Bar Rochford the perfect place for a grown-up girl dinner

Basically a girl dinner was a plate of anything you want. These girls were eating plates of cheese and biscuits, maybe a few grapes, a couple of olives. Winning. Girl dinner.

I think there was something about it being a rebellion against the misogynistic idea that dinner was a woman's responsibility, or maybe it was just lazy-ass Gen Zs being too lazy to cook and giving it a name. Like I'm "fasting" if I'm too lazy to bother with breakfast.

Look, full credit, there are times when cheese and biscuits (although I prefer to eat my cheese with bread these days) is a perfectly fine dinner. Especially if it's accompanied by a bottle of Sapling Yard's Four Pinots and eaten in the company of someone with lots of gossip they need to get off their chest.

There are times, too, I'll give you, where you just don't feel like cooking, even if you're the most productive person you know.

Here's my take on it. Woman dinner. Full-blown, grown-up, classy dinner. Eaten out, solo. Because you are worth more than a few slices of cheddar and some Jatz crackers.

So tonight this grown-up woman is taking herself to one of the most grown-up places she knows, Bar Rochford.

Since it opened in 2016, Bar Rochford has set something of a standard for the Canberra hospitality scene. It's cool and hip, without being pretentious. Those interlopers from Sydney and Melbourne talk about how well it would fit into their own inner cities. Well bugger off, Bar Rochford is ours.

But it's only tonight that I realise I've never actually had a full meal here. It's one of my favourite spots for a quick pre-theatre snack or a glass of wine with a friend; I guess I've treated it more like a bar than a restaurant.

So tonight I'm here for that "woman dinner", plates of anything I want. To be fair, that's how I like to eat in the company of friends too. Let's just order lots of little dishes so we get to try as much as possible.

Owner Nick Smith sees I'm dining alone and offers a few options. He's happy to do half serves of a few things. He's also attentive with wine and water, happy for a chat without intruding. There are a few other people on their own tonight, in early after work I'm assuming, and he's like this with everyone.

With his tunes playing on the turntable and new wines and dishes to excite him, he knows he could be in worse places.

I start with the anchovy toast ($16), which has probably been on the menu since day one. A half-serve comes on a little toasted triangle of thin bread, the anchovy is plump and salty, sitting on a quenelle of gribiche, the smoothness of the egg, tartness from the mustard. It's a super bite.

I'm a sucker for a good potato galette too ($22). Here it's topped with a miso cream and pops of caviar. A bit posh. I love that it's served on the vertical too, crispy parallel lines of potato, golden on the edges but tender to the bite.

Next up are the Margra lamb ribs ($28), from animals raised out near Oberon, known for their delicate meat. These ones are done in the sous vide to start and finished off in the oven. It's like no lamb you've probably eaten before, succulent and oh-so tender. There's a little spice to the Szechuan and lime caramel sauce, the meat just falls off the bone. It's a new dish on the menu, says Smith. I hope it becomes a classic like the anchovy toast.

One more little dish. I'm a bit obsessed with stracciatella cheese. How would you describe it? The gooey, creamy insides of mozzarella? Whichever, it's delicious. I like to see how places use it. Here it's served with fennel and little segments of orange and crumbs of spiced almond ($24). It's sweet and savoury at the same time.

It's also a great, refreshing way to finish. I didn't specify an order of how I wanted them brought out to my window seat looking out across London Circuit, but the kitchen nailed it.

But then I see a creme brulee tart ($16) with some prunes cooked down with a dash of Pedro Ximenez and I know this grown-up woman can fit one more thing in. The tart filling is super creamy, has a spot of the sugary crackling on top, the prunes are very grown-up too. It's a dessert that is refined but comforting at the same time.

Another good thing about dining alone is that there's no one here to judge me because I've ordered yet another glass of rosé. Smith suggests a Spanish Clarito, 50/50 Garnacha and Viura, which he describes as rosé for winter. It's pale and fresh, tasting of strawberries, but there's a little texture to it. Will be looking out for it over the coming months.

Look, I know it's a little rash in this day and age to treat yourself to such a luxury. But you are worth more than a bowl of olives. Remember that.

And Bar Rochford is the perfect place for a little self-love.

Address: 65 London Circuit, Canberra

Phone: 6230 6222

Website: barrochford.com

Chef: Josh Lundy

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm till late

Noise: There's a vibe

Dietary: Plenty of options