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.