This little reviewer went to (Verity Lane) market

But it was more than that. To this small town country girl, these buildings, with their stretch of Florentine arches and high windows above, were rather grand, and I truly felt I had landed in a proper city, my whole life ahead of me.

I've been saddened by the demise of the area over the years. On the rare occasion I found myself in the precinct, given the days of face-to-face banking and dancing the night away are distant memories, the area looked neglected and run down.

In 2017 the ACT government launched the City Renewal Authority and it turned its attention to revitalising the areas around the buildings, the laneways and footpaths, and the like.

Some of Canberra's movers and shakers also saw an opportunity in the area. Phillip Keir was one of them. He's old enough to remember The Private Bin, smart enough to know that the strength of the area is in its historic connections, saw the benefits of the light rail, and took a chance on Canberra's love of open spaces that incorporate food and wine and the opportunity to come together.

After a few Covid-related delays, Verity Lane Market opened in October 2020. It's an open food-court kind of set up, anchored by a glamorous 20th Century inspired bar which sits closer to the Verity Lane entrance. The lane was named after Verity Hewitt, who opened one of Canberra's first bookstores in 1938. You can imagine her ducking downstairs for a cocktail, or a whisky, leaning up against the marble bar, perhaps, as a former suspected Communist sympathiser, telling stories best left untold.

When it first opened the market offered three kitchens: Enoki Project's Asian-inspired menu led by former Chairman and Yip chef Gerald Ong; Ramen Daddy, with Eddy Tsai and John Leverink finally finding a home for their popular bowls of French and Japanese fusion; and Pizza Artigiana, with Silvio Miceli serving up traditional Italian pizza.

Since then, kitchens have come and gone. Ong is still on the books as executive chef, but Enoki is no more; Daniel Mark, former head chef of Lanterne Rooms, impressed with My Sabor; Miss Wu Jianbing popped up for a while.

Dickson favourite Super Bao came on board in February 2021; Miceli opened Pasta Artigiana not long after; Uno Tapas, the newest kid on the block, opened in early July.

Yes, it's an ever-changing food court, but not like you've ever seen before.

Tonight we decide to sample a few different places. That's one of the reasons why I've avoided it until now. What to eat? Just ramen? Just a pizza? Or will I be surprised by some new offering which wasn't there when I first started thinking about going there?

I've got the boy with me, and the idea of being allowed to eat burgers and pizza and pasta in the one sitting appeals to him immensely.

We do a quick walk around to see what's on offer. There's a good crowd already, it's not long past 6pm on a Thursday, and most tables are full. There's a bigger seating area on the Northbourne side of the market and it's humming with diners, the side closer to the bar seems to accommodate those who've perhaps dropped in for a drink after work. Those charcuterie boards from Uno Tapas look good; I'm keen to try the croquetas and the patatas bravas with a side of spicy chorizo.

But I follow the boys lead and our first stop is Super Bao. He likes the look of the Southern fried chicken bao-ger ($16), a buttermilk marinated chicken thigh lettuce, tomato, cheese, a lime-chilli mayonnaise and a hit of pickle. The chicken is tender, with a golden crunchy crust. The bao bun is soft and tender but holds together well. I love how his descriptive words have improved over the years. His verdict is "it's like biting into heaven".

It's served with lotus root chips. Such fun, such a cool shape. We like them.

I go with the three bao combo ($20), little mini versions, there are five flavours to choose from. I go with roasted pork belly, the beef brisket and the fried chicken. The pork is my favourite, with mixed cabbage and cucumber to cut through the richness of the pork which has been doused in hoisin sauce.

For pizza we go with a tre carni (S21), which is essentially their meatlovers version with porchetta, njuda and salami, topped with mozzarella cheese. I am very impressed with the base of this pizza, it's crisp around the edges from the wood-fired oven, thin enough to not detract from the topping, which itself is a lesson in restraint. This is how pizza should be made.

We've also managed to catch the end of the truffle promotion which the market held during July. From Pasta Artigiana I order a ravioli al porcino ($18) with truffle, ricotta, a mushroom bisque and hazelnuts. It's not the most attractive dish to look at, six good size ravioli in a bowl of sauce which is a little liquidy for my liking. It is however quite flavoursome, the truffle is subtle. The walnuts are a good touch.

The one thing I think is lacking at Verity Lane Market is a good dessert option. Artigiana offers tiramisu but it's sold out already but that's about it. I start thinking that perhaps I could takeover one of those shiny little kitchens and turn out some delectable desserts. Some ice-cream, chocolate pots, honeycomb, rum-soaked pineapple. Might give Ong and Keir a call.

Address: Sydney Building, 50 Northbourne Ave, City

Website: https://veritylanemarket.com.au/

Hours: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm-late; lunch, Thursday to Saturday, noon-2pm

Owner: Phillip Keir

Executive chef: Gerald Ong

Noise: Not a problem, but it's not quiet

Vegetarian: Options in all kitchens