Rizla in Braddon is much more than a riesling bar

There's something quite indulgent about the idea of eating a three-course meal and enjoying a glass of wine in the middle of the day, especially on a day where the sun is shining and there's no rush to go and pick the kids up from school because they're all driving themselves about now. It's a Friday, the end of another long exhausting week. I'll drink to that, thank you very much Mr Sondeim.

Which brings us to Rizla, a place I've always associated with post work drinks or a quick catch up with the girls. It's my first time there and I wonder if Andy Day and his team take the food as seriously as they take the wine. I'm hoping they do.

Situated on the corner of Lonsdale and Eloura streets, I think it's one of the best spots in Braddon. The garden setting is hidden away behind walls of greenery and while the hustle of Braddon is obvious, the spaced is surprisingly intimate. It's perfect on this sunny afternoon but there are heaters about and a pile of throw rugs at hand if the chill starts to kick in later in the day, or year, as the case might be.

The restaurant itself is tiny. There is minimal inside seating apart from a couple of stools at a small bar. Day jokes the kitchen must be one of the smallest in Canberra (remember when all it turned out was toasted sandwiches?) but the white hexagonal tiles and a wall of wine bottles on display add a touch of class.

We choose the "sort it out" option at $60pp. Us ladies who lunch have better things to do than decide what to eat. We do that every night at dinner time. And I for one am a big fan of the set menu for this very reason. We see the full menu, it's not large. Six starters, three big plates, some sides and two desserts plus a cheese plate to finish. If there's something on it we really want to try let me know, Day says, and he'll deal with the rest.

The "sort it out" tagline is "the full dining experience tailored to what you're drinking" so it seems only right that we choose our wine first. And it seems only right that seeing we're at Rizla - which is slang for riesling - that we choose a bottle of the 2019 Helm Classic from the old bloke Ken himself. It's as dry as can be and a reminder that riesling can be a completely different wine from the riesling we all remember our mothers drinking back in the day.

Before we get to the food, it's best to talk about the focus on wine here. The wine list runs to several pages. By the glass there are five local rieslings - Lake George, Eden Road, Sapling Yard, Sholto and Helm - in a good list which extends to sparkling, white varietals, a rose and some lighter reds.

By the bottle things step up a notch. There's the 2006 Helm Premium Museum Release, which, at $200 might seem somewhat extravagant (and hard to justify on the work account) but there are only a handful of bottles of it left on the planet. The locals are well represented, adding in Clonakilla, Nick O'Leary and Ravensworth. There are Australian wines from the Clare Valley and other leading riesling sites such as Tasmania's Frankland River. International rieslings from Germany, Austria, France and the United States complete the offering.

There are some interesting varietals as well, a gewurztraminer, Lark Hills gruner veltliner, Bryan Martin's The Long Way Around bianco he made during COVID, mixing up trebbiano, gewurz and riesling grapes from far and wide.

There's also a few reds, all on the lighter side, and some dessert style rieslings in case you're really kicking on for lunch.

Reading the wine list makes me a little nervous that the food is really not the focus here. So let's try it.

First up are the oysters, they had to be included, we indicated, two each of plump Sydney rock oysters served with a dash of pickled green apple and riesling jelly. Fresh and juicy, the kind of oyster that would lure you back, thinking of a dozen with a bottle of that Gallagher NV Duet sparkling.

Next up is the tuna tartare with chips, delicate slivers of crisp, perfectly seasoned potato to scoop up the tartare. Which is a revelation. Finely diced, fresh-as tuna, eschalots and gherkins with a pink peppercorn and soy mayonnaise to bind it all together. It's a generous serve and delicious. We're scraping every little piece out with those chips.

The confit tomato with black garlic is served on little toasts smeared with macadamia butter is a nice contrast. There's a deep richness to it, but it's light at the same time. A tasty little mouthful.

Only one main is served, the seared snapper with braised fennel and an orange beurre blanc. The fillet is a good size for two, a thick piece of fish, well cooked and flaky underneath a crisp skin. The fennel cuts through the beurre blanc well, and by this stage we've decided butter is the perfect accompaniment to riesling. Our sides are broccolini with a melted leek and dusted with crispy pangrattato. I love breadcrumbs, sprinkling them on pasta dishes at home. I'm calling them pangrattato from now on. And must try melted leek as well. Who knew?

I like the charred corn, done with coriander, chili and lime butter, it's summery and fresh, but it seems a little out of place with the richness of the fish.

Obviously Day, who has done a great job running the tables by himself today, has us sussed out because he brings us both desserts. The coconut and lime panna cotta with pineapple jam reminds us summer will soon be over so we make it last as long as possible. The ricotta doughnuts with caramelised white chocolate are little balls of heaven, topped with citrus four ways. Where is that dessert wine list?

As we finish up, my hesitations are well gone. It's not often you are pleasantly surprised by a meal, and we were. The food here stands on its own two legs and that wine list is just one big bonus.

Address: 24 Lonsdale St, Braddon

Phone: 62300795

Website: drinkrizla.com.au

Hours: lunch, Friday to Sunday, from noon; dinner, Tuesday to Sunday, from 6pm; bar, Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm till late, Friday to Sunday, noon till late.

Owner: Andy Day

Chef: Talia Cullis

Noise: No problem

Vegetarian: A few options

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: