Ostani, Canberra

It's the classic public service watering hole. The beer garden is big, bustling, and filled with greenery in planter boxes and high tables, enclosed in big glass screens with plenty of heaters to keep things cosy. Inside in the bar area, flat screen televisions show rugby league and the AFL, and there's a kind of mezzanine with bar tables for a more intimate chat. All in walking distance of half a dozen departments.

Ostani has been a convenient hot spot for public servants and Parly staffers since it opened in Hotel Realm on National Circuit. It's had a bit of a facelift this year, with the beer garden getting a bit of a do up - it's ticking along nicely tonight as a public servant and I duck in in search of a post-work meal. I feel a bit left out without a swipe pass on a lanyard but luckily in the dining area we are surrounded by hotel guests and families rather than smartly dressed APS6s sipping cider. This side of the eatery features red banquette seating and wood chairs, and tables set into spacious alcoves with gauzy drapes for group meals and farewell lunches. 

The menu here is geared handsomely towards the casual catch up and can be summed up as pizza, burgers and salads. The list of pizzas is big, split into reds and whites, and ranging from margherita to hoisin duck. The burgers are everything from fried chicken to vego to a club sandwich (this is still a hotel restaurant, after all).  

Let's take a quick gander into entrees with a dish of pork belly ($15) which comes out quickly - a pile serve of pork cubes which sadly lack the glassy crack of great crackling on top. The layer of belly is soft but to my mind it's not on the melting, luxurious end of the spectrum. Points for a generous serve, though. 

A cheese and bacon burger ($17) comes on a wooden paddle with a ramekin filled with chips on the side. It features bacon of the meaty rather than crisp variety and a well done patty stuffed into a brioche bun. While it might not be to your taste if you prefer a hint of pink in your beef patty, the burger itself is pretty good, and remains juicy with lots of melted cheese, lettuce and cheese.

Not a bad way to hang out with your work mates, avoid cooking, and grab a beer. Wines are all by the glass (except for the big ticket champers) and include a couple of local Canberra region drops amid a short collection of Clare Valley and New Zealand bottles. 

The bresaola pizza ($22) is enjoyable - it's on a thin, light base, just the way we like it, and crisp from the pizza oven on the edges. There's a fairly standard underlay of cheese and tomatoes but the slices of bresaola are moreish over a scattering of fresh basil leaves. It all works nicely together without being too simple. 

Dessert is a caramelised lemon tart, blow torched on top with a nice crack under the fork and a soft lemony interior. It's advertised with a coconut gelato but on the night it appears with a scoop of rich chocolate ice-cream, which doesn't work as well to complement the tang of the lemon.  

It's not fine dining but you'd go next door to the classy French eatery Buvette for that, anyway. Ostani's a spot for free-flowing beers, with plenty of atmosphere for post-work drinks in the Parliamentary Triangle and big group farewell lunches.