It's official: Canberra's best scallops and schnitzels revealed

"For a dollar or two, you're going to get a quality product from us," he says. "We're actually starting to sell more scallops than chips because people are going I'd rather spend a bit more, eat less, but get something that's better value for money."

And he should know, as the purveyor of Canberra's best potato scallop according to a recent poll by Wotif.

The travel website polled more than 1200 Australians around the nation and announced the winners of the Uniquely Aussie Awards. While no ACT businesses took out national gongs, the ACT finalists include some of our finest destinations.

Our best potato scallop was Ferraro's from Little Theo's in Kambah, our best schnitzel was from the Canberra Labor Club in Belconnen. The best bowls club was The RUC in Turner and the best holiday park, the Alivio Tourist Park in O'Connor. Canberra Handmade Markets won the award for best markets.

Just to provoke more discussion, it seems the best staycation could be had right in the inner north. We'd just have to get Little Theo's to deliver.

Which is something Ferraro did during these past COVID-affected months.

"We were able to pivot our business, we went online, we did delivery, we didn't have to shut down, but there are people out there who are still having a very, very tough time," he said. "We're very grateful to be recognised by these awards."

He gives credit to his managers James Boland and Steven Ubojcic who have worked tirelessly to perfect the scallop. "First you have to choose the right potato, we use sebagos because they have the right water to starch balance and the skin - we don't peel them first - and the flesh cooks really well.

"Secondly, it's all about balance, the right potato to batter ratio. And then it's all about the batter. There has to be consistency, it's all about thickness, crunch and integrity. We use three different kinds of flours to get it right and it's taken us four years to perfect it."

Secretary manager of The RUC Jeremy Wilcox said supporting local sport is the real pleasure of club life.

"And pouring schooners and serving schnitties is the way we get there," he said.

The RUC has undergone something of a transformation in recent years; it too pivoted during COVID live-streaming meat raffles and running trivia online among other things

"The RUC is a community club in the truest sense," Wilcox says. "As a newly merged club we realised that to maintain three bowling greens to the required standard for our bowling members, we had to get the club house fully operational to pay for this community asset. It's been such a success to be able to have pennant bowls and barefoot bowls on the same greens, and our bowling members have bent over backwards to allow this to happen.

"My view of a proper community club is to have all groups covered, from families to tradies, pensioners and students. You can't imagine what each group learns from each other until you see it happening."