Kusina Filipino Restaurant - Weston Creek, Canberra

Kusina is the only Filipino restaurant in Canberra and it is a family owned restaurant. Kusina means Kitchen in Filipino. I have never tried Filipino food before so I was so excited about the visit. 

Kusina Restaurant (My Rating: 8/10)

The service is extremely friendly here. The menu is not extensive, it is listed on just one page with dessert selections on another menu. We found it a bit tricky to choose which dish to order as the dishes on the menu are so unfamiliar to us and everything looks interesting.

Pritong  Talong $8

This was a vegetarian entree dish; it was a fried eggplant with tomato, red onion, salted duck eggs and garlic sauce. There were 4 portions of eggplants in the dish. OMG it was finger licking delicious, the salted egg complimented the fried eggplant and mayo perfectly. I wanted more!!!

Chicken Inasal $20 & Garlic Rice $3.50

As a no. 1 garlic fan, the garlic rice is always a compulsory order every time I visit this place. Try this garlic rice instead of the plain white rice if you are in the same garlic fan club as me :)

Chicken Inasal was a dish of grilled chicken marinated in lemon grass, garlic, ginger and came with a bowl of  their special soy sauce. I was not sure whether it was half chicken portion as it was not stated on the menu and I was too busy enjoying to pay attention to it. The chicken was so tender and was full of aromatic spices.

Inihaw Na Isda $22

 This was a whole grilled baby snapper topped with spicy mango salsa. The price of the dish was not counted by the weight of the fish. We were lucky enough that night to get a quite big snapper, sometimes I had a smaller size of snapper on my other visits.

The spicy mango salsa consisted of cubes of ripened mangoes, lime juice, chopped red onion, baby eggplants and spring onion. The salsa was so fresh and complimented the snapper really well. The poor fish was left only with bones even the head part as my favourite part is the cheek. Chinese do consider fish cheek as a delicacy!

Bicol Express $18.50

This dish was pork belly braised in spicy coconut cream. The belly was so tender it fell apart with just a touch of a fork. As it is quite a rich dish, it is best to share with someone else.

Demolition In Process

Special Menu Sunday

Desserts

In overall the friendly service and the delicious food are making Kusina one of my favourite restaurant in Canberra.


WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Kusina - Cooleman Court, Weston Creek ACT 2611

Sage Restaurant (5 Course Tasting Menu) - Braddon, Canberra

Sage is a fine dining restaurant in Braddon which offers Modern Australian cuisine. It is located at the heritage building Gorman House Arts Centre. The Gorman House was first opened officially in 1925 as a government hostel and was used up to 1972 as accommodation for public servants. 1981 saw the conversion of the building into an arts centre which is still the case until now. 

Sage Restaurant (5 Course Tasting Menu) (My Rating: 7/10)  

Signage at The Front of Sage Restaurant

Mint Garden Bar - Part of Sage Group

Sage Restaurant Atmosphere on Dinner Time

Sage held "Taste & Test" event available for Tuesday to Thursday dinner during the 5-week period from the 27 August to 26 September. The 5 course tasting menu costed $60 and the diners were given a chance to enjoy and provide feedback on each course. 

The dishes which earned the most positive feedback from the diners will be included as the new permanent menu in the restaurant. The new tasting menus change every week during the 5 week. I personally think that the idea of introducing this event is very smart, business and feedback at the same time! 

Handmade Plates as Used in Sage are Available for Sale

Bread & Butter on a Unique Handmade Plate

I dined at Sage on the third week and as I made the reservation just the week before I was allocated a seat on 8.30pm. The restaurant space is not big and the environment reminded me of the Ginger Room Restaurant at the Old Parliament House (Ginger Room is now closed).

The table was covered with a plain white paper with the same size as the table. The waiter came with the biggest stamp I have ever seen in my life and stamped on the right side of the table where each patron sat. Starting from there my 2-hour career as a food judge commenced :)

The comments on the 5 course testing menu are on the second last picture. I will share my feedback for Sage to you there.

Pan Fried Brocollis, Puffed Rice & Rockford Blue Cheese

Ponzu Tuna, Avocado & Tomato, Yam Chips, Seaweed Crumbs and Lime Sauce

Hamcock & Pork Belly Ravioli, Pork Crackles and Red Wine Jus

Duck Rillette, Potato Hash, Pickled Cabbage, Cheese and Dijon Mustard

Fresh Berries, Meringues, Lime Sauce, Caramel Sauce and Sauvignon Sauce

This Is How It Feels Being Like a "Masterchef" Judge

It was an enjoyable dining experience although there was some hit and miss on each course. Degustation means small testing dish which left the poor BF still a bit hungry so he stuffed his stomach with the complimentary breads served by Sage so that he did not need to visit a junk food store afterward haha.

I was recently contacted by Sage that after the "Taste & Test" event they have developed the 5 course degustation menu for this spring season for $60 instead of $95. So why not try it?


WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Sage Dining Rooms - Gorman House Art Centre, Batman Street Braddon ACT

Marrickville Pork Roll, Marrickville

Vietnamese roll or sandwich aka Banh mi has gone viral these last few years in Sydney however there are only a few popular places with long customer queue. The influence of French colonisation in banh mi is baguettes, mayonnaise and pate while fish sauce and pickled vegetables are native Vietnamese. 

There is a big Vietnamese community in Marrickville, I noticed there are lots of shop signage with Vietnamese writing such as accounting firms, asian groceries, barber shops and restaurants. 

Marrickville Pork Roll (My Rating: 6/10)

We arrived at the shopfront around 1pm in the afternoon and luckily the queue was not long. The guy with the red shirt took our order and notify the staff preparing the meal of our order in Vietnamese. It was a tiny shop with every meals prepared in front of your eyes. The price is very reasonable with the highest price of banh mi charged at $4.50. The service was fast as all the ingredients were already prepared and only assembly needed.

Good Food Guide Article on the Wall

Pork Skin Roll (Banh Mi Bi) $4

It is a take-away restaurant as all Banh Mi shops are. The pork skin roll was ordered as we expected it to be crunchy pork crackling which was hugged between the baguette however it turned out that the pork skin was not the crunchy one as per our expectation. The pork skin was a bit chewy however it was still pleasant to eat although we were not sure if we will order this again next time. Other ingredients in the pork skin roll were pickled carrots, cucumber, spring onion, coriander, pate and mayo.

Chicken Roll (Banh Mi Thit Ga) $4.50

The chicken roll was packed with lots of shredded chicken meat. Other ingredients in the roll are exactly the same as those in the pork skin roll. The roll was packed with lots of flavours from the pickles, chicken and fish sauce. The baguettes from this shop were bigger than those from Hong Ha (the most famous Vietnamese banh mi shop in Sydney, located in Botany Street in Mascot) however no baguettes can be compared to the freshly baked, warm and crunchy baguettes from Hong Ha.

Pork Roll (Banh Mi Thit Cha) $4

The main ingredient in the pork roll was the pork cooked in Vietnamese style. It resembled the bacon but slightly different to the Western style bacon. Although all the rolls were delicious but we agreed that we have not found the rolls which are comparable to those from Hong Ha.





WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Marrickville Pork Roll - 236 Illawarra Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

Dickson Asian Noodle House - Dickson, Canberra

Sudden craving of Chinese Malaysian food led me to Dickson Asian Noodle House. I have been there for about 5 times and this restaurant has never disappointed me in terms of the meals served. This place serves Malaysian, Laos & Thai cuisine however I am only interested in the Malaysian food here.

When my friends from other states asked me for a recommendation of a restaurant to go to when they visit Canberra, this restaurant is the first one coming to my mind. 

Make sure you make a reservation for a definite spot to enjoy the delicious food especially dinner time otherwise you will either have to find somewhere else to eat or only have short time (in my case 45 minutes) to finish your meal and leave! The restaurant is also fully booked on weeknights not just on the weekends.

Dickson Asian Noodle House (My Rating: 8/10)

We ordered 3 dishes for dinner, the dishes came in a flash and each dish did not come on the same time as what you usually expected at a hawker restaurant. 

Combination Curry Laksa 

Laksa is a spicy curry & coconut milk broth served with yellow noodles, vermicelli, fried tofu, vegetables and combination of chicken, duck and Chinese style BBQ pork.The broth was so aromatic but not too thick which made me keep coming back for the second spoon. The meat served on the dish was so generous.

For those who do not want combination laksa, other options are chicken, bbq pork, beef laksa, seafood, duck, fish or prawn laksa.

Our table was close to the cashier and the kitchen so I could see countless of plastic containers of curry laksa ordered for take-away. This is the ultimate place to satisfy the craving for curry laksa! So far this is the best curry laksa which is comparable to that served at the Satay Delight in the canteen of University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Chicken Crispy Noodles 

The portion was quite shocking to us when presented on the table as we did not expect a big portion. This dish was so good with the combination of the crispy noodles and the tender chicken pieces. However the kailan vegetables were still tough as if they were not cooked long enough.

Beef Hokkien Noodles

This dish was the most disappointing dish of the night. Tough yellow noodles and tasteless gluey thick sauce were not appealing at all so we left the dish unfinished on the table.



WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Dickson Asian Noodle House - 29 Woolley St, Dickson ACT 2602

Kokoro Japanese Restaurant - Gungahlin, Canberra

Finding a good Japanese restaurant in Canberra is like finding a needle in the haystack. Being so far away from the sea, I can say that Canberra can not compete with Sydney in terms of fresh seafood with a good price. I hardly eat Japanese food in Canberra except getting sushis from the sushi shop so when I found out about Kokoro in Gungahlin, I was so excited about the visit. 

The restaurant is located just outside the Coles shopping centre building so it should not be difficult to find although my friend and I were lost because we are not familiar with this area.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Kokoro Front Kitchen

Kokoro Menu

We were greeted by a very friendly waiter and the restaurant was almost full at around 6.30pm. The menu has an extensive 10 pages selection of entree, udon, sushi, sashimi, donburi, makisushi, tempura and salad. The price of the food is at the higher end. The service was attentive and quick.

Blooming Tea - Flower Tea In A Teapot

We did not order the flowering/blooming tea this time but I had a peek on the blooming tea ordered by customers sitting next to us. Blooming tea is made up of a bundle of tea leaves which is wrapped around flowers and then binded together into a bulb and are set to dry. When soaked in hot water, the bundle expands and unfolds which resembles a blooming flower. The tea is usually served in a glass pot so that the blooming process can be enjoyed.

Kokoro Restaurant

Chicken Katsu Udon $15.50

The udon came with deep fried chicken fillets, enoki mushroom, shredded seaweed and tofu in clear soup. A shaker of dried chili flakes is also provided to give the hint of spiciness to the dish. In terms of flavour, it is not as flavoursome as ramen so I had to put a reasonable amount of chili flakes to lift up the flavour.

Lion King Roll $21.50

The lion king roll is a very interesting name for sushis. The lion king is a rolled cooked tuna with avocado and grilled salmon on top generous amount of fish roe. The flavour combination is just heavenly! I can easily eat 2 serves of this by myself. The sweetness of tuna complement the freshness of the lightly grilled salmon with the saltiness of the fish roe, yummmmm. The red sauce tastes like the chili sauce served in the Vietnamese restaurant (if you know the one with a chicken logo on the plastic bottle :) ).

In overall it has been quite an enjoyable dining experience. I will definitely come back to try other Kokoro special makisushis.


WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Kokoro Japanese Restaurant - Shop 34 Coles Shopping Centre, 40 Hibberson St Gungahlin Canberra.

The Conservatory Restaurant - National Arboretum Canberra

From the National Arboretum Canberra website, Arboretum means a collection of living trees cultivated for conservation, scientific, research and educational purposes. The arboretum was officially opened just recently this year and the beauty of this place is undeniable. It is owned by the proud Australian Government and is located just six kilometres from the Canberra city.

There are 94 forests of rare and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world on the Arboretum. More than 48,000 trees are calling Arbortum home at the moment. Free guided walks on four different routes are available upon request.

The Pod Playground

The Inside Of The Village Centre

The Conservatory Restaurant (My Rating: 6/10)

The architecture of the building itself is breath taking with roof and pillars made of wooden materials. The Sprout Cafe and the Conservatory Restaurant are offering contemporary Australian cuisine to those visiting the Arboretum.

School Prawns, Sand Whiting Ceviche On A Bed Of Salad

The butterflied prawns were grilled to perfection and the flesh was so fresh and sweet. The sand whiting ceviche had the texture of raw fish and lemony taste. Ceviche is a popular seafood dish in Coastal America where the fresh raw fish is cured and cooked in lime juices. This is so not recommended for those who hate fishy taste. The salad lacked seasoning and dressing so much that I had to use salt and pepper to lift up the taste.

Beer Battered Rock Flathead Tails, Thick Chips, Tartare Sauce 

The fishes were battered and deep fried, there was nothing really special about it although the thick cut chips were crunchy. In overall the food did not have the WOW factor, perhaps it was just not my lucky day.

The View From The Conservatory Restaurant

WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
The Conservatory Restaurant - National Arboretum Canberra, Forest Drive, off Tuggeranong Parkway Weston Creek