Another year, and another birthday... this time for my wife! And as is tradition, we dump our kids and go out to a nice place to eat... its always nice to treat ourselves a few times in the year, and to discover the places where the high and mighty dine!
Now that our kids are slightly older, the oldest girl wants to join us on these "fancy" dinners... she's really into these things... but this is just couple time for the parents... and I love getting a rise out of the older girl by telling her that there isn't going to be a kids menu, and they won't serve chicken nuggets and chips!
So, Parlour isn't quite the high and mighty place compared to some of the other places that we have been to... but it is still quite nice! I had read that it was reopening under a new chef... and that there was an attached wine bar as well. So, something to try out on the right occasion!
The Space
I love the interior design... sort of retro club feel! I think that if you had a little jazz combo in here... well, it would be totally awesome! But still... nice layout and design... and thankfully, we were seated mostly away from the other diners.
Definitely a retro feel... all the way down to the lighting on the table... we chose a yellow warm colour... others had a bright blue whiteness! Too harsh if you ask me...
... did I mention that it is ALSO a wine bar!
The Menu
Ooooh... cocktails! As soon as we both saw these, we thought that we would definitely order from here! It is a rare chance to try out some fancy drinks mixed by people who know what they are doing!
Lots of nice things on the menu...
... but that dessert menu looks tops! Except for that last one... poison to me!
The Food
My first Appletini! I kept hearing about this on Scrubs... and I've always wanted to try it out. Even if it is a girlie drink... I'm man enough to admit that I LOVE girlie drinks! And to drink them in public! At least it wasn't pink...
Meanwhile, my wife picked up the South Side Fizz... also a very nice one. And probably like most people, we thought that we should invest learning how to make cocktails... yep, that isn't ever really going to happen!
Panko Squid to share... nice a soft, with a lovely crunch. Simple, but just right!
My wife knows me all too well.. Duck Confit for me! I really miss the days of working in France... and getting superb duck confit at every little pub! Sadly, in Australia, it is not really pub meal fare... and so, I wait for a chance to pick it up at a fancier place! This was well worth the wait!
Fish of the day for my wife, from memory it was Bream of some sort. A very nice morsel, and a very weirdly interesting sauce as well...
Warm rice pudding as dessert for my wife... which ignited the old debate... warm or cold? Which is best? I'm up in the air... I think it really depends on the season... winter, warm... summer, cold. Either way, this was great!
For me, the banoffee... on a biscoff base! WOW WOW WOW... I have never had banoffee, but it is so similar to what we do with baked bananas at home. But that base... WOW!
The Experience
So far, we haven't had a disappointing anniversary/birthday dinner choice... and Parlour was no exception! Also not too expensive for what you get, and relatively easy to get to...
.. the staff were really nice and friendly, but I did feel that the tempo of pushing us forward through the meals was a touch on the faster side. I would have preferred them to go a little bit slower, especially as there weren't really that many people around!
But still, loved it... and would come back again! Especially for those desserts!
Opening Times
Monday Closed
Tuesday 4–9 pm
Wednesday 3–9 pm
Thursday 3–11:30 pm
Friday 3–11:30 pm
Saturday 3–11:30 pm
Sunday Closed
Contact Details
Address: 16 Kendall Ln, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6120 7500
Website: https://parlourdining.com.au