V Rating: VVVV
Where: Bunda Street, Civic (Canberra City)
When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday
Tel: 02 6247 1464
Licensed: Fully licensed and BYO (corkage: $5/bottle)
Price: Entrees: $3.80-$4.50 Mains: $9.00-$13.00

I really love Sammy’s Kitchen.  It used to be a Canberra staple for me, back when I had a casual job in Civic.  But it is somewhere I have not been going to so much recently.  Partly because that part of Civic has been a bit of a no-go-zone with all the construction going on for the new Canberra Centre extension, and the consequent lack of carparking.  Sammy’s and other traders in the area must surely have suffered during this period.  But now, with the construction just about finished and the new Canberra Centre and carparks open, maybe things are getting back to normal for them.

I found myself at Sammy’s a few weeks ago for the first time in over a year, to have a quick lunch with my Mum.  We shared the vegetarian spring rolls ($3.80) and curry puffs ($4.50), and I had the stir fried snow peas with chinese mushrooms ($11.50).  We also shared a vegetarian nasi goreng ($9.00).  All were delicious.  I was reminded of how much I love the food, and made a mental note to go back there soon for a proper meal with a few people so I could have a chance to sample more of their dishes. 

And go back there I did, only a few days later.  Unfortunately, though, of the five people I went with, four ordered meat dishes (evil, unsharing carnivores!) and the fifth ordered a vegetarian dish (sizzling fried bean curd with chinese broccoli and needle mushrooms, $11.50) that I couldn’t eat, but which he assured me was excellent.  I had the snow peas and mushrooms again: I really can’t go past this dish.  The crunchy snow peas go so well together with the thick, fully flavoured chinese mushrooms, which have a sort of gelatinous texture.  The blend of textures and flavours is so simple but works so well.

I’ve recently been back to Sammy’s a third time, and this time I thought that, as much as I love that dish, for the purpose of this review, I should venture out and try something else.  So I tried the vegetable laksa ($11.00).  Laksas can be hit and miss, in my opinion, and as a vegetarian who does not eat tofu, I find that asking for a vegetarian laksa sans tofu too often means I just get a noodle soup with one green vegetable.  But not at Sammy’s.  The laksa was a real treat, with a range of vegies, and a tasty, spicy broth.

Other vegetarian options include mixed chinese vegetables with fried bean curd ($9.50), english spinach with garlic or belacan sauce ($11.00), and stir fried green pepper and dry bean curd with chilli bean sauce ($9.00). 

Sammy’s Kitchen scores a VVVV.  There is a good range of great-tasting, very reasonably-priced, vegetarian options, including a couple from the specials board.  I think I’m definitely going to revert to being a regular.

AC

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