Pre-packaged (but fancy restaurant) meals to enjoy in iso
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Are there some nights when you want to experience your favourite restaurant flavours but you’re in iso, or would prefer to stay home anyway (better safe than sorry)?
We got you (you know).
Here are five of our most hallowed dinner hacks—pre-packaged meals from stellar local restaurants that you can stock up on at your local supermarket for those exact times when you want maximum culinary flavour but can’t (or won’t) risk venturing outside. You can stock up and freeze them ahead of time, or organise to get them dropped off by a loving friend or relative if you are waiting for your RAT tests to stop giving you the double line. (Oh, and also, don’t freeze the ramen!).
The Italian Place
Ready-made meals and quasi pronto meals from the Italian Place mean you can enjoy that authentic Italian feast in the comfort of your own home whilst having only to lift a finger to boil water for the freshly-made-that-day tagliatelle. Chuck your tub of pork neck ragu in the microwave and Bob (Roberto) is your uncle.
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The range includes eggplant parmigiana, lasagne alla Bolognese, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, and a range of pastas (both egg and semolina) in all permutations with rich slow-cooked sauces.
If even boiling the pasta water is too much for you, there are two ready meals—chicken cacciatore and beef cheeks with green beans and chat potatoes, to microwave, serve, and gobble up. No dishes even required.
Available at
The Italian Place Providore and Bottega in Mort Street in Braddon.
Cost
Pasta starts at $7, sauces start at $12 and ready meals are $20.
Ondine
If you don’t have the time or inclination to master the art of Cordon Bleu cooking, then absolutely don’t bother. The team at Ondine have been pumping out some of their most popular restaurant meals in vacuum-packed ready-made form since September.
They include boeuf bourguignon with creamy mash, carrots and onions, and duck cassoulet with pork sauasage and braised white beans.
The good news from the Ondine kitchen is they are looking to expand the range this year and maybe add a dessert (please yes!).
You too can pretend you’ve spent 48 hours making cassoulet…
Available at
Ainslie IGA, Deakin IGA, Essential Ingredient in Kingston, French Flair Food and Wine in Manuka.
Cost
$16.50
Ramen Daddy
There’s a bit of an art to cooking ramen, from mastering the broth (tori paitan), to rolling out beautifully chewy rye noodles and perfectly timing those eggs. But we are forever grateful that Ramen Daddy has been selling direct to the public as well as pumping out fresh meals from their Verity Lane base.
Ain’t nobody got time to make their own ramen from scratch. Ramen Daddy to the rescue.
Sealing all the separate ingredients in vacuum-packed bags so that you simply cook the broth and noodles separately and then throw everything into the one bowl. Varieties include pork belly, spicy miso pork, chicken and a vegan ramen.
Available at
Ainslie IGA, Supabarn Kingston, Supabarn Casey, Tom’s Superfruits Belconnen, The Cook Grocer
Cost
$20.
Italian and Sons
The problem with having the best tiramisu in Canberra available from the supermarket is there will invariably come a time when you have to ask yourself “is tiramisu a breakfast food?”.
Italian and Sons provides a range of Italian meal options you can have a hand in prepping (but don’t have to actually cook) from fresh-made pasta daily (and a gluten-free option) plus a range of rich sauces including a tomato (Norma), chilli nduja and lamb ragu. You can also grab a comforting eggplant parmigiana or one of their pizza kits which includes both the base and the toppings to bake at home. Just leave room for the tiramisu.
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Available at
Ainslie IGA, Deakin IGA
Cost
From $12 for the pastas and from $14 for the sauces. (Tiramusu is $16)
Pialligo Estate
Pialligo Estate is a beautiful location to have a meal and watch the sun set over the vineyards. But if you’d rather have a Pialligo meal watching the sun set over Byron Baes on Netflix (shhhh we’ll never tell!) then Pialligo’s range of Heat and Eat meals are your go-to.
From Mac n’ Cheese to green chicken curry and rice, to an entire fish pie (serves four) or vegetarian lasagne for two, Pialligo also caters for the more adventurous non-cooks. You can take home an 18-hour lamb shoulder, butterflied Portugese whole chicken, or maple-smoked beef brisket all of which require some time in the oven (but honestly, how hard can that be?) and can then be served with sides such as Paris mash or charred corn salad.
Pialligo Estate chicken, ready to go in your oven.
Available at
Pialligo Market Grocer on Beltana Road in Pialligo
Cost
Ready meals start at $14, with the lamb costing $49 and the chicken $23. Sides come in at $10.
