The Yarralumla shops carry a lot of history. Once a favourite where rowers scoffed down sausage rolls and university students wolfed down lamb kebabs with garlic yoghurt, Yarralumla has now evolved and it has just a little bit of South Yarra about it these days. Jammed nicely behind Farmer's Daughter cafe and next to Cork and Glass wine store nestles Lamshed's, which opened about three years ago.
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As this publication is unlikely to write up an independent wine store as one of its 50 or so well-researched and expertly written reviews this year, it's worth mentioning that Rob O'Dea and A.J. Murphy's cracking wine store is the perfect spot for a pre-dinner gin and tonic before dining at Lamshed's. Having arrived 25 minutes early for my table, I even managed to drop a pineapple there as one of my favourite waiters, from one of my favourite restaurants in Narrabundah, sold me one of my favourite Italian wines, while I was window shopping. That escalated quickly.
The Lamshed's dining space has been designed by a team who know how to run a restaurant. Bottles, candles and stemware surround the perimeter and the room is full of locals who may well have booked a week ago or indeed, just within the last hour. With classic printed bentwood chairs and benches providing comfort, the atmosphere is calm, relaxed and well, local. The colour palate is semi-industrial and the linen napkins are high quality. It's a smallish menu which suits the space, and there is a small bar for your post-wine shop, pre-dinner second round, if you need one. As Ben Folds would say, they are rocking the suburbs.
One of my new favourite waiters is called Dom, and he is looking after us tonight at Lamshed's. Dom is a confident and well-presented young man, who appears to have a passion for, and an excellent working knowledge of, the hospitality industry. He has been drilled on the menu and indeed, he wields the decanter with the authority of a seasoned veteran. But Dom is just 18 years old, he is halfway through year 12, works two jobs and really loves what he does. After two years of tough times and so, so many young people leaving the hospitality industry, it is uplifting to see a new generation coming to work in good restaurants. Kudos to restaurateurs such as Jeff Lamshed and Matthew Aspland, who recruit, train and nurture them. It really is the only way forward.
My companion tonight worked in a deli when she was the same age as Dom, so she shivers at the idea of the mortadella mousse, which is served with gnocco fritto ($18), but this is no high school devon meat. It is nicely whipped into a small frenzy and the tasty little parcels of fritto are savoury and crunchy like a Roman summer afternoon. Tuna tartare with pickled mushroom, pea and wasabi puree ($26) has quite a Japanese character to it, with plump, juicy little mushrooms growing through the tuna, like a forest floor. Perhaps given the proximity to Westbourne Woods, there is a pine-needle like freshness to the dish that is just delicious.
The pace of service is steady, and one dish arrives after another, with no two arriving at the same time, including our duck breast with beetroot, rhubarb, lentils ($36). This is cooked perfectly and again, the rustic nature of the food comes through with the slightly sweet rhubarb and beetroot leaves which sit on the plate as if they had just been dropped there by the sparrows from above. Lamb cabbage rolls with garlic yoghurt, bell pepper dressing ($32) land next, and this is the sort of dish that one might find at Pomegranate in Kingston. The chef clearly knows how to cost a plate as this one is high margin, but equally good value, which along with what I expect would be the cheaper than South Yarra rent and well-trained staff, suggests the longevity of this venue's business model.
We wash all of this down with a delicious 2021 Charquino albarino ($14) and a 2020 Holm Oak pinot noir from the Tamar ($16). The albarino is juicy and nutty, with prickly pear and preserved lemon notes. Holm Oak is a cracking boutique producer from Tasmania and this glass sings with light cherry and strawberry character. If Lamshed's ever put on a duck and pinot dinner, you'll need to get in quick.
For dessert we tuck into cheesecake with pomegranate (coincidence) molasses and fig ($18), which is both rich and light, served alongside a delicate goat's cheese ice cream which has been made in house by someone who knows how. I realise at this point that Lamshed's feels like it should be in a hobby farm out in the country somewhere. Far away from the 'burbs, where sparrows fly in the forest, goats and ducks roam and life moves at a more relaxed pace. We all need one of these local restaurants that feels like it should be on a farm. And if Lamshed's keeps on churning out waiters like Dom, they will be doing more than their fair share for the hospitality industry in Canberra.
Lamshed's
Address: Unit 2/27 Bentham St, Yarralumla
Phone: 51009058
Website: lamsheds.com.au
Hours: Hours: lunch, noon til 2.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday; dinner, 5.30pm til late, Wednesday to Sunday
Owners: Mathew Aspland and Jeffrey Lamshed
Chef: Jeffrey Lamshed
Dietary: A few options
Noise: No problems
