As the first restaurant to open on the Kingston Foreshore, C Dine Bar has – quite literally – watched Canberra’s premier dining destination grow up around it.
After almost three years, owners Shann Howmann and Dan Keogh are still looking towards future. The team continues to push the precinct’s offerings with a brand new menu with a ‘sharing’ style of eating that perfectly matches the relaxed feel of the waterside destination.
For those who have already come to know C Dine Bar, you can be assured that the new take on award-winning meat and seafood that only serves to build on the restaurant’s reputation for presentation and flavour.
Head Chef Shay Kuek – originally from Singapore, and in Canberra via Sydney’s WildFire – brings a new edge to C Dine through punchy flavours and expressive interpretations of familiar dishes.
A great example of this is his take on Fried Chicken. Sure, it’s got that delicious, spicy sauce that sets the tastebuds on fire, but the real secret is the black squid-ink aioli that lies underneath. Rich and creamy, it’s a great foil for the heat of chicken, and demonstrates a technique that is rarely seen.
Oysters have always played a part in what C Dine Bar does, and this is certainly still the case. One treat on offer for diners is the emergence of the Angasi Oyster – a native of Southern Australia that has long been overshadowed by its more famous cousins, Sydney Rocks and Pacifics.
Offering a smoother and creamy texture, the Agassi are well worth trying in their natural state to get a true appreciation of their style (and for the sake of good research, you should order some Sydney Rock oysters just to confirm the difference!)
Oysters also play an important part of the amazing Chilled Seafood Platter. It’s extraordinary to find something of this quality so far from an ocean breeze, but there is no question of freshness.
Everything is piled high through the mountain of crushed ice – the succulent prawns and pippies, the multiple oysters and the delicious Balmain Bugs are perfect with a bottle of Champagne for an afternoon to remember
The new style of eating at C Dine Bar presents so many new and interesting ways to showcase their stunning seafood.
It’s a great place to celebrate on a table filled with friends and family, or simply to pop in after a walk around the lake for a well-deserved drink (and perhaps a couple of oysters).
