!

The other main dishes were also good.  The banana blossom dish was the most unusual dish of the night.  The shredded banana blossom added a nice texture to the dish and was a good contrast to the crispy pork. Unfortunately not all the pieces of pork were crispy and this let down the dish a little.  We also had mixed views on whether the prawns were necessary.  The textures should have worked well with the other ingredients but strangely didn’t – perhaps the prawns should have been kept whole rather than halved.