Chifley’s Bar and Grill, Barton*

* I dined at Chifley’s Bar and Grill courtesy of the restaurant. In what must surely be the one of the busiest years of restaurant and cafe openings in Canberra’s history, historic Kurrajong Hotel is capping off 2014 and meeting 2015 head-on with the opening of Chifley’s Bar and Grill (Tuesday night) and the relaunch of the hotel (early February). Chifley’s is named after former PM Ben Chifley who preferred to reside at Hotel Kurrajong (believing it would save taxpayers money) and – unsurprisingly – regularly dined there.

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Black Fire, Braddon

It’s Monday night and there’s a rumbling – but it’s difficult to tell whether it’s from stomachs belonging to me and Capital Food Journal, or from the pending great storm. We’re at Black Fire in Braddon for the first time. The mediterranean restaurant with its charcoal grill (or black fire) has been getting plenty of good publicity, both formally and by word of mouth.

We’re seated in front of some neon lights in the restaurant, the space of which is smaller than I expect. The busy kitchen takes up one end of the restaurant, and it’s not short on wait staff – and is packed by 7.30pm.

L’Artista, Belconnen

Zeffirelli’s on Chandler Street in Belconnen was an institution – but one of those that we took for granted as always being there, and never really frequented. It turns out a few people must’ve taken it for granted, because it closed down back in February. For months we’ve been wondering what – if anything – would fill the big space it left. The answer is L’Artista.