Jan
21
Brodburger has reopened for 2010 – well, at least the first half of it – and they have a new option on the menu; the Brodsteak. I’m going to walk down there and get one tonight.

Brodsteak
The crew are still gathering signatures on the petition to the local authorities who want to move them on, so get down there and sign it!
Dec
21
Bad news burger fans, the man wants the little red van that could to get its boots on and start walking. Returning to the van after a lengthy absence, I discovered that Brodburger’s hawker licence is soon to expire and that they’ve been told to move on by June 1, 2010.
The signage on site is slim on detail, but talking to Charlie – Bowen Park’s resident Brodburger enthusiast and the artist who produced the van’s beautiful burnt wood signage – reveals that the reason behind the move-on order is because “they think the van’s ugly”. The NCA seem happy to ignore that Brodburger’s reinvigorated what was a mostly ignored, underused park and brought some quirky character to the area.
Charlie has started a petition to be delivered to the NCA requesting that the hawker’s licence be extended. He told me he got 400 signatures in the first two days. If you’ve ever had a burger there and want to save the van, get down there before Christmas and sign it or you’ll have to wait a few weeks. The Brodburger crew are taking a break from Christmas day through to January 14, according to a message from the Brodburger Appreciation Society on Facebook.
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Sep
20
The relatively stable drinking and dining scenes in Kingston and Manuka are set for a reshuffle over the next few months, according to a poorly-subbed piece in today’s Canberra Times. The future of the Kingston Holy Grail is in doubt after a lease renewal offer was withdrawn. “Industry sources” reckon that the building’s owner – who also owns other Canberra eateries including Belluci’s, their cousin SubUrban and the noise factory Cream – wants to redevelop the Holy Grail/First Floor site into a single two-level venue.
Around the corner on Kennedy Street, B Bar’s owner is opening a new joint a few doors down and word on the street is that Vasco’s on Giles Street will be undergoing a revamp soon. A new library is also opening on Giles Street, but I don’t think they’ll take too kindly to folk trying to eat there; it’s more of a feast for the mind.
A stone’s-throw away over in Manuka, Minque has closed its doors. The Spanish restaurant Legends upstairs is going to creep downstairs and the Minque space will host a tapas bar.
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Jul
12

Jumble
Makes about a dozen credit-card-sized pieces of a choc-coconut slice known in the deep south of New Zealand as Jumble.
Base:
4 ounces butter
4 ounces sugar
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coconut
1 tablespoon cocoa
Combine in a bowl and then spread onto a buttered slice tray (A4-ish size).
Bake at 180c for 20 minutes.
… meanwhile …
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon soft butter
1 tablespoon hot water (to help melt the butter)
Mix together and spread over Jumble base once it’s out of the oven and still hot. Sprinkle with coconut.
Slice while still warm.
(That was the recipe as it was given to me. I’ve added a bit of hot water. It’s a pretty dry recipe; a splash of hot/boiling water can be added to melt the butter and lighten the mix a bit – this doesn’t seem to hurt the final product).