AU2010 - Koko Black

As reckoned by Nicolekiss, Koko Black serves the best ice chocolate in Australia!! So, as soon as we found out that there is a Koko Black salon in Canberra, we decided to check out their iced chocolate.

 

 

While most cafes and restaurants will hand you a menu, interestingly, Koko Black gives their customers a seasonal bulletin with an embedded menu. After browsing through it, we decided to try both their hot and cold beverages, before ending with a martini.

 

 

First was the Belgian Hot Chocolate, a freshly brewed chocolate using a traditional Belgian recipe blending full cream milk, cream and 54% dark chocolate.

 

 

Then came the Hazelnut version of the Belgian Hot Chocolate. (Note: In case you are interested, they also offer chilli, mocha and cinnamon flavours).

 

 

As for the cold beverages, we ordered their famous Iced Chocolate in both adult’s and kid’s sizes, hence the Iced Chocolate …

 

 

… and Baby Iced Chocolate, a special iced chocolate blend with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate shavings.

 

 

We also ordered the Blood Orange Iced Chocolate, that was part of the Spring Indulgence menu, which is a cross between their famous Iced Chocolate and Blood Orange Sorbet.

 

 

Last but not least, came the Belgian Chocolate Mousse Martini, an intensely rich mousse recipe direct from Bruges in Belgium.

 

 

Unlike Nicolekiss’ bad experience whereby she wasn’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the shop, the waitress whom served us gladly allowed us to do so.

 

 

So, was the Iced Chocolate really the best in Australia? Yes and No. If it was summer, we would probably recommend the Iced Chocolate. But with the cool weather in Canberra, we actually prefer the hot chocolate more than the iced version.

 

 

Koko Black Chocolate
Bunda Street, Canberra, ACT 2600.
Phone Number: +61 2 6230 4040

AU2010 - Sizzle Bento

After spending the whole evening at the Floriade, we decided to check out Canberra’s largest and most popular Japanese restaurant chain, Sizzle Bento.

 

 

Offering a sushi bar, sushi train, noodle bar and BBQ sections, Sizzle Bento can be considered the ultimate all-in-one restaurant that fuses both Korean and Japanese cuisine.

 

 

And since there are so many dishes to choose from, digital menus with embedded videos are also put up to assist guests.

 

 

One good example was our order of the Yaki Noodles. According to the LCD screen, one will first need to choose a type of meat (they called it flavour), then the type of noodles and lastly, the sauce. Hence, the end result of making good use of the digital menus, Yaki Soba with Chicken.

 

 

Or if you think that’s too complicated, just order those dishes off the menu, like the unagi (eel) and soba noodles, …

 

 

… unagi rice, …

 

 

… chicken katsu curry, …

 

 

… bibimbap, …

 

 

… and tempura soba.

 

 

Although Sizzle Bento calls themselves a Japanese restaurant (I think it is quite common nowadays to have Koreans running Japanese restaurants in Australia), I really couldn’t help but to think that they are just a typical Korean restaurant serving Japanese food.

 

 

Sizzle Bento
148, City Walk, Canberra, ACT 2601.
Phone Number: +61 2 6262 6022

AU2010 - Happy’s

It seems to me that Happy’s Chinese Restaurant is an ANU student’s favourite. Every time we meet up with ANU folks, they never fail to bring us to Happy’s.

 

 

Located in the heart of the CBD, Happy’s was the very first Chinese restaurant in Canberra and has been operating from the same location for the past 47 years.

 

 

That probably explains their traditional Chinese interiors.

 

 

Offering traditional Cantonese cuisine, we gave their beef in BBQ sauce …

 

 

… chicken omelette …

 

 

… Shandong chicken …

 

 

… water spinach with garlic and chilli …

 

 

… deep fried squid with salt and pepper …

 

 

… steamed duck with sweet ginger …

 

 

… and Happy’s special bean curd nuggets a try.

 

 

Overall, we reckon that the dishes were pretty similar to any Chinese restaurant in Australia, except for their slightly higher prices. Nonetheless, we strongly recommend their bean curd nuggets, a must try for anyone!!

 

 

Happy's Chinese Restaurant
17, Garema Place, Canberra City, ACT 2601.
Phone Number: +61 2 6249 7015

AU2010 - Floriade

Featuring more than one million blooms, Floriade is back in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park for a celebration of Spring!!

 

 

Since a picture paints a thousand words, enjoy the pictures of Australia’s largest flower festival below!!

 

 

 

In addition to the themed gardens, also on display was a sand sculpture (disappointingly, only one this year) ...

 

 

… some showcase gardens …

 

 

… and the famous Grand Concert Street Organ, Australia Fair.

 

 

The best part of our visit, the free wine tasting of Lindeman’s Early Harvest and Sweet Seasons ranges. Who could resist free wine tasting, right?

 

 

And since a trip to Canberra is not complete without a visit to the national icons, we also had a quick stop at the Parliament House …

 

 

… and the Australian War Memorial …

 

 

… before heading back to Wollongong.