When Verity Lane Market opened in October 2020, its little kitchens quickly became the ideal spots for chefs to try something new.
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Gerald Ong (Chairman and Yip and 2020 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef finalist), John Leverink (Ramen Daddy, The Boathouse) and Silvio Miceli (Pizza Artigiana) were among the first to move in.
Now two new vendors are bringing a South African and South American flair to Verity Lane's already vastly cultural offering.
The Tuck Shop is led by head chef Amy Ferreira (ex-Rebel Rebel), with a menu inspired by her South African upbringing.
"My kitchen is a marriage of all my years of experience as a chef, mixed in with the nostalgia of growing up in South Africa," Ferreira says.
"For me it's a full circle moment, having spent so much time getting trained in modern Australian restaurants, and now I'm finally bringing my cooking back to my roots."
A street food style menu with a twist, The Tuck Shop is serving up a combination of savoury and sweet dishes. Highlights include vetkoek - fried bread with a ground beef curry filling served with chutney and bunny chow - Durban style curry in a bread bowl.
Sweet dishes include Ferriera's famous melk tert - a South African-style milk custard tart served with a cinnamon caramel.
Opening across the hall is Chimmi, a kitchen inspired by Argentinian food, adapted for the Australian palette.
Led by partners Agustina Martin and Juan Guarino, it dishes up another street food style menu of spicy chorizo burgers, loaded fries and flavour packed empanadas, all served with their namesake chimichurri sauce - a blend of herbs, garlic, chilli and olive oil.
"My dad has a bakery back in Argentina, so I've grown up in a kitchen. But it wasn't until I moved to Australia that I started working in hospitality," Martin says.
"With Chimmi, I wanted to bring something from my culture to my new home in Canberra, but I wanted to tweak it slightly for Australian preferences."
In another new move, Verity Lane Markets will now be opening Sundays, starting September 11.
The Sunday schedule will run a little differently with an exciting weekly art market running from 11am to 2.30pm, live music from 12.30 to 3.30pm and wine and cocktails flowing all afternoon.
The art markets will feature stalls from local makers including prints from Gold St. Press, blooms from Wiluna Studio and handmade jewellery from Amy Creative.
- Verity Lane Market, 50 Northbourne Avenue, City
- veritylanemarket.com.au
Karen Hardy
I've covered a few things here at The Canberra Times over the years, from sport to education. But now I get to write about the fun stuff - where to eat, what to do, places to go, people to see. Let me know about your favourite things. Email: karen.hardy@canberratimes.com.au
I've covered a few things here at The Canberra Times over the years, from sport to education. But now I get to write about the fun stuff - where to eat, what to do, places to go, people to see. Let me know about your favourite things. Email: karen.hardy@canberratimes.com.au
