Our new dining experience is now open
Your Canberra Airport dining experience is now open
When executive chef Frank Burger designed the menu for new Canberra Airport restaurant City Hill, he put bangers and mash at the top of both the lunch and dinner lists.
Doesn’t sound super fancy, does it?
But when you find out the bangers are sourced almost directly across the road at Pialligo Estate, the giant potatoes are grown locally and both bangers and mash are smothered in onion gravy, things start to make total sense.
City Hill is one of a series of new outlets in Canberra Airport’s revitalised food court which has just opened its doors. Rustic bakery Baker’s Cut is opening shortly, along with express noodle bar Noodles XO.
But the piece de resistance is sit-down restaurant City Hill, designed for travellers who want to eat a gourmet breakfast, lunch or dinner before – or after – they fly. It’s a sophisticated offering with sit-down tables, sky-blue crockery and a wine list peppered with local labels.
On the food front, the bangers aren’t the only thing being sourced at Pialligo Estate. A range of the estate’s smoked ham and dried meats feature on the Pialligo Estate Share Platter, while its smokey bacon is joined by eggs, onion jam and mushroom ragu on the Pialligo Estate Brekky Burger.
Chef Frank Burger, from Airport Retail Enterprises, the contractor behind the revitalised airport food offering, says Pialligo Estate is the perfect partner for a more cosmopolitan dining experience at Canberra Airport.
“At City Hill, we want to showcase ingredients of exceptional quality, more sophisticated cooking skill and what a modern airport dining experience can look like,” Burger says.
ARE Executive Chef Frank Berger (far right) trains chefs in a dish preparation
“It’s for the traveller who has allowed a bit more time obviously – who has time to sit down and who hasn’t had lunch yet or missed out on breakfast and wants a comfortable environment when they can sit down, plug in their devices and recharge while enjoying what we’d describe as a nice home-cooked meal.”
Tropical chia – think coconut yoghurt, diced fresh mangoes and pineapples – and gourmet porridge are highlights of the City Hill breakfast menu, while the choice of lunch salads includes the ‘Falafel Kerfuffle’; a chickpea tabouli with grilled falafel balls.
“It’s all about simple food but very well prepared,” Burger says.
While Pialligo Estate is the exclusive partner at City Hill, Three Mills Bakery, just 2km down the road at Majura Park, is the partner for smaller venue Baker’s Cut – a bakery and Ona Coffee outlet. (Ona coffee is also on the menu at City Hill, never fear.)
Is it a coincidence that two of Canberra’s most iconic food producers are located so close to Canberra Airport?
“Yes, it’s a coincidence, it wasn’t planned,” Burger laughs.
“We felt these two were the right fit. And they wanted to come on board with us because they’re so close to the airport and feel strongly connected to it.”
(This article has been featured on HerCanberra)