Waters Edge Restaurant

A great location can be a restaurant’s ultimate double-edged sword – used properly, it can be one of its greatest assets, but taken for granted, the slippery slope to its downfall. A great location sets the scene – it puts diners in a positive frame of mind and when the food and the service match up the dining experience soars to new heights. The trouble starts when the restaurant becomes complacent, relying on the sun glistening off the ocean to distract you from that slightly overcooked piece of snapper or not-quite-on-the-ball service.

Waters Edge, situated in prime lakeside territory at the regal Commonwealth Place, tucked under what looks like a giant grassy skateboard ramp, has certainly cleaned up location wise. It was established in 2004 by James Mussillon (he’s also the head chef/owner of Civic’s esteemed Courgette) and is somewhat of a local institution. While it’s certainly still fighting fit seven years on, there are a few cracks showing in the armour.

Inside, it’s conservatively elegant, if a little bland – spacious with high ceilings, white table cloths and comfortable plush high-backed chairs. Glass walls on two sides make the most of the water views.

If, like me, you’re prone to judging a restaurant by the quality of its bread, then Water’s Edge fails at the first hurdle. Airy, school formal-esque dinner rolls at a restaurant of this calibre are no match for the satisfyingly chewy sourdough at Aubergine or the pillow-like wedges of rosemary foccacia at Italian & Sons.

In keeping with its waterside locale, seafood is focus of the head chef James Titheradge’s mod-oz menu. Faith begins to be restored by the first entree – three plump blue swimmer crab-filled tortellini, nestled together in a puddle of sweet squash puree and pulled together by a rich shellfish foam.

A second entrée is equally redeeming. Nuggets of spice-crusted kingfish – perfectly medium-rare – are dotted artfully along a long, rectangular plate in that posh restaurant kind of way. They’re interspersed with delicate piles of sweet and sour cucumber topped with saffron and tomato salsa, and a thin line of mild wasabi mayonnaise runs along each side. It’s a fish that doesn’t need much help, but that little bit of sweet, little bit of tang and little bit of spice really bring it to life.

From the mains, a roulade of Atlantic salmon is lovely and golden on the edges and flaky and pink inside, though it always seems a shame to serve salmon without that crispy skin. Accompanying it is a smear of cauliflower puree and a mound of scallop mousse, topped with creamy fish emulsion foam. It sounds indulgent and could easily be all too much, but in these capable hands it works.

The dish of the evening is the beef fillet, which is nicely charred (though cooked to a very definite medium rather than the recommended medium-rare), dotted with sweet, slow-cooked-to-melting-point garlic cloves and drizzled with a rich jus. The highlight is beef brisket ‘cigar’ – golden, crispy pastry encasing tender, falling-apart meat. Sides of ultra-creamy mash potato and snappy steamed green certainly don’t do it any harm, either.

For dessert, it’s great to see native ingredients used so thoughtfully in a strongly lemon myrtle flavoured brulee, topped with a wattle-seed praline and served with a scoops on an intensely bitter dark chocolate sorbet. Though, other than for aesthetics, it’s hard to see the point of a long strip of date puree running through the middle.

A scoop of bubble-gum-like strawberry sorbet that comes with a super-rich slice of chocolate terrine also seems misplaced. A second scoop of orange blossom sorbet is a better fit, though still too sweet, but a third scoop of milk sorbet hits the mark. An accompanying chocolate and pistachio biscotti adds a satisfying, contrasting crunch.

The expansive wine list features local and European drops in equal number, with a very decent selection around the $40-$60 mark, then reaching to the sky from there. Service throughout the night is polite, but a little haphazard – super attentive early on, then dragging as the night progresses, without longer than expected waits between each course. You’d barely bat an eye at you neighbourhood local, but when you’re paying this kind of premium, it should be spot on.

Waters Edge has long held its own in the top echelons of Canberra restaurants and its prime location has no doubt served it well. A few little tweaks could help ensure it stays there.

Waters Edge Restaurant

Commonwealth Place, 40 Parkes Place, Parkes

Ph: (02) 6273 5066

info@watersedgecanberra.com.au

Lunch: Wednesday – Sunday, 12pm – 3pm

Dinner: Tuesday – Sunday, 6.30pm – 11pm

Behind the Brodburger move



On the 18^th December, following months of speculation and intrigue, the shutters on Bowen Park’s iconic hamburger caravan will officially shut for the last time. But Brodburger devotees won’t be deprived for long – the new incarnation of Sascha Brodbeck and Joelle Bou-Jaoude’s hamburger haven is due to open at its new digs at Canberra Glassworks in Kingston on Australia Day next year.

Sascha is coy when it comes to precise details of new premises, but promise that “elements” of the caravan will be incorporated into the fitout. “A lot of people are worried about us becoming too commercial. All I can say is that we’re still going to be unique”, he explains. One detail he will divulge is that it will involve a “theatre-like” open kitchen and will be eat-in as well as take away. Sascha says that while the caravan has served them well, there will be benefits to moving into a larger, more permanent premises. “As you can image, there’s not much room to store food in a caravan. I have to do several trips to the markets every day to buy food. I hate having to tell people we’ve run out of something two hours into service, but we just don’t have room to fit anything more,” he says.

He also expects that the expanded kitchen space (the caravan gives the bare-bones crew a mere two-by-four metres of elbow room) will allow him to speed up service and cut waiting times, which Brodburger lovers are all too well aware can extend well into a second hour on a busy day (though Brodburger lovers also know the wait is well worth it). It will also allow him and Joelle to experiment with an expanded menu – Brodburger mark two will be open for breakfast, have weekly burger specials, a liquor license and will even serve dessert. But the best news? Sascha promises that you’ll be able to order that deliciously garlicy aioli on your chips.

The move follows a drawn out tug-of-war with Canberra’s National Capital Authority (NCA) – which has involved several threats of closure – over the venture’s use of the Bowen Park site, which is officially owned by the ACT Government but ‘designated’ as NCA land. Before opening in early 2009 Sascha and Joelle say they obtained approval from the ACT Government and Parks Conservation and Land to set up shop, but were unaware they also needed works approval from the NCA. Three months into business, they received their first notice from the NCA to vacate the site, which they refused to do, and a long and public battle ensued. To put rumours to rest, Sascha and Joelle say they’ve always paid for electricity, although they do use a moderate amount of water – approximately 20-25 litres a day – from the public taps. Sascha says Glassworks had approached them several times previously about relocating which they’d refused, but they eventually decided to go ahead with the move to put an end to the battle with the NCA once and for all. “There’s been a lot of pressure over the last few years. We might have eventually won, but no matter what the eventual outcome, it would have involved a lot of ongoing stress. The reason the NCA have been leaving us alone [recently] is because they know we’ve been negotiating with Glassworks,” he says.

Though it’s hard now to image Brodburger without the signature red caravan, the concept only came about by chance. Sascha, who had previously worked as a chef in a number of Canberra restaurants, originally planned to open Brodburger as a permanent shop in an arcade at the Manuka shops, but the lease fell through at the last minute. Joelle hit upon the caravan idea after visiting the iconic Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pie cart in Sydney. Brodbruger served its first hamburger in February 2009 at Royal Canberra show, before settling into its permanent spot at Bowen Park, where it quickly began to draw crowds for its huge, freshly made, juicy beef, chicken and haloumi-packed vegie burgers.

Despite the change of scene, Sascha is adamant that the essence of Brodburger won’t change. “Everything is fresh and cooked to order. We’ve never pre-cooked any of our food and we never will. I’d rather have someone wait an hour and a half than to take short cuts to make it quicker. I think our fans understand that,” he says. Judging by the queues, he’s right.

Brodburger Deluxe - 2 beef patties, 2 fried eggs, bacon and swiss cheese, among other things...

Brodburger chicken burger - chicken breast fillet, bacon, aioli and brie

Brodburger

Ph: 0424 635 824

Until Dec 18 2011: Bowen Park Car Park, Bowen Drive/Wentworth Ave, Barton , ACT, 2604

From Jan 26 2012: Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Ave, Kingston, ACT, 2604