So since there was no Yelp in Australia until this week, I had to rely on Google and the aussies…read moreversions of City Search, all of which were terrible. But I did manage to find a few gems in Canberra and the Duck at Benchmark was one of them. But before that we started with the bread and warm olives. It was the first time I've had warm olives and I loved them, so smart! http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/ovh3XEFo_pzTnlUIyudv9w?select=RdvuuTOPG-kGDVm_JYDEkA We also had some iberico ham and calamari; both were massive portions and ended up being too much food for two people as apps. But the ham was okay, not the best iberico I've had but okay. The calamari could have been crispier, but I liked the flavor. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/ovh3XEFo_pzTnlUIyudv9w?select=GqUmZltSwBC4NPXmfwPC8w The duck really was the star though. It was cooked as well as duck can be cooked. Flaky meat, crisp skin, deep flavor, perfectly seasoned. It was all there. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/ovh3XEFo_pzTnlUIyudv9w?select=JSxmnMWf5i07kIz8nH_vtg For dessert we had to try the syrup soaked cocoa and walnut doughnuts with Persian "fairy floss". Yes that's exactly how it was described on the menu and it sounded too weird to miss. Regrettably, the dessert wasn't that good. The "floss" was basically cotton candy and the doughnuts were very very heavy and rich. Though the menu did state they'd be syrup soaked, my fault for ordering that. I'm not a fan of middle eastern or Indian desserts which can be super sugary. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/ovh3XEFo_pzTnlUIyudv9w?select=LnRuaVl7aia249Zof-A3Kg Overall, it was a better than okay meal.

This is a great place to sit at the bar and talk shit with the staff. Also, a world of high percent…read morealcohol beer which is just fantastic if you drink for pleasure, taste and oblivion. I was lucky enough to chat with a brunette who was extremely knowledgeable on beer. Now how's that for luck; a brunette as well as a beer boffin. The atmosphere at 5pm is a little slow but for me it suited the beer ambience as I was waiting for the 6pm bus home. The wine bar started filled quickly and by that time I had been to Belgium, South Australia, Germany and the Czech Republic. A great hour spent before dashing off to make bus. The range of beers of course cannot match the wine collection offered. I don't drink wine which may be to my detriment, yet there are certainly more than enough beers to accommodate the most grumpy non wine drinker. Food, tapas snacks are available at a reasonable price considering that beers costing between $9 and $13 manage to invigorate your afternoon. The brunette behind the bar is worth the price of admission.

Yes, the fish shack was recommended by staff at the outrageous Hapuku Lodge which is about as nice…read morea small resort as you will find anywhere on the planet, The Fish Shack . Is an outdoor trailer that does a ton of business serves great seafood in a cool coastal title area. I didn't have lobster but holy moly New Zealand has a great exchange rate and food is very inexpensive except those lobster.

This is one of the few (non-chain) eateries in the CBD with lunch service outside the usual 12-2…read more With a casual but efficient approach, the signature fish'n'chips consist of multiple small flathead fillets with great chips and the best tartare sauce away from the coast. As a side, don't pass up the potato scallops - the best we've ever had!

I'm not usually one for continental anyway, but this seemed overpriced even if it was my style…read more I honestly cannot remember anything about the meal (except the disappointment at the resultant price), it was that uneventful. This is not why I go out: thus the two stars. I live in the area and will go back to Ellacure up the road and hoping that Cafe Momo will open for dinner, or that more interesting places will open up with all the development in Bruce. Great location, nice decorations, plenty of room and potential for something great. Someone should tell that to the owner and the chef. If I ever here from a reputable source that they've improved I'd be up for trying it again, maybe.

I came in to Seasalt for a Summer lunch and was immediately put off by the fact that staff looked…read moreat me as if they were confused by someone walking in. My table had that 'unclean' sticky touch and it took a few minutes before one of the looked over and realised I didn't have a menu. I had a prawn and avocado salad- four prawns tossed with tiny squares of mango, five thumbnail sized pieces of brown avocado, and a few baby spinach leaves extended with some chopped cos lettuce. I paid far too much for it. Extremely not impressed.

Good pizza except parm cheese shaker filled with salt ruined pie! Why would anyone, the…read morebartender, fill a shaker for cheese w salt!!!

We visited this establishment and were instantly greeted with exceptional service! We placed our…read moreorder at the bar and found a table out on the patio. Our service was fast and the food was great! Good atmosphere with several TVs hung to watch sports.

The legendary eightysix restaurant has two locations now, serving both sides (identities?) of…read moreCanberra! The original, in Braddon, and now eightysix South in Woden. The small and classy establishment serves a changing menu of fresh pasta and other Italian-inspired dishes and absolutely does not disappoint. They even offer takeaway! I stopped in here to grab dinner to take home to my family on a Friday night. They usually open at six but opened a few minutes beforehand, and I was able to order immediately. The restaurant interior is dark and cozy, with a modern and minimalist feel. The menu is scrawled on a chalkboard that takes up a wall the full length of the restaurant, which is a really cool touch. For takeaway, I ordered a broccolini starter, pumpkin tortellini, eggplant parm, and a lamb pappardelle. Unfortunately, I didn't receive the lamb, instead I was given the duck gnocchi. Disappointing, but didn't really matter as it was fantastic. I can't manage to make gnocchi appetizing cooking at home, but this was what every cookbook says it should be. Soft, pillowy potatoey goodness. The same for the tortellini, which though a bit sweet for my taste, was really nice. For dessert we ordered tiramisu and a banoffee pie. Most will be aware tiramisu is made with booze, but I could actually taste the booze in this example, so be warned it is boozy for sure! The banoffee pie, which on sight I expected to be sickly sweet, was really well balanced by a salty graham cracker crust. The most impressive part is that pasta doesn't usually travel well. By the time it gets home it's cold and stodgy. That was not the case with eightysix. Everything was absolutely delicious. Can't wait to dine-in!

Heaven! Ordered the tasting menu. 8 of their favorite dishes. Great flavor! Refreshing! Perfect…read moreafter a 15 hr flight from USA to Australia. I never order eggplant. I would order Akiba eggplant again and again. Kingfish sashimi is addicting. Sat at the bar. Willow, Host, and Max, Bartender, deliver exceptional service. Highly recommend for a quality meal, great service, and vibe!

Akiba is such a fun spot with awesome vibes. The pork belly bao is hands down my favourite - so…read moresoft and full of flavour. The Japanese fried chicken and kingfish sashimi are also great. Staff are friendly, and the neon-lit, buzzy atmosphere makes it a perfect place for a night out.

Been coming here for trivia on Wednesdays and have been having a great time! The service is mostly…read morequick, the atmosphere is fun and the food, especially the pizza, we have been really enjoying. My one complaint is that for being a bar with "hops" in the name and a beer centric venue, there really aren't that many options for beer on tap and they don't seem to have rotating options either. Otherwise totally love it

They do have some of the best Buffalo chicken wings in Canberra, and I do appreciate that they…read moreserve them with a BLUE cheese dip (I'm strongly opinionated it's blue cheese dip or nothing). The service is always nice and the decorations and activities around are fun and give off good vibes. The menu is slightly overpriced for what you get in my opinion, to explain why it's not 5 stars. Please keep your Buffalo wings with BLUE cheese sauce on the menu. However they make the wings and Buffalo sauce is tasty and stands out to other Buffalo wings in Canberra. All my reviews are standardised to the following star ratings: 1. Customer service I.e. friendly, easy to book, etc. 2. Accessibility I.e. location, decor and scenery, easily assessable or flexible, etc. 3. Work, health and safety I.e. clean, safe, etc. 4. Quality of goods and/or services I.e. good food, good movers, etc. 5. Comparison to similar for location - I.e. would I recommend this above other places

My spouse and I regularly go here for the Tomahawk. We can never finish the massive steak and take…read moreit home. It always makes great leftovers and keeps pretty well, demonstrating the good quality of the steak. The staff are always nice and pleasant. Ironically, no matter how many times we come back, we somehow get given the same table. I wonder if they track previous bookings under the same name and contact details or if this is a weird coincidence? It's good to know we are "window" worthy. My spouse looks like a sexy basketball player, but is also annoying, so I can understand why we get sat next to the corner window (joke). I know other reviewers have said this is a place for carnivores; but I've also booked a work event here once where someone was a vegan, and they were happy to accomodate and the vegan loved their alternate options. Their menu might be limited in dietary requirements, but you can just ask and they do something up. All my reviews are standardised to the following star ratings: 1. Customer service I.e. friendly, easy to book, etc. 2. Accessibility I.e. location, decor and scenery, easily assessable or flexible, etc. 3. Work, health and safety I.e. clean, safe, etc. 4. Quality of goods and/or services I.e. good food, good movers, etc. 5. Comparison to similar for location - I.e. would I recommend this above other places

This was a hard review to write. I've been here four times now, twice for brunch and two times for…read moredinner. The breakfast menu was so good and the servings very generous. I had a big breakfast style meal with sausages, bacon, eggs, toast and blood sausage. The service at breakfast was a bit lackluster with our coffee orders being stuffed up repeatedly. However I Loved it so much I had to come back and try the dinner. Dinner on both occasions was the $55pp chef tasting menu. This was such an amazing onslaught of food and I loved it to bits. Ordered a dessert which was unfortunately disappointing on both occasions, the desert menu had changed both times. I remember my first desert was some weird mix of meringue, basil and salted caramel and it just didn't work. The service at dinner was much better but overall has been a mixed bag on each visit. What sadly ruined it for me is when a friend of mine left a friendly review on another website and received a threatening response from the restaurants head chef via private message. My friend simply stated that whilst nice it was not his favourite restaurant in Braddon. The chef accused my friend if being fake and that he was going to take legal action. I contacted the restaurant to advise that the review was legitimate and was treated equally as bad. I was so upset by the chefs response that I unfortunately will not be going back. I eventually received a half hearted apology but it was too little too late. So sad that they have no idea how to manage their image online.