A long time Canberra favourite, Sammy’s kitchen is located on Bunda Street and features a relaxed outdoor setting as well as restaurant dining indoors. Sammy’s is one of the best places in Canberra for reasonably priced authentic Malaysian and Chinese food. They specialise in fast turnaround, with the wait staff weaving deftly through the maze of tables to deliver food with amazing speed. The menu has a great selection of dishes, with something for even the most fussy or allergic eaters.

When we sat down for lunch on Monday at Sammy’s Kitchen the restaurant was only half full, surprisingly. Most nights you’ll wait in line if you made the mistake of leaving it to chance. Sammy’s gives new meaning to the word ‘busy’ so it’s best to book!

Sammy’s has developed many specialty dishes and we sampled a selection, all of which we welcomed with happy hungry smiles. There was a great variety of specials and they made for a nice change from my usual favourite; the house specialty dish of shantung chicken, which I usually order on my regular visits to Sammy’s. Crispy shredded chicken with sweet soy and crisp cucumber, need I say more? (Be sure to order when you next visit Sammy’s).

Slow cooked pork belly with basil was my immediate favourite. The fatty, succulent pork cubes were coated in a delicious sweet soy sauce and came with a side of crisp fresh broccoli.

It came with a side of white egg fried rice and contained little treats of crab and crunchy onion and vegies. It was without a doubt above and beyond any of my own master chef inspired attempts at fried rice.

Next we sampled American pork ribs in a spicy BBQ sauce – not what you might expect at Sammy’s but it was up on the specials board next to Chinese noodle dishes and Malay curries. The ribs presented a challenge to us as we were only armed with chopsticks. But my dining partner made the wise decision to ditch his cutlery in favour of fingers. I also took up this method and in the end hands prevailed. It was well worth it though; the sticky glaze on the ribs was wonderful even if we failed to look dignified whilst devouring them.

A large platter was presented to us, spread with grilled lamb cutlets, green prawns with asparagus and Chinese sausage. I found this to be a slightly strange combination at first, but after sampling all elements of the dish, I found they complimented one another quite well. The cutlets cooked in a spicy curry sauce, were different and delicious, the surprise standout of the meal. They actually tasted great alongside juicy, garlicky prawns and sweet slices of Chinese sausage. This would be the perfect platter to order when sharing with others, or an absolute feast if you choose to dine solo at Sammy’s.

I had to pass on trying something from Sammy’s wine list as I had to return to uni post-lunch and suffer through long lectures about nothing of interest to you, dear reader. But judging from the long list chalked up on the wall, there’s a good range of wines to choose from should you dine at Sammy’s sometime soon.

Sitting around the table with sticky fingers and a very full stomach, watching the city lunch hour rush by the wide windows of Sammy’s was the highlight of what would otherwise have been a mundane Monday. Unfortunately I wasn’t wearing elastic-waist pants and couldn’t eat myself to death like I usually attempt to at Chinese restaurants.

My lasting impression of Sammy’s? Servings of consistently quality food, cooked and served fresh and fast. If you’re not already a regular, you should definitely dine there soon. Sammy’s is a staple in Canberra’s dining scene and your first visit certainly won’t be your last.

Sammy’s is open daily.
Lunch
11.30am-2.30pm
Dinner
Mon-Thu 5pm-10.30pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-11.30pm
Sun 5pm-10pm

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