Brasserie Bread Co.

Address: 1737 Botany Road, Banksmeadow NSW 2019

Highly rated: Banana Pancakes, Olive cob loaf (from takeaway bakery). To be honest I've never been a pancake fan - but I was assured I'd like this rendition. And boy was I proved wrong! The pancakes at Brasserie are light, fluffy (might I suspect they are fried to obtain the slightly crispy, airy texture) and taste fantastic with the maple syrup, shaved coconut & banana pieces.

 Pictured below: Croque Monsieur - appears to be their signature dish because they kept featuring how to make it in instruction pamphlets across the cafe.

I also purchased some sweet pastries as a gift, namely the blood orange chocolate eclair which intrigued me. The cream was a bittersweet blood orange filling to the eclair which was classically topped with a chocolate stripe.

A handy (and dare I say trendy) breakfast place that does not disappoint.

Tanja's Cafe Restaurant

Address: 372-374 Main Rd, Wellington Point QLD 4160
Tel: (07) 3207 3120

Website: www.tanjas.com.au

I can't remember what I had here which was notable but I think it was a pastry/pie of sorts where I ate everything on the plate. This is your standard strip shopping mall cafe but does a nice breakfast or light lunch well and if it's anywhere near where you live or a friend lives in Brisbane then you should give it a go!

Sepia Restaurant

Address: Darling Park, 201 Sussex Street Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: (02)9283 1990
Website: http://www.sepiarestaurant.com.au/

So I got dragged into coming into trying this new restaurant, without knowing anything about the menu by my beloved sister who knows more about the world of fine cuisine much better than I. I believe this won the award in 2012 (or end of 2011) for best upcoming restaurant.

It was only later did I find out the genius behind this menu was no other than one of the head chefs who had spent years at Tetsuya's. Sepia is clearly a distinct style - deeper, heavier flavours and focusing more on artistic presentation & more experimental desserts.












The standout was definitely the venison, and desserts - who knew chocolate imitating dirt/twigs/tree bark tasted so good!

The service here is superb - attentive, courteous and not pretentious at all. Meals are well-priced and this is definitely somewhere I would take interstate travellers or overseas guests for a taste of modern Australian cuisine, showcasing our produce and creative spirit.

Sammy's Kitchen Chinese and Malaysian Cuisine (Canberra)

Address: Shop FG09 Section 84, Canberra Centre, Canberra City ACT
Tel: (02) 6247 1464

Not the best value for Malaysian food, but they are in a convenient location and I can't go past their Gado Gado (pictured below) - contains vegetables but drowned in a thick, peanut butter/satay sauce. Its the best Ive had...


They also do other Asian staples such as honey prawns,  sweet & sour whatever-meat-you-want-covered-in-batter, duck, spicy salt etc.

Iori Japanese Restaurant

Address: 41 East Row, Sydney Building, Canberra City ACT 2601
Ph: (02) 6257 2334
Website: www.iori.com.au

Trading Hours:
Lunch - Mon to Fri, 12pm to 2pm
Dinner - Mon to Sat 6pm onwards

Not the cheapest Japanese restaurant in town, but if you were to eat sashimi in Canberra this would be one of few places I would trust. It has an extensive menu of Japanese delights, with rich traditional flavours. This is as authentic as it gets (in Canberra), with a few fish heads sticking out so you know you are not at some white-washed version of Japanese cuisine.

Cha Cha Char (Brisbane)

Address: Shop 5, Plaza Level, Eagle St Pier, Brisbane QLD
Ph: (07) 3211 9944
Website: www.chachachar.com.au

Highlights - must try the 'moo juice'which has now been renamed to 'beef jus dipping sauce'. It is reminiscent of a thin veil of vegemite reduced with beef stock... love that yeasty-bite of flavour!

Cha Cha Char prides itself on doing good steaks, but of late it has really ramped up its menu to include a diverse range of mains featuring modern Australian cuisine. A really nice place with non-pretentious staff with views of the river and well-executed meals.

Coyote Cafe

Address: 220 Northbourne Ave, Braddon ACT 2612
Tel: (02) 6257 7777
Trading Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am - 4pm

This is a random best-kept secret located within a business building in the middle of Northbourne Ave, the main arterial road in Canberra. Since they only trade during the weekdays I would recommend it as a suitable stopover if you are driving through Canberra and want inexpensive, casual modern Australian cafe food.

I can't go past the French Fries with ranch dipping sauce - they use this special cajun seasoning (which seems to contain both sugar & cinnamon, but strangely works) which is to die for...