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Canberra Today 12°/15° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Dining / Cool chic and delicious!

MANY mourned when Artisan closed its doors at the Narrabundah shops. But after months of hush-hush, the space was back in business, and big time. XO had arrived.

Wendy Johnson.
Wendy Johnson.
You won’t recognise the place, starting with the gorgeous black and white mural at the front, by Dai Cameron, a graffiti artist not confined to the traditional parameters of graffiti or street art.

Once inside you’re presented with cool, contemporary chic; blonde wood, marble tables edged with brass, cane chairs, raw brick walls painted white and an amazing “wine wall”. The leather-topped stools and chopsticks are the work of industrial design studio Skeehan.
Chef Anand Kumar (affectionately known as “AK”) was born in Malaysia and is in charge of seasonal menus focusing on south-east Asian cuisine, which is big on sharing. Local produce is front and centre. Modern techniques are used but at the heart of the food is family and heritage.

I’ve only been to XO once, but want to head back soon. I’d go for the steamed dumplings again, perfect pouches of minced prawn and pork with spicy soy vinaigrette ($16). I’d not hesitate to re-order the joyful Shangtung bao, super-soft, home-baked bao stuffed with tasty, twice-cooked pork belly, cucumber, pickled daikon and ginger ($8 each).

XO is great for gluten and dairy free meals, with many options on the menu (some dishes can also be adapted on request). This includes the Hiramasa Kingfish. The presentation was stunning, so much so it seemed a crime to disturb the food to devour it. But devour we did. The fish is beetroot cured with lemon grass, mixed herbs and Ponzu Nuoc cream sauce ($16).

We had to try, just because it sounded so out of place, the Asian Bolognese, created with stir-fried Udon noodles in XO chicken mince ragout with a 60°C egg on top. It looked like the ingredients were just thrown together, but the dish is as carefully designed as the decor. And it was delicious.

Our least favourite dish was the “Prawn Kapital”, which claimed to be spicy Nyonya-style curry with grilled king prawns ($27). Some prawns we had were dry and we wondered where the curry was.

The gang behind XO is a “team of old friends”. One owner, Ken Nhan, grew up working in the Griffith Vietnamese Restaurant, owned by his uncle.

The team is as passionate about wine as they are about food. The wine list celebrates Canberra operators such as Eden Road and Clonakilla. Pact Beer’s pale ale is available.

The service was amazing throughout, but petered off at the end and we waited too long for the bill. XO needs to concentrate here to ensure consistency from start to finish.

XO, 16 Iluka Street, Narrabundah. Open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday and dinner Monday to Saturday. Call 6295 XOXO.

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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