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The Artisan

Artisan restaurant.
Artisan restaurant.Rohan Thomson

The Canberra Times Top 20 for 2013: No. 15

This is a high-end restaurant in a quiet suburban shopping strip in Narrabundah - all crisp white linen and comfortable chairs in narrow, softly lit premises in Iluka Street, next to a local chemist and an IGA.

It might be in a fairly subdued location, but the food is - just quietly - very, very good.

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Chocolate tart and mandarin sorbet.
Chocolate tart and mandarin sorbet.Rohan Thomson

There's a sure touch to the plate of barramundi poached in miso, soft and lovely with a handful of crunchy sliced sugar-snap peas thrown in to mix up the texture. An entree of Patagonian toothfish is so delicate the fish can be eaten with a spoon, but the flavours are still clear.

The beef eye fillet is made precisely to order, with an interesting potato souffle, like a cross between fluffy mashed potato and a Yorkshire pudding, on the side.

A tart tatin gets a trendy banoffee makeover with sliced caramelised banana and a scoop of dulce de leche ice-cream, and a chocolate and chilli terrine is softened with gently poached pear slices.

The wine list is very good, including lots of solid options by the glass and a wide-ranging, pretty exciting bottle offering, and the service is excellent. The food is presented simply and precisely, but the flavours work well and come together beautifully and without fuss.

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This is the work of a chef who is accomplished, and it shows Canberra's good food sense. While other outfits around town are painfully trendy, with blaring music, too-cool-for school waiters and grungy decor, Artisan sticks to a muted elegance and lets the food speak for itself. It's restrained, quiet and friendly - a small operation working really hard to look after its customers and hit the high notes.

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