Mains inspire near complete Corella correction
Where does one eat in Canberra on a Tuesday night?
It is a question the Lunch Magazine team ponder as we scan for a quality restaurant open in the nation’s capital early in the working week. We search through the list of ‘hatted’ and acclaimed restaurants only to find the vast majority are shut – opening Wednesday onwards. Bad news for those visiting early in the business week like us.
Finally we settle on Corella Bar & Restaurant in Braddon. We book a few days out and in the following 24-hours we’re sent three email reminders and two texts from the automated booking system. With the robot booking system seeming so keen to see us we took it as a good sign for when we began our human interactions.
Less appealing as we arrive on a chilly and rain-soaked Tuesday evening is the lack of people in the intimate 30-seater.
Ironically owners Brady Scholes and Wes Heincke are also behind new-wave pub Assembly across the street, which is packed with people, and for a second, we grapple with our dining decision as we hanker for some buzz especially considering we are only the only ones in the restaurant. Then again, Assembly is a pub with all the attendant trappings such as large screens, burgers, schooners and schnitties.
Gratefully others soon arrive taking away that haunted, awkward feeling of being the only people besides the staff in a fine diner.
We kick off with a Beechworth Chardonnay from A. Rodda and a couple of the staff nominated entrée favourites.
Our re-imagined zucchini flowers arrive covered in a batter and looking like a deep-fried dim sim from a seaside takeaway or (more simply) like no zucchini flowers we’d ever seen. The first bite reveals a reassuring refreshing and zesty herbaceous crunch before it’s overpowered by chilli.
The chilli gallops onto the palate like a stampeding herd of cattle and overrides the freshness of the flower – and there’s no stem in sight. It’s different, but unnecessarily so. Chef Leon Pan isn’t afraid to try new things – but this may be an example of trying too hard on this dish.
The prawn bun with fermented chilli, we are reliably informed from the friendly waiter are a fan favourite. Unfortunately, not these fans. They’re too big, not overly tasty and overly battered.
We’re a little underwhelmed and we begin to rustle a tad in our chairs, becoming slightly nervous about what will follow. We needn’t have worried. They’re marvellous.
The Murray Cod, which evidently has recently replaced the barramundi they used to have on the menu, is a delight. Soft, succulent and delicate white flesh met by a stunning crispy charred skin in a dish that delivers.
Following on are local lamb chops which we match with a lovely Barolo.
Cooked exquisitely on the rare side of medium rare, they are superb and complemented delightfully with a brilliant accompanying Tzatziki supported by a delicious charred brussel sprouts, bush tomato balsamic, dukkah, and sorghum salad.
It’s lovely and makes me wonder why as a kid I hated sprouts so much – weird how sprouts only seem to work for adults but rarely kids! Then again, most people just steam or boil them to blandness.
The enthusiastic friendly staff ask for feedback and we give it to them. To put it short – entrees average, mains superb.
Unlike most, they actually want to know what is good and bad – not sugar-coated. They welcome feedback, want to get better and seek any new information to do so. It’s a real eye-opener and a great sign that this restaurant, is only going to continue to grow and get better. For starters, they are willing to open early in the week which seems to give them a free hit in Canberra.
We finish with an apricot malva cake with white chocolate ice-cream and vanilla custard. My sweet-toothed colleague wanted it all and of course prevailed, managing to scarper most of it down evidently revelling in the beautifully balanced blend of not-too-rich ice-cream, cake and custard.
Like the restaurant, the dish itself is appealing and welcoming. It’s a great closer and deserves to be praised.
