Who said it was impossible to get something to eat in Canberra after hours? How many times have you come out of a late movie a bit peckish, or finished a night shift ravenous, only to find that everything is closed, or at least the kitchen is closed, and had to make do with some terrible from a drive through.
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The Young family saw a market for a venue that offered night owls something different and opened Kita, at the Narrabundah shops; hours are Wednesday to Thursday, 9pm to 9am, and Friday and Saturday, 9pm to noon.
The Young’s operate the popular pop-up cafe, Indo Place, at the Old Bus Depot Markets, and there’s a distinct Indonesian feel to the menu with Evi dishing up different curries depending on her mood and what’s fresh. Gavin works in protective services and he knows the struggle of finding a good feed when coming off a late shift.
Their son Zac has been handed the reins and while he admits his sleeping patterns have changed a bit in the past few months, he’s loving working through the night.
“The first few weeks were mad,” he says. “It was the end of school and uni exams and we had a room full of students pulling all-nighters.”
They knew students would frequent the place, so there’s free wi-fi, and 20 per cent off the total bill if you’ve got your student card. During the school holidays, this drops to 10 per cent.
It’s been popular with emergency services people too - offering 50 per cent off coffee purchases - Zac said, on any night, he’ll have four or five police cars swing through at different times.
“The dining after hours concept has this fiction that it has to be fast food, kebabs or chips or burgers,” he says.
“We wanted to do what we knew we could do well, we liked the idea of semi-casual fine dining at 3am.”
The house specialities include soto ayam, a rich and fragrant chicken soup with vermicelli rice noodles and Asian greens, and more familiar meals such as laksa and nasi goreng.
There’s a Kita burger, Indo fusion tempters served with chips, and perkedel, which are fried patties, made with corn or potato.
But it’s the dessert menu which has caught our eye: pisang goreng (fried bananas with coconut ice cream), martabak manis (pancakes filled with chocolate, crushed nuts and condensed milk) and buttermilk waffles, served with coconut ice cream, seasonal fruit and a palm sugar syrup.
At this stage Kita is not serving alcohol.
“Most of our clientele don’t see a need,” Zac says.
“We’ve had a few people come in, obviously after a few drinks, but there’s been no trouble, and they’ve all said they really liked the vibe of the place.”
Indeed, there is something relaxing, and homely about Kita. Wood panelling, shades of orange and brown, upholstered chairs, and a lovely leather couch perched up on different level that offers a private space. It’s kind of a perfect place to sober up.
There are festivities planned for over Christmas and New Year, so keep and eye on Kita’s social media accounts. And drop in at some point too on your way home from a party.
Zac likes some company at 4am.
