arts & entertainment
Menu comes with conditions
Chargrilled Lamb Backstrap w smoked eggplant, sweet potato crisps & goats curd
Wendy Johnson dining
YOU do not often read a menu with “conditions of entry”, but there they are at The Oaks Brasserie, a small café tucked away at the picturesque Yarralumla Nursery.
The conditions warn that the native birds will steal your food if you are not vigilant, that staff will deliver food to your table, but after that it is your responsibility to guard it, management cannot take responsibility for personal injuries occurring from individual negligence or birds or animals and so on. And the menu is explicit that you must understand all the conditions before deciding to stay. Yikes. But back to the setting, which is what attracted me to return to The Oaks Brasserie. Operating since 1990, it is set in a pretty heritage English garden and I recall masses of spring flowers on my first visit. This time it is winter, although the sun peeped through the clouds to warm us up. The menu is extensive. Plenty of vegetarian, vegan and wheat-free dishes. Focaccias, bagels and light lunches from $13.50, salads served as mains from $20.50 and rotating chef’s specials
The Oaks Brasserie at the picturesque Yarralumla Nursery.
Dish of the week
Available:- Fri 26 July to Thurs 1 August BOOK on-line or 6162 0122 * Not valid with any other promotion/offer
Sky Plaza Apartments (next to sx club) 98 Corinna St Phillip | www.pepperedprawn.com.au
The Oaks Brasserie’s warm chicken salad. from $20.50. Desserts are available for afternoon tea in the garden and the children’s menu starts with fairy bread sprinkled with hundreds and thousands (children are only welcome when supervised by an adult). The pet in your life is well taken care of with Canine Cuisine, which includes poochy pasta and snags (all $5). We both selected from the specials — I the Nasi Goreng ($22.50) and my friend the steak panini sandwich ($23.50). My dish looked fabulous and included a generous serve of prawns, big chunks of chicken and loads of crunchy Asian vegetables. However, the sweet soy and regular soy were too overpowering for my liking and I just could not finish the meal. The 120-gram lean porterhouse steak was a better choice, cooked as ordered with scrumptious Italian toasted bread. And how good is
Photos by Brent McDonald steak with sweet caramelised onion? Another condition is that the brasserie does not do fast food, only good food as fast as possible. Fair enough. However, I had to get up from my seat to remind staff our wine had not been served. And after ordering and waiting close to 40 minutes I got up from my seat again to chase down our meals. The staff apologised, saying our meals would take longer than usual because of challenges in serving the large crowd on the opposite side of the brasserie listening to live music. Sigh. And, just because the conditions of entry are so important to Oaks Brasserie, I thought I would close by letting you know that there is only one bill per table allowed and no bill splitting.
artisan bakery and eatery Handmade bread, pastries and pies Located in the National Rose Gardens, King George Terrace Parkes ACT , next to the Lobby Restaurant
½ price bread from 3pm 7days Check our website for more details 6273 1455 | www.porkbarrel.com.au
CIVIC: 70 Bunda Street, 1st floor Canberra City Phone: 6257 3690
The Oaks Brasserie is licensed. Open seven days, Yarralumla Nursery, Weston Park. Call 6260 5253.
WODEN: 86/2 Keltie Street Woden Plaza, Phillip Ph: 6260 5441
When perfect starts to go wrong Helen Musa
GUNGAHLIN: 25 Gribble Street, Gungahlin Phone: 6241 4558
The cast of “Wickfield Wonderland”... “a disturbingly funny new work”.
arts in the city
CANBERRA Youth Theatre director Karla Conway has commissioned “a disturbingly funny new work” from playwright Angela Bietzen. It’s set around the perfect suburb, where everyone is polite and everyone helps out – until something unexpected happens. “Wickfield Wonderland”, C Block Theatre, Gorman House, July 25-August 3, bookings to cytc.net or 6248 5057. THE Australian Stencil Art Prize, won in 2010 by Canberran artist E.L.K., has been re-branded as the Stencil Art Prize, with two categories, the Australian Stencil Art Prize for Australian artists only and the World Stencil Prize for all artists. Winners will receive a $2000 cash prize each and exhibit alongside finalists at Sydney’s Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Sydney during October. Entries to stencilartprize.com by August 15. PORTRAITIST Barbara van der Linden’s centenary exhibition, “Faces of Canberra”, winds up at Tuggeranong Arts Centre at Lanyon (the old Nolan Gallery) on July 28 with the 2pm unveiling of her Stephen Collins portrait and a closing party, at which author Paul Daley will speak. Gold coin donation for wine.
www.flavoursofindia.com.au
ART in Miniature Canberra’s annual exhibition of tiny paintings will be held at the Yarralumla Gallery and The Oaks Brasserie, August 4-31. Nicky Mackay-Sim, curator of pictures and manuscripts at the National Library, will open the exhibition at 3pm on August 4. All welcome. ANCA is seeking proposals for use of its beautiful Dickson gallery for the second half of 2014. Proposals are due by August 29 to anca.net. au/applications/gallery/ TOP local artist Timo Nest will tutor 12 ACT housing renters in a free eight-week visual art workshop, beginning on August 5, culminating in
an exhibition called “Tenants Made This City” at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre in October. Inquiries to 6247 1026 or info@tenantsact.org.au FREE Rain Theatre will preview its upcoming production of “Phantom of the Opera” at the regular “Wednesday Lunchtime Live” series at Wesley Music Centre, 12.40pm to 1.20pm, on July 31. Paper note entry or concession $2. Refreshments $2. No bookings, but prepare to queue. AUSTRALIAN singer/songwriter Rick Price is looking for local musicians to support his Canberra performance at The Abbey on August 2. Bookings to 6230 2905 or 6293 4677.
A taste of Italy
Traditional and Contemporary Italian Cuisine licensed and BYO bottled wine Centre Cinema Building, Garema Place, Canberra City la-scala@iimetro.com.au www.lascala.com.au
6248 8338
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