Australia, Canberra, Family, FOOD, Food reviews, Food reviews - Australia, HOLIDAYS CANBERRA: DRINKS & NIBBLES AT THE REALM 11 January 2013

We had a really lovely dinner date whilst in Canberra. It was a double date with Chris’ sister and her husband – the ones that got married earlier this year. And come to think of it, we’ve actually never been on a double date with them before! It was really nice having an adult conversation and a night out sans kids.

We went to Realm Hotel’s Ostani bar & restaurant and boy it was a hit! We were really impressed with the quality of the food, not to mention the speed of which they came out. It’s actually really reasonably priced considering 1) we’re in Canberra, and 2) we ordered a ton. Almost all the dishes were really good, and I’d definitely go back again. Well worth a visit if you’re in Canberra. Love the relaxed vibe of the place and it also has a really lovely outdoor area if the weather is nice enough.

Grilled garlic & chilli prawns, coriander yoghurt ($15) – this was actually really expensive, considering you get 4 prawns for the price. GEEZ!

Salt & pepper squid with aoli ($12.50) – outstanding. Crisp, tasty and delicious

Lamb cutlets wrapped in prosciutto, pesto ($16.50) – eeeek these were amazeballs!!! Tender lamb that was cooked to perfection

Seared scallops & pesto ($16) – my goodness. Just LOOK at the photo. How can you not salivate??

Spicy chicken drumettes with chilli plum sauce ($13.50) – this sounded so boring on the menu, but I thought they tasted pretty brilliant.

Grilled Portuguese chicken skewers, lemon aioli ($15) – stupidest item we ordered. Bland, uninteresting, and 3 skewers for 15 bucks. Gak!

Roasted pork belly, apple cider reduction ($14.50) – good grief this was excellent. Succulent chunks of pork belly that totally hit the spot

SALSICCIA E TALEGGIO Italian sausage, taleggio cheese, caramelized onion & thyme ($18.50) – this was small but pretty good. A nice thin base with lots of toppings

Beer battered chips ($8.50) – how can anyone resist hearing the words “beer battered chips”? Anyone who can resist is NOT my friend at all. These were awesome. What else can I say?

This was actually a very reasonable amount of food for 4 adults. We didn’t think it’d be enough, but turns out the meat dishes were actually chunky and filling. So much so that we didn’t feel the need to get dessert. Or rather, they’d sold out of the chocolate-based dessert that I wanted (BOOHISS). I think that, with drinks, it worked out to about AUD$40-50 per person which is not bad for a night out in Canberra – considering bellies were filled and we had alcohol.