I was fortunate enough to get out of Sydney last weekend and head to our nation's capital. While the main purpose of the trip was to attend the regional Groovin' the Moo music festival (which was fantastic - I highly recommend it if you want a reasonably laid back festival experience and can withstand the cold after sundown) a secondary mission was to enjoy as much of the wonderful food and drink that Canberra has to offer.
Farmers' Markets - Exhibition Park
The Farmers' Markets at Exhibition Park was the first stop on this culinary journey. Open on Saturday mornings until about 11am, local farmers' from the region converge to sell you the very best seasonal produce and homemade goodies. Most of the stallholders I spoke to are bio-dynamic and organic certified, and I ended up spending over $80 on food before I had even thought about what I wanted to do with it. To be fair, most of it was spent on local cheese which has been passed on to my mother as a Mothers' Day present, but collectively my friends and I returned home with butternut pumpkins, capsicum, coriander, leek, fennel, mushrooms, oranges, apples, bananas, Australian garlic, a selection of marinades, fresh yoghurt, homemade baklava and a whole bunch more which we turned into a delicious homemade vegetarian dinner meal of butternut pumpkin and parmesan risotto, stuffed capsicums, buttered leek and orange and fennel salad. DELISH.
Brodburger
http://www.brodburger.com.au/
This unassuming red caravan apparently turned up one day at it's current home in the Bowen Park car park, plugged into the electricity at the nearby toilet block and started selling delicious cooked to order burgers for the masses that soon arrived. And if you go, arriving sooner is the way to go - the demand for burgers is such that you'll likely line up for half an hour and then wait another hour until your order is ready. Fortunately, the surrounds are pleasant enough if the weather is good that you can enjoy a daytime nap, feed the swans on the lake or even pop to the national galleries for a quick visit.
News is that the local council decided that the red caravan didn't fit in with the "upper class niceness" of the suburb of Barton in which the park is located, and ordered the little caravan to disappear, however a petition signed by thousands of Canberrians and travellers has seen the Caravan still sitting in it's same spot (it does however run off it's own electricity now).
As for the burgers: Yep, they're good. Very good.
Koko Black
http://www.kokoblack.com/
Originally Melbourne's answer to Max Brenner, Koko Black has expanded recently and now has stores in Canberra and is preparing to open in Perth. A seasonal menu which uses local and fresh produce in it's desserts as well as delicious classics (hot chocolates, iced chocolates and dozens of different individual bite-sized goodies to choose from) makes it the perfect stop for post-burger dessert.
Wig and Pen Micro-Brewery
http://www.wigandpen.com.au/
It may not live up to the "meat-market" reputation of Mooseheads, but if you're after more than a quick run through the student population in the 'berra, Wig and Pen may be the answer. Especially if the question is "Beer?".
The website is outdated, but the awards and accolades they have received extend well beyond our shores. They'll give you a sample of their dozen or so regular, seasonal and special brew beers, stouts and ales while you decide what you want, and if you are, like my friend, "one of those girls that doesn't drink beer" they even have a selection of micro-brewed ciders and will (perhaps reluctantly) pour you a glass of wine if you're really not keen.
Sati's Vegetarian Cafe
Watson Shops
Probably the most perfect brunch ever (it only opens at 8:30am and is closed early afternoon), Sati's serves delicious vegetarian and vegan breakfasts and meals that are big enough to line the stomach until dinner but leave you longing for more (so make sure you order the extra hashbrowns with your meal). I suggest either of their big brekkie options which come with any variety of tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, feta, chili, eggs, tofu and thick bread.
The service is great and the (free trade) coffee ain't bad either!
