xo

i believed the hype and rushed toxohoping for the best. unfortunately i was disappointed and found the food over seasoned, over cooked and under refined. the flavours were bold but not in a sophisticated way. the tastes became lost against each other and the service was slow. our food came out in a bizzare order and we found the price tag a little to hefty for what was delivered.

not being a canberra local, i’ve got literally no idea where narrabundah is. to find xo, i rely upon uber, and my friend’s assurance that nothing in canberra is more than thirty minutes away from anything else. the restaurant’s straight white neon lights cut an oddly modern swathe through the retro suburban shopping strip. blonde wood panelling down one side gives the simple, modern fit out some organic form. the same wood is inset into the ceiling horizontally to stop the long, narrow space from becoming too loud. periodic curtains on the exposed brick side also work to dampen sound, and create a sense of intimacy. rudely, we’re early for our busy friday night booking, but personable co-owner kent nhan makes it work without making us feel inconvenient. he even accommodates our preference for a table with chairs, rather than bar stools. we soon kick off our two-night canberra sojourn with an appropriately named cocktail – the weekend ($18). it takes tanqueray gin, lime, ginger and chilli syrup and muddles them into a feisty adventure. the japerol spritz ($18) updates the italian aperitivo with a fifty-fifty yuzu sake blend, and clues you into thexobrief: unapologetically loud modern asian fusion. we get our first dish - strange taste eggplant ($17) – almost...

time and time again, i've been impressed with the amazing standard of restaurants that have appeared in canberra. i had the pleasure of visiting xo restaurant, during my downtime on a recent work-related trip to canberra.xois a cosy restaurant nestled in suburban narrabundah; the menu is innovative modern south-east asian focused.

in the last few months, i feel like i’ve finally hit my stride in canberra. i have made some good friends, found some good feeds and i’m even joining social sporting teams! it’s been crazy. of course there are some other things i am still getting used to, namely the lack of late night eating. so i was pleasantly surprised when i was able to book a table atxorestaurant, one of canberra’s hottest new eateries  for 9pm. while i momentarily panicked that it would just our table and a waiter mopping i was greatly relieved to learn it was anything but.

not many places are open on a monday night in canberra, so i was pleasantly surprised to find out i could add new contemporary asian eatery in narrabundah,xorestaurant, to my monday night dining list.xorestaurant is now where the artisan used to be and is run by four canberra boys. two of those boys have a south east asian background and the flavours represent what they know and love.

i read aboutxoon the hercanberra website of new restaurant openings. it seems canberra has come a long way in terms of online information about new places, and even though still far from hot dinners (due to sheer city size more than anything else) it's a good start to see these articles floating about.

new modern asian fusion restaurant, xo, has opened at the narrabundah shops replacing the artisan. the restaurant is easy to spot with a large artistic mural outside. taking on the same narrow space as the previous eatery, the inside ofxois surprisingly bright and light. the exposed brick walls have been painted white, there’s back lighting behind the tan leather banquette and what seems like natural light coming from the ceiling all help keep the space well lit.