Pod Food

Settled into the tiny slice of rural life out near the airport, Pod Food at Pialligo is an increasingly popular spot. This classy diner is inside the gardens of an established plant nursery with all the charm that that implies. Well known for its breakfast and lunch menus, including a breakfast degustation, it has done dinners on and off over the years, and is gaining ground at the more serious end of the day. 

A warm welcome greets us as we arrive at the lovely cottage on a rainy night. A family group is settling in beside us and couples out for a special night are dotted around the medium-sized room. Space between tables and an intimate atmosphere contributes to the relaxed dinner party feeling. The staff are well-versed on wine and food, and clearly enthusiastic about both. 

Warm bread and local pressed apple juice is quickly delivered to delight the kids, as we read the one-page menu.  A five-course grazing menu is on offer, ($90, or $140 with wine) or two courses for $60 and three courses $70. We opt to choose our own, and wagyu beef carpaccio and a confit salmon with orange labneh arrive in good time. 

Although this is clearly a fine-dining establishment, the kids are made to feel very welcome, and real food soon arrives for them: chicken schnitzel, beautifully crisped and finely cut, with great chips and salad. 

The beef carpaccio is a well-flavoured piece of finely cut raw beef wrapped around excellent celeriac slaw, with some lovely pecorino wafers and baked morsels of beetroot to round out a gutsy but well-balanced version of this classic dish. 

A generous piece of confit salmon is jewel-orange as it should be after the very slow "cooking" process. Flaking beautifully under the fork, it is nicely set off by the tang of the orange labneh, and the earthiness of the black olive oil. This is an elegant and satisfying dish that would make a lovely light lunch. Local Mount Majura pinot noir sparkling is great with the fish and matching wines are well considered throughout. 

The 33-page wine and drinks list is a serious document, with global reach and a generous local component. Ten wines are available by the glass, and some by the 375ml carafe. A side of chili and rosemary roasted potato turns out to be one giant, roasted, smashed potato, cooked again to make it crisp as a Canberra morning. This is a fun idea, done well. 

Beautifully tender milk-poached veal is plentiful and set in mash enriched with bacon and cabbage. Mushrooms and onion rings add an extra textural and flavour edge. Balance and respect for good ingredients is clear in this dish, and this applies across the menu, from the simplest to the most complex dish.  Mackerel, squid ink risotto, mussels and chorizo is a lovely offering - sparkling fresh seafood and assertive flavours all combined to lift the whole. 

By dessert we are struggling but banana and chocolate mousse proves unmissable. Clear flavours and beautiful texture in the mousse are only enhanced by coconut sorbet and roasted cashews.  Pod Food is a lovely place for an intimate, classy dinner, with courtesy, respect for the food and diner, in abundance.