When you move to Canberra, you notice several things. 1) It gets really cold 2) No one seems to have a concept of this driving thing you do with vehicles and 3) There is no real "Pub" culture like you get in most other cities. The industry is mainly driven by "Clubs" which have huge ties to the community, most of which spring from sporting teams etc. The big problem with Clubs? They don't promote their food as their selling point so most you go to will give you less than basic pub style food and whilst the customers seem to like it, when you are serving the meals, they just look bland and boring.
So where does one go for a good, modern Pub meal? Talking to some people here in Canberra, there are not many options. I went to one the other day called Civic Pub which had a fantastic set up and was a great venue to watch the almighty Maroons destroy the pathetic Blues in the game 3 of the State of Origin (especially fun when you are in the minority of the crowd). I would definitely like to go back there and try their menu as it looked quite interesting. However, in looking for a place to go for dinner the other night, I stumbled upon the Duxton and blow me down it was just like being back in Adelaide.
Today's venue was: The Duxton (Modern Australian/Italian)
Service:
Well, we picked a great night to go as it was quiz night! So we couldn't get to experience the service in the main dining area as we had to eat out in their front bar (which was pretty nice, but I'll get to that in a minute). The young guy at the bar was polite and took the order with no difficulties. Here you are given one of the beeper gimmicks so you go up to the kitchen passe and collect your meal from there. I don't mind this process unless you have ordered 4 plates and can't carry 4 at a time... Then it becomes an issue. Had a nice chat to the guy behind the bar about how the Duxton reminded Tania and I of home and pubs back there. He recommended a couple of other places so will definitely check them out.
Atmosphere:
The Front Bar of most pubs generally gets a bad rapt for it's clientele. This one wasn't like that at all. It was a simple set up with wooden bar stools and tables and simple wall decorations of sporting memorabilia. Pretty much what you would expect of a front bar minus a bar stool being thrown and lodged into someone's skull. However, a heater would have been nice. Yes, I know Canberra gets cold and I should have brought a jumper with me, but even Tania was cold and she was rugged up. The main dining area looked quite nice with a lot of foliage to give it some real life. Would like to sit out there one day without someone asking me trivia questions. Unless that trivia comes from under the lid of a Super Dry stubbie.
Food:
A little different this week as instead of getting a single meal each, we decided to get some share platters instead. Arancini Balls w/ Aioli, Marinated Chicken Wings w/ Chilli Relish, Meatballs w/ Rich Tomato Sauce & Grilled Bread, and Pork Belly Sliders w/ Asian Slaw & Chilli Mayo. It was quite the feed we had going on. Personal favourite for me for me were the Arancini Balls. Amazing. The mozzarella inside them was the perfect creaminess for it to melt in your mouth *insert sexual innuendo joke about balls here*. Tania was quite the fan of the Sliders. I kind of felt they had the right idea and elements there to make amazing Sliders but to me, they were quite dry. A little bit more mayo and maybe using a different bun as the ones they did use were super sweet. Only other critisim is that the Meatballs were a tad on the cooler side. But that is a minor dent in an otherwise awesome main course.
For dessert we had the Mississippi Mud Cake and the Caramel Tart. Little hit and miss here. The Mud Cake was the right consistency, not too firm but not too soft. When you added the strawberry sauce that was underneath it, it was perfect. The Tart was a little lacking. What was it lacking? Well, probably the main ingredient of caramel. It just felt like a normal tart with this odd flavor that was meant to be caramel, but just wasn't.
Overall:
A great little pub. One thing I forgot to mention is that it is located away from any of the main areas in a little suburb called O'Connor. It was like eating up in the Hills as there isn't that huge amount of foot traffic. I really wish I could have come here on a night that wasn't quiz night so I could have got a taste of what it is really like as it seems brilliant. Places like this make me believe that there is a "Pub Culture" alive in Canberra.
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Recommendation: In what is most likely an election year, say "Yes!" to a good pub! Also, eat at the Duxton.
As most people are aware, Adelaide is the home to fantastic micro brewed beer. From Handorf to the Barossa Valley, you are guarenteed to find some good beers. So with our move to Canberra I was worried that I would not find anything close to what I had left behind. A family friend had mentioned that Canberra does a micro brew festival around March... But that's months away! So one night, while I was at work, my wife went searching and found Zierholz. I couldn't wait to try it and even better yet, there was a restaurant attached to is so let's get to it!
Today's venue was: Zierholz (German/Australian)
Service:
Well, we got there right on the opening lunch time so we were greeted warmly. Not a lot to say about service in general though as it was so early. Two quick notes to make though. Firstly, we were a little unsure if we to order at the bar or at our tables as there was no clear indication. We ordered at the bar, yet a group that came in after us, had their order taken at the table. Not a big issue however. Secondly, I really liked that the waitress knew what she was serving alcohol-wise. I overheard explaining the beers and process to a different table and I loved that. Everyone involved in the process from chef's to servers SHOULD know what they are giving the customer.
Atmosphere:
It was difficult to find as it was in, well I would say an industrial area, but an area surrounded by big building and had no signage out one the street. You want people to be able to identify you straight away. The room itself was super basic. Simple chairs and tables and no real decor on the walls. This place has a real unique product to sell to it's clients. Make it appealing to eat/drink at. My thought it is if they were to move to somewhere not quite off the beaten track and jazzed it up a bit, add some warmth to the walls etc. you could have an amazing restaurant. A venue which would quite easily rival some of the ones back home.
Food:
Alrighty, this is where it gets good. Tania had the Crackling Roast Pork Belly served with creamy mash, braised red cabbage, gravy and apple sauce. I had the Otto Kause Burger with a chargrilled beef patty, extra sharp cheddar cheese, pickles, caramelised onion, tomato, haus (how German) made special sauce served on a gourmet bun with chips. Firstly, how amazing do both of those dishes sound. I'll start with Tania's dish. A-maze-ing. The pork belly was beautifully seasoned and moist which was the complete texture opposite to the crackle which I loved. Too often when you go to pubs or restaurants that offer crackle with the meals, you get this cold, bland piece of cardboard that you can't even separate unless you have a jackhammer. This crackle was crunchy, salty and let you wanting more. As for my burger, brilliant. I have had a lot of burgers in my time, but this is the first one in a long time that actually melted in my mouth. Too often you get a patty that has been dried out and the chefs depend on the condiments to make the dish really pop. Not this burger as the patty was cooked to perfection. Everything worked well to make a slightly unique burger and one that I would easily have again.
Dessert was a Apple Strudel with ice cream and a strawberry sauce. I felt like it could have been cooked a little more. Sometimes you want that pastry to have a slight flaky texture. Not to say I didn't like the dessert though as it was still delicious. The strawberry sauce was amazing and really rich.
Overall:
I really, really liked this place. The food is incredible. Sure the place doesn't look the greatest, but the service was really nice and friendly which can make you completely forget about where you are sitting. They serve a Slow Roasted Pork Knuckle which I saw being taken past me and I would love to go back and try that. Plus, I didn't even talk about their beer! I think I should start a new blog just dedicated to beer because beer is delicious.
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 5/5
Recommendation: Go there and eat, drink and be merry. Just don't mention the war.
Evening ladies and gentlemen.
When I first started working in the hospitality game, I worked in the concierge department. People would constantly ask me where is somewhere good to eat. My immediate response should have been to recommend the in-house services but Lord knows there are so many good places around. You just have to seek them out.
Now that my family and I have made the move to Canberra, I thought I should start to document the places I have been and also try to throw in my own recommendations for places back in Adelaide. Any venue will be up for review from pubs to clubs, from Italian to Thai.
Each venue will have it's service, atmosphere and food critiqued and given a score out of 5. Why do I think I can critique places when there are far more qualified people out there? Because I can. But in all seriousness, any time I go anywhere to eat, I am always thinking about it from a hospitality viewpoint: How many staff on? What are prices like? What is done to enhance the customer experience?
Tonight's venue was: Smoque (American)
Service:
We were greeted at the door by a nice, young lady who said we could basically sit anywhere we could get a sit. Fair enough and pretty basic. I did get the feeling that the staff were not position correctly. You ordered at the bar, which I have no problem with, however they had two people taking the orders on two tills. Why? You should have one person taking the orders so the kitchen doesn't get flooded with orders (not that that mattered but I'll get to that later). The other issue with having two people working the tills, it leaves one person in the bar to serve everyone there as well as get the order takers drinks when required. Another reason as to why you should only have one on the tills. All staff were friendly though which is what you want.
Atmosphere:
Very simple layout. Music wasn't loud so you can actually hear what your fellow diners are saying, which always what you want especially if they are breaking up with you. Décor was nice with a few American icons/flags around the walls. I do think they need to invest in chairs of the same style as I managed to find the smallest chair in the building.
Food:
This is where Smoque was let down. Tania (wife) and I ordered the BBQ Trifecta - Pulled Pork, Pork Ribs, Brisket with a Three Cheese Mac n Cheese and a serve of Buffalo Hot Wings (Regular heat). I loved the wings and thought it was the right amount of spicy that you want for an entrée. The blue cheese aioli that accompanied it was amazing. With the Trifecta, I would say that the winner of the dish was the ribs. They were beautifully seasoned and the meat fell of the bone. Both the pulled pork and the brisket were a major disappointment. Both items were a little cold. Whilst the pulled pork was flavoured really well, the brisket was just not nice. It seemed that everything was mass prepared. It is like they had a couple of bain-maries and just scooped out the pulled pork and brisket and put it onto the plates.
Dessert was a choice of pie or "home-made" ice cream. We chose a slice of Cheesecake and a slice of Apple Pie. We wished we hadn't. Firstly, when I ordered the desserts, I noticed they were on display at the front counter. I thought "Oh, they will bring them over." Nope. The person distributed the desserts onto a plate, then turned to a freezer they had behind the bar and got the ice-cream from there. I felt like I was at work carrying out my desserts. Secondly, the cheesecake left a covering in my mouth which was not pleasant. The apple pie had potential if it heated up but they obviously didn't give us that option.
Overall:
This place is bursting with potential. The staff seem to know what they are doing and with someone placing them correctly, they could become a well oiled machine. The décor doesn't need much work so that's handy. But the food... They promote "Slow food, served fast." I would prefer they took the time and prepared the dishes individually. And when you look at the rest of their menu, all their sandwiches/burgers that they offer seem to be something that the chefs can quickly whip up. Why? What's wrong with taking your time? I can understand if you are a busy lunch time venue and your goal is to pump out meals, but at 7:30 at night your customers don't really have to duck off to their next meeting.
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 2/5
Recommend: It is worth visiting, but only if you are craving ribs.
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Hope you enjoyed the read. Any feedback or recommendations for me to venture will be greatly appreciated.
- Josh
