stuartm12

Now this place was a bit of a surprise - and much better than the food that was being offered at Questacon... we did the casual thing and had the woodfired pizza - sometimes the simple things are the best. The Pork Barrel Cafe staff were very accommodating for our family with young children and the experience was made all the more better by my purchase of the takeaway Chorizo Sourdough... that's right, chorizo in bread... original and very tasty on the trip back to the car! Will be back to this place when next dragged to Questacon!

When walking in Kingston, it is difficult to go past The Essential Ingredient - it is a fantastic looking shop and upon entering, you'll be impressed with the goods in this place. It has a wonderful collection of gourmet that is local to Canberra and it has inspired us to go and see some of the local manufacturers as day-trips out of town. There is also some very difficult produce to get, but as with all things in this game, nothing is cheap. That said, one of their hampers for Christmas would be a great gift.... hint hint!!

After having spent some time in UK pubs, this place looked all too familiar (but not quite as rickety as some of the places I'd seen).... the food was of an okay standard - I had a beef burger while the rest of the family shared a chicken parma. Beer was cold, but there was not a great range to choose from. Not an outstanding place, but far from the worst place I've been (yes, some of those UK pubs weren't too flash!)

Twelve years ago, Toscani's was contemporary, it was a fun place and the service was always good. Well we went there recently and it took me back... but probably took me back a little too much as not a great deal has changed. Sure, there may be a few new dishes, but the terracotta is still too prevalent. Service is still good, but the place overall will find it hard to compete against decent competition.

Hanaichi is a bit of a haunt for me when I find my self in the southern 'burbs of Brisbane. It is a no fuss meal - it is quick and very simple. While you may get the feeling of mass production from the kitchen by the speed it gets out to you, it is consistently a great tasting meal that will fill you up (the amount of rice provided with the large size meal is sure to hit the spot). The chicken teriyaki with rice is always reliable.

So, the other half wants Red Rooster, the kids want Sushi and you would like something to warm the belly on a cold Canberra night??? Well Yum Cha is the answer at Belconnen - in the form of a really well crafted short soup - along with all manner of combinations of soup-based dishes. There are other meals to choose from, but I can only speak for the wontons which are always really well done, as is the charsiu BBQ pork.

There are two Sushi Sushi restaurants at Belconnen Westfield - I am sure that the sushi itself is made by the same cooks, but there always seems to be better variety on the bottom floor as there are less eateries nearby. Either way, this place is always reliable and is (in my eyes) more consistent than the Sizzle Bento - the food is much fresher and there is more variety. The service is nothing to write home about - it's actually usually as cold as the sushi being served, but hey, as long as the kids can chew on a chicken teriyaki maki roll, then I'm guessing it is passable.

Of all of the Asian-inspired places to eat in the Belconnen district, the Dumpling Inn at Jamison Centre doesn't particularly stand out... but for that matter, it shouldn't disappoint the family... it is just a little stock-standard, westernised style (sweet and sour for example) and doesn't differentiate itself in any way whatsoever. The dishes are the usual suspects, but I just wish that the chef would try something a little more traditional - even something as out there as 'salty fish and chicken fried rice'.