dining
Room to groove, room to eat; a room to enjoy DINING
By Wendy Johnson IT’S all happening in Kingston, with the opening two weeks ago of The Kennedy Room, an impressive and massive bar/restaurant that has added an exciting and much-needed new dimension to this part of town. Owned by Dimitri Eliopoulos, The Kennedy Room (not a night club, by the way) has great street presence with its large outdoor area for 50, which was packed the night we arrived. The “presence” continues indoors which, by design, features different zones, all pretty funky in their own right. The lounge to the left is a comfy spot to “people watch”, as is the seating area to the right near the long, magnificent bar. Then there’s a dining section, with full table service, and a second eating area (order at the bar and the food is brought to your table). The menu is not extensive, but it is impressive, which is not surprising given that Nick Carter (former Anise and artespresso) is at the helm. We decided to share several tapas items and a pizza. The tapas starts at $7 for gourmet, small, black, wild olives (marinated, but not too salty) with Italian ciabatta bread and goes to $26 for an antipasto
The Kennedy Room… An impressive and massive bar/restaurant. platter. Or, for fun, order the edamame (green soybeans boiled and tossed with sea salt and a little soy sauce). We began our little feast with melt-inyour-mouth caramelised roast pork belly with chilli and coconut vinegar, giving this dish a light Asian touch ($14). It was divine. Next was crab and prawn ragout stuffed into a pastry parcel and served with chilli jam – the pastry airy and crisp. The lightly fried calamari was equally delicious. It was unbelievably tender and spiced with black pepper and sumac, a sensational spice commanding you to fall in love with Middle Eastern flavours ($14). The pizzas range from $18 to $22. We had half Patatam (potato, garlic, tomato, mozzarella, rosemary oil and sea salt) and half Estuario (barramundi, prawns,
Photos by Silas.
roasted garlic, tomato and mozzarella). Like most dishes on the menu, the pizzas are “familiar, but different”, says Nick. We were convinced to try the caramelised pear pizza with cinnamon cream and a touch of yoghurt to give it a bit of tang ($11) and we were glad we did: Absolute yum factor. The Kennedy Room has great acoustics with two different music zones and Dimitri promises diners won’t be violated with “doof-doof” music. Refinements are still being made, including a courtyard early next year, but in the meantime the place is already proving to be a great addition to Canberra’s social scene. The Kennedy Room, 25 Kennedy Street, Kingston. Open seven days, call 6162 2318.
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