Canberra —— What those in the know are eating, drinking and seeing
01.
Sarah Schmidt
Director, Canberra Museum & Gallery (cmag.com.au)
“Artist Ellis Rowan travelled to New Guinea in 1916 and 1917 on a commission focused on painting birds of paradise. Over a century later, the resulting works look extraordinarily fresh – both of their time and remarkably modern. The most striking examples in the Birds of Paradise: Ellis Rowan in New Guinea exhibition at the National Library of Australia (until 8 March 2o21; nla.gov.au) are 13 large-scale paintings but some small ones produced for china plates are also intriguing. For those who know Rowan’s famed work as a botanical illustrator, this will be a charming encounter with her lesser-known work with birds.”
02.
Nick Smith Owner, Bar Rochford (barrochford.com)
“I’ve always had a strong focus on organic and natural wines at Rochford; they can be over-the-top experimental or clean, subtle and classic. These days, I’m definitely for the latter. We had a staff lunch at Sean McConnell’s Rebel Rebel (rebelrebeldining.com.au) in New Acton recently and everything was on point, especially the wine list. We drank some amazing gear, from Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Champagne and Toro Albalá’s Electrico unfiltered fino to cult Austrian producer Werlitsch’s Ex Vero 1 sauvignon blanc and chardonnay blend. Then back home to the Adelaide Hills with Lucy Margaux’s new vintage Lucy M Sangiovese Stupefacente. They’re all wines that stoke conversation and that’s a great thing.”
03.
Michael Rees
Chef, Eightysix restaurant (eightysix.com.au)
“Eightysix is such a fast-paced, loud place that I don’t mind going out and being spoiled occasionally. Pilot (pilotrestaurant.com), a fine-dining restaurant in Ainslie, is just the ticket. They do an incredible tasting menu and look after you so well. I’d describe it as relaxed fine dining – formal but fun – and even though the young crew is aiming high it’s the kind of place where you don’t need to keep a lid on laughing too loudly. Memorable courses from my last visit include meatballs in chicken broth and a white fish Fijian curry. The produce comes from farmers in the Canberra region and the wine and the service are first-class. It’s a great way to celebrate a special occasion.”