eightysix

i couldn’t resist booking in for the second christine manfield extravaganza at eightysix this year. whilst her last ‘kitchen takeover’ was asian-themed, this time is all about india and bhutan, in celebration of her latest book, a travel guide to the two countries. we started out with drinks – i had the ‘strawpop’ minus alcohol, with pomegranate and lychee. it was lovely and sweet, served in a small glass bottle. on the waitress’s recommendation, we started with the beetroot roti entree – the roti was perfectly puffed and crisp, deflating into soft layers of buttery goodness and enhanced by the beetroot mix on top. i loved the slight hint of heat that lingered on the back palate from the beetroot. next up were the cauliflower pakoras – they were super

we were looking for a spot for a special occasion, and managed to get the last reservation on a friday night. with good reviews, expectations were high - and were comfortably met.

the food is pricey, but generally very good. the black chicken (pictured, poorly) is fantastic. the wine list isn't huge, but the waiter actually recommended a well-priced local bottle not listed, which turned out to be great.

service was a real strong point. friendly, chatty staff that know the menu.

given the price, it's a special occasion spot. but well worth it.

great coffee, food and vibe. gus is the king here!!! love it. will always come back and highly recommended.
if your in canberra you need to pay a visit.

i went to eightysix for lunch on a quiet day and the food lived up to my expectations. i have been hearing great things about this restaurant from my friends and family. the food came out quite quickly which was a positive tick in my books. i had the ravioli and the flavours worked really well with each other but was slightly sweet due to the carrot as the main filling for the ravioli, served with a brown butter and hazelnuts to give the dish a great nutty flavour. my friends had other dishes and each packed a lot of flavour in them and was cooked well especially the pork belly with an asian inspired flavour and the chicken dish cooked to perfection. at the time, i felt that the waiter/waitress had a slight judgemental or pushy tone of voice which made my stay a bit uncomfortable and not as welcoming. but overall, eightysix has a brilliant selection of dishes inspired by different cultures, each dish was well presented and and absolutely delicious.

quiet monday night in canberra, so finally got into eightysix. had goat cheese cracker, which was nice. duck bao was really tasty. ghetto beef is great, if a little salty. a really good piece of beef. as noted by others the wine list advances in price quite quickly. i tried the local wine...meh....

love eightysix. great for a fun night out with friends or if you can manage a seat at the bar, it's pretty great for a date too. i went there about a month ago when christine manfield took over the kitchen. the food was fantastic and the wine kept flowing so that sure shut me up. the service is excellent and the owner is more than welcoming. what's not to love?

absolutely superb place for lunch. we shared a lamb shoulder cooked for 11hrs, lovely japanese style salmon and beautiful beetroot risotto. everything was delicious and the wine and beer menu impressive.

flawless. listen to the waiter, they know what to order or get out a coin to toss as there is no bad or wrong decision.
the beef cheeks gave us goose bumps

christine manfield is one of those chefs. known as the ‘godmother of asian fusion cookery’, she’s owned highly acclaimed restaurants in sydney and london, has authored numerous books, has her own range of spice pastes, and is famous for her seductive desserts. since 2013, she’s also been running ‘pop up’ events, which has brought her to braddon restaurant eightysix a couple of times now.

christine’s most recent stint at eightysix was earlier this month, taking over the kitchen for 4 dinner and 3 lunch services. we visited on saturday night for the last dinner service, which saw a packed house for both sittings.

the menu had an extensive selection of asian-inspired share plates (17 amazing-sounding dishes to choose from, plus 5 desserts). before even going into the food, i really have to take my hat off to the eightysix kitchen for being able to learn and deliver a completely new menu (no doubt in a short period of time) and to the front of house staff for their seamless transition to it as well.

after the dessert diva, christine manfield, took over the eightysix kitchen to produce and deliver some of her amazing signature desserts last year, i was eager to go back this year when it was announced that she would not only produce more desserts, but take over the lunch/dinner menu for a few days. this year, the theme was asian with dishes such as sichuan wallaby tartare, salted duck egg with sticky rice cakes, strange flavour chicken noodles and tea smoked duck. there were also 5 desserts this time compared to 4 last year. a group of us booked into a lunch time session and ordered a few dishes to share with the notion that we were really waiting for dessert.

the attitude is just not worth it. other restaurants in capital cities will have some of the bar space for walk-ins. sure, book the whole place out, but don't turn your nose up at me when i don't have a booking. customers make restaurants - no people, no income.

it’s the seat of the country’s government and the capital of australia, but this compact city often gets overlooked in favour its bigger, brighter and bolder neighbours. canberra has been working hard to shrug off some of the more unfortunate stereotypes attached to it, and is now home to a burgeoning food and drink scene. our advice? get there now before the rest of the world wakes up to the bush capital’s considerable charms.

i ate here for the first time on wednesday night with a friend from interstate. we were seated at the bar so we could watch the kitchen in action. great move!the chef's were giving us great tips and watching all that amazing food being prepared was making me think of the next time i go there.the food we ordered was delicious and well sized - duck buns, followed by chicken liver pate and oxtail with papardelle. we ran out of room for dessert or we would have been trying them.the staff were great. friendly and happy to be there, as well as providing excellent service.the menu prices were definitely justified.i will definitely be going back to eightysix.

user reviews. love the food. but what is going on with the wine list? you could say eclectic or just badly put together. a crazy mix of local and overseas stuff without any real purpose. and the pricing is just as mad. so much good wine in australia and this wine list hasn't found any of them.... a shame coz the food deserves much better support.

great food, great atmosphere!. i love this place. i will never understand why it doesn't get higher reviews. maybe it's an age thing. i happen to like uncensored loud music and staff that swear like troopers. the food is fresh, interesting, delicious and ever changing. the staff are absolutely delightful. my husband and i first dined there in early 2014 and have been back many times since.

if you don't like loud, late 90's r&b and hip hop maybe don't go there. if swearing offends you maybe don't go there. if you want a filling meal for $28.50 maybe don't go there. if you want beautiful food, charming staff and a vibrant atmosphere then make yourself a booking.