Over the last eight years Bunda Street in the city has undergone a transformation. The development of Canberra Centre’s North Quarter has ushered in a whole new dining precinct with tidy roadside tables and a range of options that has the strip buzzing on even the coldest of Canberra nights.
One restaurant involved in this expansion was Sammy’s Kitchen. Sammy’s had previously been a busy little restaurant crammed in a small shopfront on the opposite side of Bunda Street at a time when most of The Canberra Centre was simply a car park. Now, despite more expansive premises, the pace at Sammy’s certainly hasn’t eased, and from early in the evening and early in the week the restaurant is filled with the chatter of excited diners.
The reason for this may be a simple one: Sam’s Shan Tung Chicken (deep fried and shredded with cucumber, fresh chilli, garlic and peanuts and Sam’s special secret sauce) has had Canberra foodies lining up down both sides of Bunda Street for decades.
Value is important as well, and it’s certainly a generous serve, naturally designed to share among friends (hey, just try and keep it to yourself!). The chicken is cooked too perfection, and the chilli delivers just the right amount of kick.
(Oh, and we’d love to know what is in that sauce!)
There’s always fresh seafood on the Specials Board, and on this occasion the featured selection is Barramundi Fillets with Tamarind Sauce. It sounds simple, but the reality of this Malaysian treat is a warm bowl brimming with roasted capsicum tomato, potato, beans, pineapple and aromatic Tamarind sauce. The tender fillets are served ‘skin on’ and take on many flavours in the sauce
The wine list casts its net far and wide, with offerings from all the major Australian and New Zealand regions. The Pepper Tree Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon looks a compelling match for some of the bigger-flavoured dishes but (if you really feel getting a bit carried away) the Penfold’s Bin 389 is excellent value. For those who prefer a crisp beer with their spicy cuisine, grab a Tsing Tao or Asahi.
The wonderful variety of the best of Malay can Chinese flavours is only part of what keeps Canberrans coming to Sammy Kitchen back night-after-night and year-after-year. It’s also the reliability and consistency that makes Sammy’s Kitchen such an institution.
No doubt it’s this winning recipe that means Sammy’s will be here for many years to come.
