Heather’s House of Cake, Belconnen

I hear a lot how people would love to see better use made of beautiful Lake Ginninderra. More recreation. A variety of accessible water sports. More sophisticated paths and cycleways.

But the number one desire seems to be for restaurants and cafes – existing or new – to make better use of the lake. Along Emu Bank, many of the restaurants face the street, not the lake. (Ha Ha Bar and La De Da are notable exceptions.) The access point for the restaurants is from the car park next to the road, not the boardwalk which frames the water. People find the lake paradoxically energising and relaxing: there’s more and more going on around the lake, and it’s fun to be part of it, and to watch it – not to mention just enjoy the beautiful views.

I’d heard rumours about Heather’s House of Cake opening up for a little while. You might recognise the name: Heather’s been around the market scene for quite a while and creates – as you might have guessed – a wide range of pretty cakes. On the Friday of its opening week, I walk around the building which also houses 2 Yummy, Princes Palace, Sanur’s Balinese and London Burgers to the side which has Up 2 You restaurant.

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54 Benjamin, Belconnen

Five years ago people would have laughed if I’d said Belconnen would soon be home to some of the trendiest bars and cafes in Canberra – or that the service in these places would be among the best. But it’s happened. It’s come to Belconnen. In fact, it’s a close tie between La De Da, Chatterbox and newcomer 54 Benjamin on which has the best synergies with Cheers: everybody (at least the staff!) knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.

La De Da Sunday sesh*

*In The Taratory is a sponsor (non-financial) of La De Da’s Sunday seshes.

I’ve made no secret how big a fan I am of Ha Ha Bar and its upstairs venue La De Da in Belconnen Town Centre. Ever since I first set foot in La De Da I thought it’d be a great place to have a Sunday sesh (for the uninitiated: drinks on a Sunday afternoon), but for a long time its opening hours were restricted Wednesday-Saturday nights. Well, that was the case until one night, deep in the winter blues, Belco bloke James Tew (the mind behind Tweet Canberra and the Social Media Revolution) and I started a small social media lobby for it – and suddenly, it was happening!

What was proposed was even bigger than I expected: not just opening up the venue on Sunday arvos, but launching it with a six week competition for singer-songwriters playing 15 minute sets to be in the running to win a recording contract with local business Studio Sixty-Eight. I love the idea of supporting local, and so the opportunity to be a sponsor of a Belco event run by Canberra locals, showcasing local artists and giving them an opportunity to record a single with a local business was an absolute no-brainer. Plus: Sunday sesh!

HaHa Bar Redux

HaHa Bar was one of the very first places I ever reviewed. To sum it up, I thought the service was a bit lacking but the food is divine. Two years is a long time between (reviewed) visits, so I thought it was time to put HaHa Bar under the microscope again.*

La De Da above Ha Ha Bar

I notice it a long time before I hear about it: there’s something going on upstairs from Ha Ha Bar on Belconnen‘s Emu Bank. What is it? A club? Part of Ha Ha Bar? Eventually I hear about La De Da and my curiosity is sparked. With a new menu recently launched, visiting becomes a priority.