101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 3)

Assalamualaikum

Just to introduce some halal products which are readily available from major supermarkets in Canberra.

Steggles. Whole chicken, nuggets, etc. Most of the products are certified halal by the australian federation of Islamic Council (afic). The tip is, I only buy when there is an AFIC logo on the product.

Pacific west. Fish tempura, squid, prawns. Yum.. Be careful when purchasing products  manufactured by Pacific West (in Malaysia). Only purchase the ones that have the Malaysian halal logo (jakim). Some of the products are clearly not halal as they use beer batter (mainly for export markets such as in Australia).

Semoga bermanfaat. :)

101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 2)

Assalamualaikum

Part 1 was more of the basics should one intend to indulge in some self-cooking. Part 2 is more of introducing the halal restaurants available in Canberra. A disclaimer: The restaurants are based on recommendations by local Muslims, certified joints from 2011 till mid 2012; you might want to recheck again just in case there are any changes after that period :)
(Image source: Google & respective websites)


Halal Restaurants / Fast food etc.


1. Ali Baba - website








Theme:  Lebanese, Mediterranean

What is halal? Everything from kebabs, zucchini balls, grilled chicken etc.


Location: Its practically everywhere - Canberra Centre, Civic, Dickson, Gunghalin - Click here for location

Comment: Its like a fast food chain which is available in most suburbs in Canberra. Price  ~$5-$20 depending what you order.

Ratings:
Food satisfaction: (1----------------------7-------10)
Cleanliness: (1---------------------7--------10)





2. Nando's - website

Theme: Portugese

What is halal? Chicken


Location: There's four branches in Canberra namely in Belconnen, Canberra City Centre, Woden and Tuggeranong - Click here

Comment: Argh, that Portugese peri-peri chicken wonder is also available in Australia. No different from the Nando's in Malaysia. I personally would avoid the rice (nasi kunyit??) as its not to my taste. Price range ~$5-$30. A bit pricey, i must say. A quarter meal could stretch you to $15.

Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1-------------------------8----10)

Cleanliness: (1------------------------8-----10)



3. Turkish Pide House, Yarralumla - website

Theme: Turkish 

What is halal? Everything

Location: 47 Novar St, Yarralumla (its actually beside the Yarralumla Halal Meat store - refer previous posting)

Comment: There are many Turkish pide restaurants in Canberra. But this particular restaurant deserves mention. In my humble opinion, it serves the best kebab and Turkish pide (note: even non-kebab lovers revert to eating kebab after visiting this joint :) ).Price ~$5-$30. By the way, the kebab ($9.50) is so fulfilling that it can last you the entire day)

Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1-------------------------9--10)

Cleanliness: (1---------------------7--------10)



4. Roti House - website

Theme: Malaysian


What is halal? Everything


Location: Shop 4, Ground Floor, Ernst & Young Building, 121 Marcus Clarke Street Canberra City ACT 2601

 

Comment: Well, if you're craving for Malaysian food, here's the place to go. Its the only halal Malaysian restaurant that i know of in Canberra. However, be prepared to pay a premium. A roti canai would take you to ~$6 / piece. If you're hungry and you have many friends to dine with, my suggestion is to order the lauk-pauk and rice to share. The portions are huge. Aussie-style :).


Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1--------------6---------10)

Cleanliness: (1----------------6----------10)


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There are a few more restaurants which are halal. I'll try to add more in the forthcoming postings.

101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum

I had this posting in mind since its been a year since i arrived in Canberra, Australia. For any Muslim, im sure we would try our very best to search for halal food / produce. I'll start with basics and slowly expand on halal restaurants based on the suggestions by local muslims and my own experience. (*note that all google map locations / streetviews are sourced from Google :)

1. Halal meat (fresh chicken / beef etc)

a) Superbarn Supermarket, Canberra Centre

What is halal? Whole chicken, chicken pieces, fillet (Cordina Brand)
 

Location: Shop EG24 Canberra Centre, Cnr Bunda & Petrie Streets Canberra ACT 2601

 

Comment: There are many brands in Superbarn. However, only Cordina is certified Halal.

 b) Yarralumla Meat

What is halal? Mutton, sausages, chicken, beef, pies, nuggets etc.

Location: 45 Novar Street Yarralumla ACT 2600 Tel: (02) 6281 0396

Comment: Initially, this was one of the first places i sourced my meat from. The price is a bit on the premium side. But sometimes they do special promotions on Groupon (for all you coupon lovers!)

c) Jabal Halal Market

What is Halal? Everything!!!

Location: Jabal Halal is located in two areas (i normally visit the one in Holt)

 a) 2/104-116 Hardwick Crescent Holt ACT 2615  Tel: (02) 6162 1495

 b) 2 Heard Street Mawson ACT 2607  Tel: (02) 6286 7333

Comment: Put it like this, if Mydin Mart is like a one-stop centre for reasonably priced goods, than Jabal is exactly the same except its a fresh food store. Besides meat, Jabal also sells fruits, veggies, nuggets, frozen produce etc. The customer service is good.

d) Belconnen Halal Market

What is Halal? Chicken, beef etc.

Location: 1 Walder Street, Belconnen ACT 2617

Comment: The name of the shop changes a lot (i think). Probably, due to change in ownership (it does happen in Canberra). Its quite cheap here. However, i personally think they should improve on customer service. At times it can be quite slow. Teguran ikhlas :)

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Ok, so we've covered the basics. Hope it's beneficial. End of Part 1 :)

The search & quest for halal food in Canberra

Assalamualaikum

Just a teaser before I stop blogging for a while (due to exams). I'm planning this short but easy guide in searching for halal food in Canberra based on my relatively short experience & interaction with the community & students here.

Insya Allah, it'll be out once I relieve the headache I'm experiencing. :)

Hope it'll be of benefit to everyone out there.