Morsels: Eat Pay Love; Lilotang restaurant coming; Bryan Martin wins award

Eat Pay Love dinners
Next week is anti-poverty week and three Canberra restaurants and cafes are holding an event called Eat Pay Love. At V Spot on the corner of City Walk and Petrie Plaza in Civic, there will be a vegetarian buffet dinner with no prices on Sunday, October 12. Diners can pay whatever they want for their dinners. The profits from the evening will got to the YWCA's Lanyon Food Hub. In Braddon, the Elk and Pea will hold a three-course dinner on Tuesday, October 14, with no prices and this time diners can subsidise a meal for someone else who might not be able to afford it. And at sister restaurant Parlour Wine Room in Braddon, there's a charity fundraising five-course degustation on Thursday, October 16. There is a price for this one – $95. Proceeds from both the Elk and Pea and Parlour will go to Foodbank NSW/ACT which offers discounted groceries to food relief centres. Find out more at antipovertyweek.org.au.

Bryan Martin wins awards
With the advent of Good Food Month, we've almost missed Bryan Martin's great showing at the ActewAGL Canberra and Region Wine Show a week or two ago. We knew he had done well but the show results have come out and Martin's own label Ravensworth wines have taken home a number of medals. He also took out a trophy for Best Dry White (other varieties and/or blends) for his Seven Months – a white wine produced with like a red with the grape skins remaining in contact with the juice. Judge Mike Bennie told us the Seven Months was "a stunning wine" with exotic spice and deliciousness that leapt off the table. Martin also took out medals for his 2013 shiraz viognier, chardonnay and Le Querce sangiovese. Congratulations, Bryan.

Ayurvedic food
Jody Vassallo's a food stylist, yoga instructor and author of the new cookbook Beautiful Food. It's all about Ayurvedic principles, so there are recipes for hot days (coconut and berry frozen lollies), recipes for cooler weather (poached chicken with spring onions and ginger) and a focus on nutrition. $39.99. Published by Harlequin.

Lilotang Restaurant opening
We've got the lowdown on another very interesting new Canberra restaurant – this time a modern Japanese eatery coming to the Burbury Hotel at Barton. This one is called Lilotang and it's opening across the foyer from Malamay, on the other side of the entrance to the hotel. It's owned by Josiah Li and his partners in the Chairman Group, who already own Malamay. Li tells us the menu will be light, easy Japanese-inspired bites and will feature a robata – a charcoal grill traditionally used as a communal cooking hearth. Lilotang will also focus on sake with a large range of premium sakes on the shelf. Li says the chefs and front of house team will be drawn from Tokyo and Melbourne and the head chef comes from Nobu in Melbourne. Construction has begun on the new restaurant and Li hopes to open Lilotang in mid December. Bookings will be available from November. Watch this space.

Bean & Grain opens in Dickson
Bean & Grain, the popular bagel cafe in the Fyshwick fresh-food markets, is opening up a new store in Dickson in mid October. Inner-north denizens will soon be able to get their own bagel breakfasts and pastries. There's already a Bean & Grain express store in Deakin on King Street.

Kitchen Cabinet
This is such a Canberra foodie TV show. Kitchen Cabinet returns to our screens on ABC TV on Tuesday, October 21. Annabel Crabb opens with former Labor PM Bob Hawke, who apparently takes her on a tour of his harbour-side home in Sydney and serves her a dish called "Bob's Barramundi", which requires the services of a "fish concierge" (his stepson Louis). Then they play golf on his rooftop and eat dessert, according to the ABC's press release. It airs at 8pm on Tuesday, October 21.