This new venture at New Acton is the goods. This feels like a sentence any of us might have written many times before - with the coming of Monster and Mocan, the first appearance of the Parlour Wine Room, and others in a precinct that has been defined by a refusal to be defined by Canberra. But seriously, ILY has something special and fingers crossed it can hang on to it.
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Just btw, acronyms are a personal bugbear, and speaking of defined by Canberra, the city is awash in them. They're exclusionary, as I well remember from those days a couple of decades ago as a newcomer when you could read a story in the local newspaper and be as puzzled about the content, who had done what to whom, as you were about how to find an actual petrol station. So the coming of social media shorthand has met a mind closed to its appeal. I get that a restaurant might call itself ILY at this moment, but it's not a love I feel.
However, in every other aspect of tonight's outing, I'm well on board. ILY is in the central walk-through room once occupied by the A Bakery and more recently by Morning Glory.
I think the distressed walls blackened by the fire that took out the place next door have finally bit the dust. I liked them and the history they represented, but it's fair to say the new look is not warehouse chic. It's kind of eco chic. Lots of bare light wood, in the table and floors and ceiling feature, lovely dusty pink leather banquette, an intimate set up, small scale, sophisticated, light and friendly. This is nice, as are the people who greet and serve, the welcome and the pretty tableware. The best, though, is in the kitchen.
Kingfish wing ($20), how often do you see that on a menu? It's there on the plate, a side of fish, deepfried but delicate, and covered tightly with dark green "burnt scallion" and rounds of pickled onion. It's a triumph, really soft and meaty fresh, with a gentle crust, and a sweet, almost citrusy topping. Fish this real and unctuous reminds us of Tonga.
Beef cheek, spent coffee, malt glaze, cucumber ($25) is another great dish. The cheek is really funky, as it is, the crust is dark, it's slice and served simply with pickled cucumber, which offers a sharp cut through of the richness. IF we heard correctly, the "spent coffee" is the coffee grounds which have been used to rub the beer cheek before cooking.
If all this sounds challenging, the rye, ricotta, dukkah ($16) is a light meal in itself. The slice of rye roast is topped with a big pile of ricotta and mixed dark greens, and is soft, warm and likeable. It could be breakfast or lunch.
Emmer sourdough requires a google, from which we learn that emmer is a heirloom grain with low gluten, unlike most bread flour. The bread is good, but the "brown butter" tastes like butterscotch, a couple of steps too far for us.
The lamb neck with braised leeks, tomatoes and sour cherries ($38) doesn't work as well for us. The meat is quite confronting, in the size of the serve and the essence of itself. It's a lot of meat, charred on the outside and cooked just pink, sliced thickly. We're taken aback by it. The food at ILY is characterised by letting a key ingredient be itself, but when it comes to lamb, we find it challenging.
Roast potato pie ($26) is really odd looking. There's a slab oof good rustic pastry, then an onion layer, adding sweetness, then piped mash, which is the odd bit, and greens. Smooth piped mash is never appetising and feels out of place with the natural simple vibe of ILY. This is the basis of a good idea which is a little awry.
However, roast chicken, with spinach, confit garlic and artichoke ($36) is another triumph. The crisp artichoke that covers it looks like cereal and tastes so much like what it is, funky artichoke crisps. Garlic confit and spinach are the right match. The chicken is brilliant, beautifully cooked. We are impressed by this dish.
Likewise the desserts. Chocolate mousse blueberry honeycomb ($18) is a soft, genuine and honest mousse, mild, and served with big chunks of sticky honeycomb the way I swear Crunchies used to be before they were commodified into oblivion.
Date and coffee Catalan ($17) is a favourite, an excellent thin layer of brulee with a crisp crust and dark dates on the base. This is actually hard to describe, but is sophisticated, in tune with the feel of ILY and a dessert you imagine ordering every time.
The wine list shares this sense of being right up to date, with so much interest and care in the wines chosen largely from Australia and Europe.
We're preparing to leave when a little plate of lovely heart-shaped blueberry jellies arrive. So yes, ILY, I love you too.
ILY
Address: 2/15 Edinburgh Ave, New Acton
Phone: 62305683
Website: ily.com.au
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 7am-3pm; Thursday to Saturday, 6-10pm
Owners: Greg Lally, Kent Nhan
Chef: Tim West
Noise: No problem
Vegetarian: Yes, good options