Canberra - Australia 2004 - page 599

The owners also own the reasonable Best Western motel next door, which has
standby rates of A$89 (US$58) for a double. Apparently, long-suffering parents
often dump their teenage kids at the lodge and live it up at the motel.
29 Dawes St., Kingston, ACT 2604. & 02/6295 7777. Fax [phone]. www.victorlodge.com.au. 29 units,
none with bathroom. A$59 (US$38) double; A$23 (US$15) dorm bed. Rates include continental breakfast.
MC, V. Free parking. Bus: 38, 39, or 50. Amenities: Bike rental; tour desk; coin-op laundry; nonsmoking
rooms; Internet facilities; TV room. In room:A/C, TV, iron, washbasin.
4 Where to Dine
EXPENSIVE
The Boat House by the Lake MODERN AUSTRALIAN Set on the
shores of Lake Burley Griffin, the Boat House is a very pleasant dining retreat
enjoying uninterrupted water views. The large dining room offers floor to ceil-
ing windows to capture the view, and the outside terrace is nice for a pre- or
postdinner retreat. To start with try the Coffin Bay oysters, either natural with
lemon, or topped with lychee avocado and chile salsa. Then go for the Japanese
peppered beef filet on garlic mash potatoes with braised mushrooms, asparagus
tempura, and wasabi hollandaise sauce. The wine list features locally produced
wines. The Boat House was named the best restaurant in the ACT in 2001, and
was a finalist in the American Express Best Restaurant awards the same year.
Grevillea Park, Menindee Drive, Barton, ACT. & 02/6273 5500. Reservations required. Main courses
A$16-A$22 (US$10-US$14). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-3pm; Mon-Sat 6-10:30pm.
Chairman and Yip ASIAN AUSTRALIAN This is, without doubt, one
of Canberra's best restaurants. Upbeat and popular with political bigwigs, it
really is the place to see and be seen. The fish specials are good and spicy, with
combinations of chile, cilantro, lemon grass, and galangal perking up your taste
buds. I always go for the prawns with homemade chile jam, served on vermicelli
noodles with mango salsa. Abalone and lobster also find their way onto the
menu. The panna cotta is the signature dessert.
108 Bunda St., Civic. & 02/6248 7109. Reservations required. Main courses A$16-A$22 (US$10-US$14).
AE, DC, MC, V. Sun-Fri noon-3pm; daily 6-11pm.
Juniperberry MODERN AUSTRALIAN It sits on a lake edged with
rushes and sculptures, full of goldfish. Add smoke machines (they call it a fog
sculpture) on the far bank to send mysterious white eddies across the lake's sur-
face toward your lakeside table, and you have a charming fantasy world in which
to dine. The menu is small, with only a choice of six dishes each for first course,
mains, and desserts. Main courses may include duck legs on figs, Atlantic
salmon on polenta, a vegetarian option, and chicken and veal sausages.
Juniperberry Restaurant in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes. & 02/6240
6665. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$25 (US$16). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon-2:30pm; check for
dinner opening times in summer.
MODERATE
The Palette Café CAFE/MODERN AUSTRALIAN This is a great choice
for lunch, especially because it's in the same building as Canberra's largest pri-
vate art gallery. You can either eat inside, surrounded by artwork, or claim a table
outside in the sunny courtyard. Standout dishes include grilled asparagus spears
with Japanese scallops and almond hollandaise, and the chile-salted baby octo-
pus. The Caesar salads are particularly good, as are the mushrooms with a sauce
of soy, Japanese rice wine, honey, and coriander. The etchings, paintings, and
sculptures on display are of high quality and are well priced.