Touted as a Canberran staple for Southeast Asian Chinese cuisine, and judging by the crowds, every single night, till way past mall opening hours, one would think that this is one of the better restaurants in Canberra. Sadly, this was not so. The portions are small, and sometimes misleading (4 "pieces" of roti, ended up being 4 quarter slices of a single square roti). Go up to Dickson if you'd like the authentic SEAsian experience.

Approximate cost: $16

Quaint nostalgic joint that is frequently busy due to its popularity and wonderful location. The dessert pancakes are a lil too sweet, but enjoyable. Room for improvement on the ham steak, as it came out a lil tough.

Approximate cost: $18

Despite its name, Shanghai Dumplings (xiao long bao) are not the best offerings here. The braised meatball on rice is hearty and succulent, but their soup dumplings are thick-skinned and not very juicy. Noodles were unimpressive, but being on the edge of student accommodations, I suspect that quality of reviews is less of a concern for this establishment than quantity of patrons.

Approximate cost: $15

There are indian restaurants, and there are jewels like this unexpected find. New to the city, my wife was on a cab one afternoon and casually asked the driver where the best indian cuisine in Canberra was served. His answer: Joy of India in Manuka. The following day, we hit Manuka, but happy as we were, we could not find Joy, but instead approximated it to the next closest thing we could find, this restaurant.

The ambience is charmingly traditional and the tall maitre d' very courteous and helpful in suggesting a dish. Having Asian tastebuds with a bent for spiciness, we wanted no holds barred, and boy were we surprised when the Kumbh Dhania Gosht (lamb and mushroom curry delicately flavoured with coriander) and Prawn Chettinad (a specialty from Southern India, pepper spiced) that we ordered looked and tasted exquisite. It's a pity we didn't have room for dessert after the hearty helpings of naan and pappadams, but we'd have to say that from the little we ordered, this was one of the best Indian dining experiences we've had -- rivalling many, more expensive indian restaurants in both south-east asia and the US. The name of this restaurant can definitely be changed to "Jewel of Canberra"...

Approximate cost: $22

Arrived past noon on a Sunday for yumcha, and there was an eager queue waiting. Despite the crowd, people were moving in and out at a rather fast rate, and we were seated in less than 20 minutes. The dimsum (yum cha) offerings came in a combination of pushcarts and hand-carried dishes, which worked effectively, as the items were fresh and piping hot. All in all my wife and I ordered 9 items ranging from steamed combination dumplings to braised veal ribs to salt & pepper calamari and egg tarts. All were excellent, and made for an unforgettable afternoon. We will definitely be back, with more diners in tow.

Approximate cost: $20

After all the reviews that this is the best noodle place in town, we had to give it a go, and were a bit underwhelmed by the non-spiciness of the laksa and the small portion of the charkuayteow (fried flat noodles)

Approximate cost: $12

ordered an extra spicy pork sizzling platter which was a little sweet, but not bad. wifey's squid bibimbap didn't look right

Approximate cost: $16