Eighty Six Restaurant, Braddon

Hi Foodies,

Hope you all had a fantastic week and a new start tomorrow. Canberra reached 34oC yesterday and it is certainly time to get out and about to enjoy what the summer has to offer. And of course, food, especially good food, is always on my list to tick off.

Eighty Six in Canberra does not need extra introduction. Located in Canberra’s bustling food zone, Lonsdale Street Braddon, this medium-sized venue serves modern Australian dishes that are designed for sharing. The venue was rated 1 chef hat by Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) in 2019.

The restaurant has a modern décor with open kitchen and a wall of wines. A large blackboard is at the back of the seating with the dishes on offer on the day. There are also a good number of tables alfresco. The open kitchen is a highlight where diners can watch the chefs in action. I certainly like it and it gives a good showcase to attract potential customers.

Eighty Six offers a relatively small menu ranging from starters and entrees all the way to sweets. Diners can opt to have the $86 tasting menu if they wish. I would definitely recommend it after hearing good things about it. We didn’t on the basis of not-a-very-hungry-stomach on the day.

The restaurant has a good range of local and interstate wines on offer. We decided to go for cocktails for the day. My regular readers will know my typical dinning out would be lemon lime bitters or a red but cocktails with food are certainly a new adventure for me. Out of the two, I recommend the Italian Sour, very much a refreshing experience for a hot summer day. The orange blossom is good – please don’t get me wrong. This cocktail has a very interesting concept of using a soda to generate bubbles.

Chicken Parfait, Mandarin Jam, $19

I must say this dish is fantastic in both the tastes and smell. The bread was pan-fried to perfection, crispy and fragrant. The chicken parfait was hidden away under the mandarin jam and every scoop literally brought the fragrance out further. On the palate, the silky smooth chicken parfait fully enhance the flavours around the tongue while the sweetness of the mandarin jam kicks in to neutralise the oil from the bread and the parfait.

The restaurant’s service is very attentive. When our bread run out, extra bread was offered and cooked straight at the kitchen. Give customers such a nice and welcoming feeling.

Highly recommended.

Steak tartare with prawn crackers, $26

This dish is different from your normal steak tartare. Instead of using beef mince, the restaurant used dicked steak for the tartare. Maybe this is a Canberra thing. Taste-wise, great combinations of flavours. The raw running egg yolk splashes into the capers and the meat, leaving delicate taste on the palate and a deep dive into the cocktail basically uplifts this experience even further. OhI thought serving prawn crackers was very interesting. As a kid grown up eating prawn crackers, it is far my lay back food. It is even more interesting to see the crackers served for steak tartare – indeed a good creation. Recommended.

Beetroot cured salmon, house pickles, orange & shiso, $38

This dish was awesome – indeed! The fish was cured as perfect as possible. You can see the the fish flesh was cured to pink, much like marbling in steak isn’t it? The most distinctive feature for this dish is the mouthfeel as the meat melts in the mouth very easily while the skin is still crispy enough. All flavours combined well and promoted each other. Highly recommended.

Black Chicken, Buttermilk Slaw, $45

The serve of this dish is huge! You get two chicken marylands as a main dish which can well satisfy any hungry appetite. The chicken is quite sweet and the blackened skin is crispy and crunchy.

What a nice way to complete a lunch – yes at this point, both Tina and I could not fit anything in.

Overall, I am way satisfied with the experience at Eighty Six. The shared dishes were certainly very tasty. If you have a big appetite, I would certainly recommend you go with the $86 Tasting Menu. If you have a small appetite, I would recommend you try all of the small dishes.

The service is very attentive and the waiters and waitress are good at their service. Water is always topped while dishes were cleared out quickly. Thanks to the team for such a good effort.

Until the next post, have a great week ahead.

James

Eighty Six

Lonsdale St &, Elouera St

Braddon ACT 2612

Ph: (02) 6161 8686