Otis Dining Hall

I'm in Canberra, walking to Otis Dining Hall, I arrive and... Suddenly I'm in England? Otis felt like a restaurant straight out of a movie from England. It had a dark wood theme, chairs, tables, floor and walls. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to create a moody lighting that is hard to achieve in any other way. Hanging from the walls, were dull light bulbs that created a yellowish light that made Otis feel even more English. 

 

Something that makes certain restaurants stand out to me, is when they have options for non-alcoholics. Not just soft drinks, water and juice, but mocktails (non alcoholic cocktail). Otis had plenty of mocktail options, but the one I chose was the 'Blackberry Sling'. This mocktail was one of the best that I have every had, and trust me, I've had plenty. 

 

The menu at Otis changes very frequently. In truffle season, they had a few exclusive truffle menus (sadly I missed out on those) that changed often. After truffle season, they released a menu highlighting wagyu. Which is what I decided to get. A couple days ago (as of writing this), Otis released another menu that is going to be available for a long time (I hope so), and it looks amazing. I love restaurants that frequently change their menu. It provides options and many new flavours. It also means you can go their often and not get the same dish over and over and over again. 

 

After my drink, my first 4 dishes arrived. The first one I had was 'Windflower Sourdough and Jamon Serrano'. This was a perfect way to start my meal sourdough and Jamon Serrano to open up my stomach. After that, I had the 'Arancini' which was "One ball, one bite, many amazing flavours. This small arancini ball was served on a round wooden plate that had the word "OTIS" engraved onto it. Like many delicious things, this arancini ball had a beautiful and crunchy outside and a soft and warm inside. The outside was a crunchy pepita crumb that had tons of flavour. The inside was filled with potato and a salty pecorino cheese that made this dish even more delightful. Underneath this arancini ball, was an orange and flavourful miso that brought the entire dish together." (from my 'Meal Reviews' section) After that incredible arancini ball, I ate the 'Tuna'. "I have been known to be a watermelon hater, but with tuna, I'm a watermelon lover. This was a very creative dish combining tuna and watermelon. But not any normal watermelon, compressed watermelon filled with a vibrant and fruity flavour. This watermelon was juicy that resulted in a perfect pairing for the tuna. There was 2 small cubes of tuna, both of which were soft and slightly peppery. The tuna, paired with the compressed watermelon created a beyond delicious dish." (from my 'Meal Reviews' section). After the perfect tuna and compressed watermelon, I had the 'Wagyu Tostada'. "I love experimenting. Experimenting with flavour. Firstly, the tostada on its own was salty, crunchy and was perfect in every single way. This tostada used raw wagyu instead of wagyu that has been cooked. This brought incredible raw flavours to the dish that are often hard to find in other dishes. Another benifit of raw wagyu, is you can't overcook it (for obvious reasons), this makes it very easy to eat and chew. Along with the incredible flavours of the tostada and wagyu, the dish had an underlying flavour of spice that enhanced the flavours of everything else." (From my 'Meal reviews' section). 

 

That was the first 4 dishes. Shortly after I ate those dishes, the 'Wagyu Rump' arrived shortly after which I was very excited for. It was "melt-in-your-mouth wagyu. When you make steak like this, it easily has the ability to make your mind explode. This wagyu was a perfect medium-rare (the best cook of steak in my opinion) and had a crust that was crunchy and perfectly contrasted with the softness of the wagyu. Paired with the steak, was a pepper sauce that was absolutely packing in flavour. There was also a bearnaise sauce that had an incredible creaminess. Both these sauces, paired with the crunchy crust and perfect medium-rare, made a one of a kind wagyu rump." (from my 'Meal Reviews section').

 

After the incredible flavours of the 'Wagyu Rump', I had very high hopes for the dessert (Apple Tart Turtin). And it certainly achieved my high hopes. "When each element in a dessert has great flavours, and they are combined and have even greater flavours, then that makes me happy. This 'Apple Tart Turtin' did just that. Every element on its own was delicious. From the soft and flavourful baked apple, to the crispy pastry, to the crunchy oat crumble to the soft vanilla ice cream, everything was delicious. But when you ate all of them at the same time, the flavours were tantalising. Everything worked in unison, like a well-oiled machine." (from my 'Meal Reviews' section). 

 

After I had every dish. I was in shock. Not bad shock, but I was shocked as to why I didn't go to Otis earlier. Everything was beyond perfect. Otis is one of those places that I could never get sick of. Never get sick of the food, never get sick of the kind staff, and never get sick of the scenery that makes it feel like a restaurant straight out of England. 

 

Otis Dining Hall transported me into a different location. England. It had moody lighting, incredible food and kind staff. The restaurant was filled with dark wood and dull light bulbs that made a completely unique style of lighting. Along with the incredible feel of the restaurant, the food and menu is always changing resulting in dishes coming and going. This means you can eat at Otis often and never get sick of the food. If you like good food and good scenery, trust me, go to Otis Dining Hall. 

 

Thank you for reading.