Dining Out: Penny University, Kingston, Canberra

There have been a raft of new restaurants opening up across Canberra in the past twelve-months; and living as I do now in the wilds of Belconnen, I wasn't even aware that half of them existed.

This was the case with Penny University. I discovered it through reviews on Tara and Rachi's Blogs, and then fatefully a dear friend visited this weekend and the opportunity to check it out presented. I did not, however, foresee that I would be at Penny University twice in under 24-hours!

The first meal was on Saturday evening. When we arrived at Penny University it was fairly busy, even with the the Multicultural Festival in town. The fit-out is quirky and modern, if a little too Etsy for my tastes, and the staff are all well presented and clearly happy to be working. There's a holistic sort of start-up vibe that a cantankerous old coot like me could find unappealing; but it is a genuinely nice place to eat, with a fun fit-out, strong meals, and a solid aesthetic.

The dishes that I selected were (in order of consumption):

House Cordial – served with mineral water, citrus and passionfruit, not too sweet, divine
Roast pork belly – palm sugar caramel, Vietnamese mint, coriander
Quack quack – five-spiced duck stirfry with flat rice noodles and Asian greens
Gingerbread ice cream sandwich – white chocolate, hazelnut and sour cherry icecream, fresh herb praline, mint sauce

These were all nice. The cordial was actually the stand-out for me, it was delicious and refreshing and a great non-alcoholic suggestion from our lovely waitress. The pork belly was expertly done, sticky and delicious, however the accompanying salad was a little over-dressed with oil. I loved the name Quack Quack, which was tasty, though again a little oily. The Ice cream sandwich was nice, but not as sublime as the tapioca pearls my friend ordered. 

Our waitress for the evening was really lovely and attentive, and it was really awesome to see the owners of the business working on the floor with the rest of their staff. It is a contemporary trend, especially in Canberra, which I whole-heartedly endorse.

When we got back to the car, my friend mentioned that the Cronuts, a specialty of Penny University and a melding of Croissant and Doughnut, had been in the pastry case at the front of the store. Cursing, we resolved to return the following day to partake of this new pastry treat.

Sadly, when we arrived at 3:00 PM for our second meal of the weekend this afternoon, all of the Cronuts had been sold :"( This was our own fault for leaving it so late, and so we sat down for some drinks regardless. I had an Earl Grey and blue flower iced tea which was pleasant.

Over all I really enjoyed both dining experiences at Penny University this weekend, and I already know I will be a return customer. In fact, I've made a note of the opening times for next weekend, and on Sunday I am getting up at 7:00 AM to be at the doors by 8:00 AM to buy the first Cronuts of the day!

Xx