This Is Canberra

Slow-cooked pork nachos. Photo: Sophia Brady. A few blocks from the buzz of the Kingston Foreshore, tucked into the Parbery Street precinct, sits The Pacific Food Studio. It is a literal hole in the wall overlooking a courtyard lined with picnic tables. If I had not been taking my dogs to the vet around the corner, I may never have found it. That would have been a huge shame because some serious magic is coming out of this tiny kitchen.

Imagine this giant crab sitting atop Canberra House. That’s one of the exhibitions to see for the 2026 Canberra Biennial. Photo: Harrison Witsey/Instagram. A giant crab (who’s also a professor of architecture) atop the lower roof of Canberra House. A three-day art fair at the Hyatt. And a major commission from 2024 Venice Biennale Golden Lion winner Archie Moore. These are just some of the diverse artworks and experiences that will be on offer across the Territory for the sixth Canberra Art Biennial.

Lager House by Capital Brewing Co has settled in, and it’s an official winner with Canberrans. Photo: Lager House. Nearly six months after opening its doors, Lager House by Capital Brewing Co has settled comfortably. It seems like the right time to see how this sleeker interpretation of Capital’s well-established Canberra presence was shaping up.

The barbecue baby squid is a standout. It was delicate and beautifully cooked. Photo: Sophia Brady. Open just one night a week and run entirely by volunteers, Dom’s Croatian Bistro at the Australian Croatian Club in O’Connor serves generous plates of homestyle cooking. The Friday night bistro operates from 5:30 pm until 8 pm, or until they run out of food. After spending an evening there, it is easy to understand why things sell out. This is not a restaurant trying to maximise trading hours.

The special brisket noodles were an unintentionally large dish – but oh so good (and made great lunchtime leftovers the next day!) Photo: Lucy Ridge. Samsi Sekki is a casual Korean restaurant on Flemington Road, tucked between a tool shop and a workwear outlet. For a restaurant in an industrial suburb, it is appropriately industrial in size.

For Anita, putting together an incredible dessert isn’t about a single ingredient but about the balance among different components. Photo: PewPew Studio. Who are you? I’m Anita Su Jung Chung. I was born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, and I’m a passionate, energetic pastry chef who has been fortunate to work around the world. I love creating desserts that are beautiful, balanced in flavour, and memorable for every guest who tries them.

Pastels, but made fancy with confit chicken. Photos: Sophia Brady. Grazier Lane in Belconnen was a bit of a surprise. It is a meandering lane running between the new tall apartment buildings with a small Woollies at one end and a smattering of cafés and eateries throughout on ground level. I hadn’t wandered through this part of Belconnen before, which now feels like a miss. Mr B Pastel sits along the lane and you know you are close before you reach the door.

The new Fricken store at the Canberra Centre is designed to be a space for people to linger. Photo: Fricken. Fricken is on the move with its biggest-ever flagship store opening soon in the Canberra Centre. Fricken is closing its Braddon location to upsize and bring its chicken to a wider audience. Brothers Mo and Marwan Saad wanted to share their Mum’s fried chicken with Canberra, so with their partners Heather and Manal, they started small, but had big ambitions.

The iconic moon installation at Questacon has been replaced with new inflatable depictions of quantum technology. Photo: Jarryd Rowley. Visitors to Questacon may have noticed something rather huge missing from its main auditorium lately. The iconic moon installation, which hung from its ceiling for over seven years, has been removed to make way for the science centre’s newest exhibition, Quantum Tomorrow: Imagined Futures.

Christophe Gregoire receiving one of the oldest awards in the French Republic – the National Order of Agricultural Merit, or l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole. Photo: Christophe Gregoire. Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the founding of the French Republic on 14 July. And what better way to celebrate than to eat and drink up? Just like the French! Renowned local chef Christophe Gregoire is teaming up with esteemed winemaker Céline Rousseau for a Bastille Day celebratory dinner.