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

Great Aunty 3 Vietnamese Street Food - Enmore, Sydney

This is the era where opportunities are widely open to those who are keen to realise their dream. With the rising fame of the reality TV shows looking for new talents in cooking, dancing and singing; it is not hard to be famous nowadays.

I can not see myself living without television ever since I am hooked to the reality TV shows. It is amazing to watch that everybody has a talent in their own way and it is sometimes hidden inside if we never give it a chance to shine. 

My Rating: 7/10

The Shop Front

This happened to Michael Le, the owner of Great Aunty 3 who used to think that pursuing his corporate career was his ultimate dream. Together with his wife and the enormous help from his grandma, he realised his dream in opening a "Vietnamese street food" eatery in Enmore. The shop is named after his grandma who is called Aunty Three by family and friends.

Can't Help Not To Take A Pic Of This Cute Mannequin

The Banh Mi Section

It is a small shop with around 4 tables inside and 2 tables outside. Customers were queueing and squeezing themselves on a single line along the banh mi section to place their orders. The menu is written with a chalk on a blackboard. The service was very friendly but a bit rush as there were lots of hungry customers waiting behind.

Berry Lychee Fruit Shake & 2 Banh Mi $16

We ordered a caramelised pork belly cooked in a coconut juice banh mi and a soya chicken roll banh mi. Each banh mi is priced at $6 or $10 including a fruit shake. The pork belly was so tender it melt in my mouth however it could have more seasoning in it. The soya chicken roll was delicious with a hint of soya sauce as clearly stated by its name. Both rolls came with pickle vegetables, coriander and sauce. Customers can also choose white bread or brown bread.

Close Up of Soya Chicken Roll

Berry Lychee Fruit Shake

The fruit shake was made of real fruit as written on the menu and it was so refreshing and not overly sweet at all. At a combo deal of $10 with the banh mi, it is a great deal!

WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE?

Great Aunty 3 - 115 Enmore Road, Newton NSW 2042

Koko Black, Canberra City

There are some days during winter when you are craving for a sweet hot drink to warm up your body. Especially when the bright sunshine outside can not bring the temperature up, Koko Black is the place to be.

This chocolate salon has been my favourite spot to hang out since I found this treasure. I have been to a few other chocolate cafes in Australia even the one operated by renowned chocolate manufacturer; however in my humble opinion I still have not found anything which can beats the awesome-ness of Koko Black. No no no I am not being asked to write this, this is purely my personal preference.

Koko Black was first established in Melbourne in 2003 and there are currently 9 salons located in Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. 

My Rating: 9/10

Koko Black Canberra City

Where Every Awesome Beverage Is Prepared

Yuzu Chocolate Truffle

Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit, the flavour closely resembles that of grapefruit. There are 9 truffles in each jar at a cost of $23. A single truffle is also available at the counter at $2.10.

Cashew Brittle, Honeycomb & Gianduja: Sold By The Weight $9 / 100g

Angel Chandelier

Mocha Hot Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Delice

Close Up

There are a few layers involved in the Hazelnut Praline. The top layer is a milk chocolate mousse followed by by a dark chocolate mousse and finally a crunchy tough wafer-like base. It has a perfect balance of sweetness to it but not over the top. It is accompanied by a few honey coated nuts and chocolate sauce. Awesome!

Iced Chocolate - Raspberry

Koko Black always change their menu every season however there are a few items that they always keep on the menu. One of them is the Iced Chocolate, the BF becomes the number 1 worshipper of Koko Black because of it. On the current menu, they offered a few twists on the traditional iced chocolate such as Raspberry, Coconut or Caramel.

The iced chocolate comes in a big glass and filled with not-so-sweet chocolate drink, raspberry sauce, 2 huge scoops of vanilla ice cream and chocolate shavings at the top. It is awesomely refreshing with the sour raspberry sauce.

The Bill

WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Koko Black - Bunda Street, Canberra City

Brodburger - Kingston, Canberra

Brodburger is not your usual fast-food neighborhood eatery. The business started out selling burgers from an old caravan by the lake and now it is operating on a modern-looking restaurant in Canberra Glassworks to meet the increasing customers' demand. 

There is only one requirement here, it is PATIENCE. They make it clear to customers that "quality takes time" as the burger is only prepared once you place the order. On not-so-busy weeknights the burgers are ready in 20-25 minutes. 

I suggest you not to come on weekdays lunch time unless you are not in a rush. I have learnt the hard way, my colleagues' and my orders came in 45 minutes and unfortunately we only had an hour lunch break; so there was no choice but to rush eating like crazy and running back to the car. They do take phone order now but do not expect that your burger is ready when you come in, the order only helps your burger jumps up the queue in the kitchen.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Brodburger At The Historic Canberra Glassworks

Order Number 

Self Service Tap Water With Art Designed Paper Cup

We came on a weeknight and the restaurant was packed of customers although the queue was not bad compared to weekdays lunch time and weekends. Our order was ready on the table in 25 minutes.

BrodSalmon: Grilled Salmon Fillet With Lettuce, Tomato, Spanish Onion,
Homemade Aioli & Tomato Relish $14.90

The Big Chunk Of  Boneless Salmon Cutlets

There was a big serve of salmon cutlet covered in a homemade aioli sauce on the burger. The salmon and aioli sauce are match made in heaven and the size is just enough for me. Brodsalmon is my favourite here!

In the event where you are not feeling really hungry, you can always opt for a baby burger with a price of less than $9.

Char Grilled Mix Vegetables Served With Homemade Aioli $5

We ordered the mix vegetables as a side dish, it consisted of char grilled capsicums (green, yellow, red), eggplants, mushrooms and zucchinis. The vegetables are used as fillings for a Brodvegie burger. There was nothing really special about the mix vegetables other than the smoky flavour from the char grill and the aioli dip.

Brodburger: 1/2 pound flame grilled beef patty, lettuce, tomatoes, onion,
homemade aioli & tomato relish $13.50

The beef patties are hand made and can be cooked to your preference either medium or well done.  A side dish of chips can be purchased at $2.50.

Brodburger is an awesome place to visit whenever you are craving for non junk food burger. This place is one of my favourite eatery in Canberra, it has never dissapointed me!


WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Brodburger - Canberra Glassworks 11 Wentworth Avenue Kingston ACT 2603

Deal Voucher - Sushi Jung, Bondi

From my previous post on Deal Voucher - Little Snail Restaurant, you may have an impression that I am addicted (I do not deny this) to purchasing restaurant vouchers. I subscribe to countless of organisations offering online vouchers so that I will not miss out on great deals. My favourites are Ouffer, Groupon and Ourdeal. 

For me, purchasing deals are not without consideration. I usually review the menu included in the deal, the price charged and also if there is any extra charge for drinks, rice or BYO. The next step is checking the website of the restaurant and adding up the price charged for the individual dishes to be compared to the price charged for a set menu offered in the deal voucher. I will also read reviews of the restaurant written by other bloggers or by customers on restaurant-guide website.

Then if my gut feeling tells me that the deal is so worth my money, I will make a purchase. Being a thoughtful person, I can imagine the mountain steps I will go through if I decide to make a huge investment in the future :)

Sushi Jung (My Rating: 8/10)

I purchase a $49 "Seven Course Japanese Seafood Banquet" for 2 from Sushi Jung and it was suggested that customers make a reservation beforehand. The sign of the restaurant is not easily noticeable if you are driving pass through Bondi road. If I did not buy this deal, I would never have known the existence of Sushi Jung.

It is a very small restaurant with only 5 tables available for patrons however I noticed a lot of people buying take-away.  We were welcomed with a very friendly greeting from a middle-aged man, seems like he is the shop owner.

Course 1 & 2: Edamame Beans & Fisherman Soup (Miso Soup with Salmon)

The edamame beans are very much alike the packaged edamames sold at Costco however I believed that the one served here was home made as the salt was pinched at the top rather than evenly distributed as in the packaged one. The miso soup was so delicious and topped with very generous large salmon pieces.

Course 3: Fresh Seafood Salad

Mixed Seafood Salad & Fisherman Soup (Top Right)

This was the dish of the day! The crunchy "long white thread" which looked like vermicelli,  fresh lettuce, Japanese seaweed salad were topped with lots of raw salmon pieces covered in chili mayonnaise & tobiko (fish roe). I should have asked what the crunchy thread was but I am sure it was neither vermicelli nor grated radish. Can anyone help to solve my curiosity?


Course 4: Volcano Masago

Volcano Masago: Tuna Roll With Creamy Mayonnaise

6 giant sushi rolls were served, they were tuna rolls topped with heaps of caramelised mayonnaise and tobiko. I have always loved the texture of tobiko, the bubble is bursting out into a salty liquid. For those who enjoy popping the bubble wraps with hands, eating tobiko is like popping the bubble wraps in your mouth using your teeth (hands are not recommended).


Course 5: Sashimi & Sushi Combo Set

Sashimi & Sushi Combo Set: Fresh Sashimi Of Kingfish, Salmon, Tuna; 
Salmon & Prawn Nigiri Sushi, Tuna Sushi Rolls and Eggroll

Another dish came to the table and we were amazed by the enormous portion and the size of the seafood. The seafood was so fresh they had no fishy taste at all. It was my job to eat most of the seafood as the BF is not a huge fan of seafood.

Although I personally do not like wasting food, there was no choice but to abandon the left over rice from the sushi. Chinese moms tend to scare their kids with the saying that every single rice you waste on the plate will represent the number of pimples that your future husband/wife will have on his/her face!!! Scary huh?!

Green Tea Was Also Included In The Deal

Course 6 & 7: Aburi Salmons

Aburi Salmon Nigiri Sushi: Lightly Seared Salmon

Course 6 & 7 should be a combination of 2 Aburi Scallops and 2 Aburi Salmons however they replaced 2 scallops with salmons as scallop was not available at the time. We did not mind at all, we finished everything and walked away with smiley faces! We definitely have already had the recommended daily intake of Omega 3 for the week :)

Sushi Jung left a remarkable good impression on us, we definitely will go back there again (even without any voucher)!!!



WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Sushi Jung - Shop 2, 194 Bondi Road BONDI NSW 2026