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Ask no more than this

Bryan Martin

Terrific, luscious and decadent ... Gin and tonic salmon with Hendrick's jelly at the Ox Eatery.
Terrific, luscious and decadent ... Gin and tonic salmon with Hendrick's jelly at the Ox Eatery.Graham Tidy

Some people really live for the restaurant industry, thriving on long days and constant challenges of remaining relevant, staying full, and really just putting up with people. I'm not sure I would have this commitment; I'm pretty happy just to strap on the gluttony pants every now and then and eat.

Chris Hansen has been all over the local industry for a long time through thick and thin, highs and lows - all of it belied in his youthful, movie-star looks. Yes, Hansen is Mr Hospitality and this is summed up in his modern, moody, energetic diner, Ox Eatery. The name says it all - well, the second bit, anyway. This bar, lounge and dining room is all about eating.

His prize feature, the rotisserie, sits altar-like in the prime spot so you can always see what's rotating.

Stylish ... The Ox Eatery is at the East Hotel, Kingston, Canberra.
Stylish ... The Ox Eatery is at the East Hotel, Kingston, Canberra.Graham Tidy
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The bar is busy tonight, the shelves burgeoning with the ever-increasing list of hedonistic botanicals. Foul temptress, resistance is impossible. Every time I come here, I wish we had booked a suite above in the East Hotel so we can sup the forbidden herbs, fruits, spices and flowers that are the Ox gin list. However, the eating booths await, and I loosen the pants to portly.

You really need to take your time here. The food is just so comforting and flavourful, speaking of strong food values and memories of good food. You can but hope your kids remember growing up around food like this.

Really, you just chose something from the rotisserie, knock back a few starters, choose your vegetables and a bottle of wine, and save some space for sweets.

Delicate ... The trifle is a treasure hunt and a delightful way to finish.
Delicate ... The trifle is a treasure hunt and a delightful way to finish.Graham Tidy

But the thing I can't get out of my mind is the offer of a full suckling pig with all the trimmings for 14 people ($800). I look around and think, well, there are lots of blokes here, I reckon we could get a quorum together and knock one over right here and now, but alas you must give three days' notice. I look to my iPhone diary to see what I'm doing in three days. Think of that, rocking up with a group and there, gracefully rotating on the rotisserie, a baby pig with your name on it. How good does that sound? And isn't Father's Day coming up?

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Tonight, we order three dishes from the spinning grill: angus beef with red wine butter ($32), chicken with braised peas, lettuce and bacon ($31), and the roast of the day, pork with apple sauce ($33). I'll get to this later.

I'm with my hollow-legged boys, so the offer of a trio of lamb sliders ($5 each) to start is clearly popular. I know sliders are everywhere and pretty much define casual dining, but there is something perfect about a small burger of thinly sliced rotisseried lamb with a sweet capsicum sauce. These are woofed down before the responsible parent arrives.

Ox Eatery ... The name says it all.
Ox Eatery ... The name says it all.Graham Tidy

As I'm not allowed a gin and tonic because you can't stop at one, having the same soaked into a fish sounds like a good second prize. Gin and tonic salmon with Hendrick's jelly ($19) is what it is - terrific, luscious and decadent, topped with cucumber and cress tops, a much more graceful and restrained starter than the boys' sliders and an offering to my partner with a glass of fragrant Ashbrook verdelho ($11) from the Margaret River.

It is suggested that we try the arancini, crisp little balls of rice, tomato, fennel and saffron atop a smear of mayo (four for $12). The crumbed orbs are compelling. You know what's coming, like a lot of meat, but these elegant, anisette-laced spheroids (sorry, running out of descriptors for a ball) are a tasty way to move into the serious stuff.

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Something I very much enjoy at Ox are the vegetables. ''Whoa,'' I hear you say, ''are you not the meat king, the Neanderthal of Yass valley, the paleo of the tablelands?'' Well, yes, all this and more, but here they seem to get every vegetable right, like you've just nailed it on roast night. The corn is succulent, dripping in buttery goodness, seasoned to an inch of its life. The beans are bright green, all glossy shafts of perfect crunch and give. And there are two types of tatties: crispy, slightly spicy chips that are attacked like an addict coming off the wagon, plus a huge bowl of rosemary-clad and garlicky roast potatoes.

The slowly disappearing table can barely hold the vegetable load as the meats arrive. The chicken, conveniently chopped up, sits over a really good sauce, with crushed baby peas, bacon and lettuce. This combination awakens in me an episodic memory of sitting around the table as a kid and the smell of well-cooked roast dinner.

Similarly the pork, with three jewels of seemingly perfectly cooked crackling - me and the boys eye each other off, who is going without - a light apple puree and salty jus, along with the vegetables, it's just so familiar. It's sensuous, comfort food at its best.

The sliced roast beef with red wine butter, while overshadowed by the evocative simplicity of the chicken and pork, is still beautifully cooked, tender and so much more than the usual grilled sirloin or fillet. Pants set to satiated, one notch to go.

Hansen is no stranger to the fruit of the vine and his wine list is full of confidence, depth and interest. There's like a three-pronged attack: A good range of cellared classics, Aussie icons, new and old, and hidden treasures from the likes of Giaconda, Petaluma and Best's; a group of foreigners, tempting with their strange names and exotic promise; and a smattering of locals.

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Desserts again are full of emotive combinations, such as marshmallows and salted caramel, churros and chocolate, trifle and praline. They are all quite simple - very light, airy doughnutty churros ($15) with a bowl of milk chocolate to dip them in, a challenge of restraint to resist. The delicate trifle ($16) is a treasure hunt of poached quinces, sweet and fragrant, sour cherry wrapped in a rich, velvety custard, topped with crunchy praline of pistachio.

A delightful way to finish a pretty special meal. It's like you have this mate who really knows how to cook old school, has a cool place and knows how to put it all together.


Ox Eatery

Address: East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston
Phone: 6178 0041
Website: easthotel.com.au/oxeatery.
Owners: Chris Hansen and Steve Rockmann
Chef: Aaron Woodford
Hours: Breakfast Monday to Sunday, 6:30am-10am, lunch Monday to Friday, noon-2:30pm, dinner, Monday to Saturday 6pm-10pm
Licensed: Yes, no BYO
Vegetarian: Three entrees, a couple of mains
To pay: Amercian Express, Eftpos, Diner's Club, Mastercard, Visa
Wheelchair access: Yes
Seats: 60 in the restaurant, 60 in the bar, 50 on the terrace

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Food: ★★★★ (star rating out of five)

Wine list: ★★★★

Style: ★★★½

Value for money: ★★★★

Service: ★★★½

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Score 15.5/20

11 Something went wrong. 12 Not so great tonight. 13 Fine for a cheap and cheerful, not so for a place that aspires to the top end. 14 Good. 15 Really good. 16 Great, when can we move in? 17-20 Brilliant. Stars are a quick reference to key highs or lows. They do not relate directly to the score out of 20.

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