A. Baker

The Canberra Times Top 20 for 2013: No. 19

Opening at the pointy end of the year, A. Baker has had some teething problems around service and organisation. But while it's still getting rid of the wobbles on its iron-framed bike, it makes our top 20 list by the skin of its teeth because it has the food, design and mood. It's a popular destination for adventurous diners, aficionados of good booze and hipsters.

The industrial refit and hectic feel from dawn to the wee hours give the feel of a happening place - in fact, this entire New Acton area feels like the centre of the universe at the moment.

The menu is very up-to-date, hitting all the right targets with quite delicate arrangements to share. It's a small menu but one that looks to change often, with both small and large sharing plates filled with essentially produce-driven combinations, local where possible.

Cured and smoked lamb's liver shaved over delicate spaghettini with a lava-like slow-poached egg, boosted by silverbeet and parmesan, is one of those dishes that you have to experience, smashing the egg through the pasta. The liver seasons the dish so well, making for a taste and texture love-in. This is one of the dishes that gets A. Baker on the list.

The menu continues in the same vein, with cracking combinations like octopus and buckwheat, local mushrooms with pangrattato and pecorino, and duck with maple, carrot and orange. It's all up-to-the-minute stuff, using terrific ingredients and presented like they are on a photo shoot.

The drinks list uses Australian spirits where possible for a range of classic cocktails like bellini, negroni and martini. The wine list is fresh, lots of locals with a smallish reserve list.

If you just want to hang out and view the beautiful people, they do bread and charcuterie, cheese and oysters all day. The small dessert selection is worth all your attention; save that room.

A. Baker has it all ahead and if it would sort out some confusion on the floor, it would be the destination it aims to be.