Profiled by de Groots Media Harking back to the old-world charm of the English clubs, Boffins Restaurant has been an institution on Australian National University grounds for over twenty years. As well as being ideally situated for academics and students, it also caters for a wide range of the Canberra public with its elegant mod-Oz and European dishes and ambient surrounds. Nestled within the warren that is University House (one of the ANU’s oldest edifices) this restaurant offers polished, unassuming service that is nonetheless unfussy and undemanding. Booths in the back provide a quiet location for lone diners with a book (a control beneath the table allows you to adjust the lighting in each booth), while the less reclusive have a choice of elegant clubhouse-style tables in the front. Little embellishments here and there allude to the restaurant’s location in a place of learning; from the chaos-theory butterflies etched on the door to Pryor cartoons framed on the wall.
The Boffins menu – large without being confusing – offers daily dinner specials and a set menu alongside its delicately constructed entrees and mains. Dishes include the tempting eucalyptus-scented smoked beef carpaccio, and banana-leaf wrapped rainbow trout stuffed with macadamia and figs. Desserts come in the form of lime tarts with raspberry and toffee ice-cream, Shiraz and cinnamon poached pears, and various cakes, puddings and cheeses. In addition, a wine list comprised of nearly a hundred different wines by the bottle means that no gourmand need go thirsty. Come here to indulge your inner bon vivant.
Stephanie Wang, August 2007