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Canberra Today 25°/28° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Deli serves a breath of fresh air

“The minute we walked into Sourdog Provisions we felt joy.” Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON enjoys a surpise at the Nicholls shops.

THE minute we walked into Sourdog Provisions we felt joy. Esther Loke sang “good morning” as we entered while she and Gerald Ong were busy serving behind the long counter.

Wendy Johnson.

Sourdog Provisions – a charming neighbourhood bakery, deli and providore – is a breath of fresh air for the Nicholls shops, offering dine-in, takeaway and catering. 

My priority was to check if the burnt Basque cheesecake was available. It was. I’ve been dreaming about that dessert since Esther and Gerald tested their food through the Project Enoki pop-up at Verity Lane.

Sourdog Provisions’ menu has shifted since then and is now a strong collaboration of Esther’s pastry experience (including Pialligo Estate and Under Bakery) and Gerald’s creative south-east Asian food expertise. 

I selected the crackling pork belly with the sensational salads created for that day’s menu. I was delighted with the new-season, tangy apple sauce and the pork belly was soft and tender ($20). 

The figs in one salad are sourced from Hundred Acres Produce in Hall (a few kilometres down the road) and married beautifully with Meredith Dairy feta, balsamic and peppery rocket. The potato salad was loaded with goodness – spring onion, Dijon mustard, chopped lemon, celery, dill. Salads were both $13.

One friend enjoyed a hot chorizo and pork sausage roll with super flaky pastry and a great combo of flavours. My other friend went vegetarian with thickly sliced, roasted-to-perfection pumpkin with almonds in brown butter, plus a salad. 

The cinnamon and bay roasted pumpkin was a memory jogger for me with the special spice mixture reminding me of pumpkin pie in autumn in Canada.

Other savoury options included spinach, feta and coriander spiced flatbread ($7.50), and flatbread with Barossa Valley ham, cheddar and Zhoug (a yummy green sauce) for $12.

Sourdog Provisions has small, sweet bakes such as a classic French madeleine with honey and citrus zest ($2.80),  fig and honey Danish ($4) and petite banana cake ($3.80) all made with love. Even more decadent is a Guinness Stout brownie ($6).

Cakes included “that cheesecake” ($12) and I indulged. It was light with goat’s cheese and so, so, so creamy. Another must-try is the buckwheat almond torte and hazelnut mousseline ($12), not overly sweet but soul satisfying. And we adored the cinnamon bun ($6), which apparently run out the door.

On our visit, Sourdog Provisions had high-quality, batch-brewed coffee (locally roasted) while waiting for their espresso machine to arrive at the end of June. 

The menu changes often so Sourdog Provisions is a place to head often. A la carte portions of salad and protein range from $13 to $20 (generous serves). Mix and match with two options $23, three options $25, and four options $40.

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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