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First look at XO Restaurant in Narrabundah

Natasha Rudra

Anand Kumar, Kent Nhan, Greg Lally and Dean Papa outside their new restaurant.
Anand Kumar, Kent Nhan, Greg Lally and Dean Papa outside their new restaurant. Melissa Adams

Narrabundah's newest eatery is playful, modern and bright with a street food Asian menu and a cheeky name.

XO opens on Thursday, October 22, at the Narrabundah shops and will be bringing us shantung bao, "Asian bolognaise" and seriously crispy fried chicken with kewpie mayonnaise.

It's on the site of the former Artisan restaurant (and also the old Das Kapital) and the shop front has had a complete strip and a brand new fit out - it's filled with white-painted raw brick walls, blonde wood, pendant lamps and LED backlighting.

High tables, banquettes and more at XO.
High tables, banquettes and more at XO.Melissa Adams
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The bar extends out to become a huge communal table lined with bar stools for big groups, and the wine display is a work of art.

XO's four young owners are Canberra boys with a wide range of skills and experience.

Kent Nhan grew up working at a family restaurant, the much-loved Griffith Vietnamese, owned by his uncle. Chef Anand Kumar, known as AK, was born in Malaysia, trained in French and Italian cuisine and worked in cafes and restaurants in Sydney. Greg Lally is an accountant and Dean Papas a builder.

Sticky black rice with coconut ice cream at XO Restaurant in Narrabundah.
Sticky black rice with coconut ice cream at XO Restaurant in Narrabundah.Tristan Kane

They started with the food - Kumar and Nhan had plenty of Southeast Asian flavours and hospitality experience to offer. When they learned The Artisan was for sale, they decided to go for it.

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"Akay flew down and we had a look at the Artisan and we had lunch and said, well we've got to commit, do we want to do it or not?" Greg Lally remembers.

The Artisan's legacy - a top 10 restaurant under Sam McGreechan and David Black - isn't lost on Nhan, Lally, Papas and Kumar.

Crispy lamb ribs at XO Restaurant in Narrabundah.
Crispy lamb ribs at XO Restaurant in Narrabundah.Tristan Kane

"When we looked at the place we saw so much promise in the kitchen - it was the Rolls Royce of kitchens. So that was our main motivation for taking over the Artisan," Lally says.

"People will always remember the Artisan and they have that expectation that you'll be of the same calibre."

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The menu is Southeast Asian and draws on childhood dishes that Nhan and Kumar want to recreate with a bit of a twist.

The Asian bolognaise is a dish of udon noodles in a a savoury chicken mince ragout with a 60C egg on top - it's a dish that Nhan's mum used to throw together to feed the family, topping the noodles and chicken with a fried egg.

Kumar's shantung bao are served slider style and stuffed with pork belly, pickle and shantung sauce, and his beef rendang is shredded, spicy and tender.

He also recreated a dish of Vietnamese duck leg with Nhan's mum dictating the family recipe down the phone to him.

"I always wanted to cook mum's food," Kumar says. "It's Southeast Asian with a modern interpretation."

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The wine list is compact but heavy on Canberra vintages, with Collector, Nick O'Leary, Clonakilla, Eden Road and more on display with Pact Beer's pale ale on the bar.

It's a relaxed but bright and cheery spot. "It's all about having fun," Lally says.

XO opens on Thursday, October 22. 16 Iluka Street, Narrabundah. Know a new foodie venue or restaurant? Tell us food.wine@canberratimes.com.au

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Default avatarNatasha Rudra is an online editor at The Australian Financial Review based in London. She was the life and entertainment editor at The Canberra Times.

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