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Just Open: Space Kitchen, Woden

Natasha Rudra

The 'space benedict' at Space Kitchen.
The 'space benedict' at Space Kitchen.Elesa Kurtz

We've come to expect interesting things of Ricardo De Marco, the young man who turned a cafe and bakery in the Jamison shopping centre into a staple of Canberra's foodie Instagram set.

Now he's opened Space Kitchen, a polished, modern cafe in the Skypark - a multistorey car parking garage in Woden.

This is a grown-up take on De Marco's original Ricardo's Cafe in the Jamison centre at Macquarie.

Truffle oil-infused polenta waffles with poached eggs.
Truffle oil-infused polenta waffles with poached eggs.Elesa Kurtz
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It's relaxed and spacious with plenty of dark wood, comfortable banquettes, a couple of communal tables and a pedestrian crossing painted on the concrete floor.

Space Kitchen has been a few years in the works and plays on the idea of being in a (rather upmarket) multistorey car park. "The place is supposed to be fun and enjoyable," De Marco says.

He's now got a bar, which means the public service crowds can get a glass of wine or a beer with their lunch of wagyu cheeseburger, beetroot felafel salad with smoked salad or pork rolls. De Marco plans to put on Friday after-work drinks and events further down the track.

Ricardo De Marco in his new cafe Space Kitchen.
Ricardo De Marco in his new cafe Space Kitchen.Elesa Kurtz

But there's still a glass cabinet filled with the gleaming, colourful Ricardo's cakes - cakes in the shape of ice-creams, tall layered creations filled with jelly, mousse and sponge and rows of shiny macarons.

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The extra space (pardon the pun) at the new cafe means that De Marco can run two kitchens and he's shifted his cake and patisserie operation from Jamison to Woden.

The menu also includes a healthy dose of theatre.

Boysenberry hotcakes, blood orange curd, and coconut mascarpone.
Boysenberry hotcakes, blood orange curd, and coconut mascarpone.Elesa Kurtz

There are polenta waffles covered in mushrooms sauteed with lemon thyme, goats cheese and poached eggs, which is served at the table with a drizzle of truffle oil that vaporises into a truffle-infused cloud around the waffles.

"We've kept the elements of an egg benedict and it reads [on the menu] as a little bit normal but when you get it, you'll have a pulled pork croquette on a paddle pop stick, in the shape of a Golden Gaytime and there's a beetroot Hollandaise... it's a bit fun," he says.

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De Marco has tapped into the current Canberra obsession with milkshakes with a series of "PG-rated" shakes served with a splash of alcohol, such as a peppermint, crushed Oreo and Bailey's concoction.

Another milkshake is topped with marshmallows that are flambeed at the table.

They're served in tapered glasses and are decidedly not child-like.

Space Kitchen is more about a proper sit-down meal with a glass of wine and conversation rather than a quick stop for coffee and cake. "It's more about the food and how far we can take it," De Marco says.

Space Kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Saturday. Corner of Worgan Street and Melrose Drive, Phillip.

Know a new restaurant or cafe opening in Canberra? Tell us on food.wine@canberratimes.com.au

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