About a month ago, I went and fell head over heels in love with this guy. I took him home and gave him lots of love and he drove me where I wanted to go. We got along just great and we’re now inseparable. If only it was that easy with real boys huh. Because he was brand-shiny-new when I got him, I needed to give the engine a good long-haul run and so Panu (the real boy) suggested we take a day trip down to Canberra!

(I’m not a real Aussie, I’d never been to Canberra until now but come on, it’s just all politicians, right?)

We were only going for 24 hours so I had three meals to play with. Oh did I not mention? I plan the eating, Panu plans the sight seeing. Our relationship works just fine this way.

First up, lunch! We arrived in Canberra around midday and headed straight for Brodburger.

Australia’s answer to the Meatwagon, it’s basically a burger truck in a park; you queue, you pay, you wait for 2.5 lifetimes and eventually, you get a big fat burger. We ordered at 12.30pm, we got ticket #49 and picked up our burgers just after 2pm. At that point, somebody near us had ticket #72 and thank god I wasn’t him.

The standard Brodburger is pretty good – a smoky beef patty, salad, a giant dollop of home made aioli, loads of relish and your choice of cheese. It’s actually not like the Meatwagon burger at all (which is a more standard and very delicious cheeseburger). The main difference was its size.

The Brodburger is the size of my HEAD.

I enjoyed my burger but sometimes I wonder if these places that make you wait until you’re gnawing on your fist choose to make you do that so that whatever they feed you after that is just plain delicious. Maybe. But there’s definitely a queue and loads of return customers, so they must be doing something right!

Brodburger
Bowen Park Carpark,
Bowen Drive/Wentworth Av,
Barton, ACT, 2604
website

Brodburger - Flame Grilled Burgers - Food Caravan on Urbanspoon

After lunch I got cultured at the National Gallery. Panu often tries to culture me, but I’m not really sure it’s working because all I think about as I stare at the paintings is my next meal. Which, on a Sunday night in Canberra, is hard to come by. Just a word of warning: if any of ya’ll planning to go to Canberra on a Sunday? Everything is closed. Ok, not everything. Most Asian places are open but y’know, our people don’t sleep.

We decided to go to Abell’s Kopi Tiam (no website but here’s more info) because I needed a Malaysian fix.

The roast duck “po-piah” was pretty good, full of chunky meaty ducky goodness. I was well and truly warmed up for the char kuay teow but I have to say, as pretty as it is, I was very disappointed with the flavour. It was all too clean, when char kuay teow really needs to have that burnt, charcoal flavour to be authentic.

We also had some assam prawns because I do love me some assam and some prawns. These were divine and there were plenty of prawns to go around.

We wrapped up with some Malaysian desserts – pulut hitam (black sticky rice) and sago, served with coconut milk and palm sugar. I loved both of these desserts but they added palm sugar to the pulut hitam as well, which I thought was weird. It kind of made it overly sweet, when the taste of the black rice is usually fragrant enough on its own.

Yum anyways.

Abell’s Kopi Tiam
7 Furneaux Street,
Manuka, ACT, 2603
(02) 6239 4199

Abell's Kopi Tiam on Urbanspoon

Monday morning and it’s my birthday! We trundled on down to Urban Pantry after much googling on breakfast places in our capital.

I took one look at the menu and pretty much did a happy dance when I saw “vanilla and white chocolate pancakes with bacon and maple”. I mean, hello! Honestly guys, when it’s your birthday? You too can have chocolate integrated into your breakfast. Topped with maple syrup and sweet sweeeeeet bacon.

Check out the photo up top. Drool Or What.

Panu had poached eggs on toast, that healthy boyfriend of mine.

Loved Urban Pantry, that’s all I have to say.

Urban Pantry
5 Bougainville Street
Griffith, ACT, 2603
(02) 6162 3556
website

Urban Pantry on Urbanspoon

After brunch, I got more culturing at the National Portrait Gallery and then we headed back to Sydney to pick up the keys to our apartment! Just an update: furniture shopping is frizzzzackingly hard work. Putting it together is even harder. But sitting / sleeping / reclinging / lazing on it afterwards? Priceless.

9 Thoughts on “24hrs in Canberra: Brodburger, Abell’s Kopi Tiam and Urban Pantry

  1. Malaysian food is beautiful in pictures. And having followed your blog for a bit over a year, I see that you have a great eye for cheeseburgers. At my place, I like to fry them The Kitchen Way, and if the meat is safe, I find perfection at rawish in the middle, browned to a dark crisp on the outside, splooshed with Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper…but hubby insists on barbecue (BLEAH). That means that the burgers won’t spit out juice when you bite into them, and there won’t be the crispy fried-in-oil shell. Seems there are two things a man won’t let go of, and that is the TV remote, and that the meat must be barbecued. Just sayin’, that’s all. :0)

  2. I was really enthused by that burger van, but the wait…oh my! If you love Malaysia food then Jackie M in Concord does GREAT GREAT GREAT stuff…a bit closer home too…

  3. Looks like a fine birthday breakkie to me… although am I alone in thinking that the poached eggs look kinda obscene 😉 Like the look of the broadburger, although that is definitely an Aussie burger as opposed to your classic US style cheese burger. I think there is a definite difference, mainly with more veg, slightly more exotic ingredients and the sheer true blue size of the bugger. My first down under style burger was the first one that I had ever eaten that had to be held together with a bamboo skewer 😉

  4. Linda: I think one day I’ll have to come find you and get some of that cheeseburger in my belly 🙂

    Miss Piggy: Yeah the wait is a killer, but would be fine if you got there flat on midday when they open! Jackie M in Concord – NOTED!

    Grubworm: Haha yeah the burgers here are generally bigger, you’re right! If a restaurant made a slider here, it’d be a US/UK sized burger 🙂 Yes, my brekky was AWESOME.

  5. You are such a driver! I still remember driving with you to Manly 😛 So would you say the Brodburger was worth the wait? Because to be honest if I had to wait that long in a carpark I’d be pretty hungry and mad 😛

  6. Catty, you are always welcome here!

  7. Happy birthday :)!!!!! Iv only been to Canberra once and it was horrendous but your post actually makes me want to go back

  8. Lorraine: Yeah I remember that drive, you’d only got your licence not long ago! Hehe how exciting! We have to eat together again!! I don’t know if it’s worth waiting like HOURS but I think if you rock up at midday when they open you wouldn’t have to wait that long.

    Linda: I’ll let you know if I’m ever in your hood! 🙂

    Nic: Haha, well… I’m not sure if I will be going back any time soon! Maybe once in a while… 😉

  9. bizuteria on October 22, 2011 at 1:57 am said:

    I have not checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

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