It was a foggy and cold Tuesday night when we ventured in to Soju Girl on Northbourne Avenue in Canberra City.

Ee’d been invited to come and try their ‘modern Asian Fusion’, and Mr HerCanberra and I never say no to offers of food. Or wine. But that’s another story.

We’d expected it to be fairly quiet…it was a ‘school night’, after all, and it was perfect weather for couch-dwelling. Our first surprise: the carpark closest to Soju (as it’s affectionately known to its devotees) was chockas. Not a space to be found for love or money. “Hmmm,” we said, somewhat bemused.

Our second surprise: Soju was pumping. It’s a large space, comprised of three separate rooms (restaurant, bistro and bar – the latter pictured below), and it wasn’t far behind the carpark in terms of available spots. As we discovered later, it’s because Tuesday is 2-4-1 night, where select dishes are available at two-for-one prices, a promotion that seems to be particularly popular with students and others with fine dining tastes, but takeaway budgets.

Looking around, there were lots of groups, eating and chatting happily, while digging in to shared dishes. It was a happy and buzzy atmosphere, one that seemed to celebrate the act of dining with friends, and complemented the Soju philosophy, where the menu is designed to be shared.

After we’d been greeted and seated (and plied with wine – how happy was I to discover my absolute favourite chardonnay, Stonier, was on the wine list!), Executive Chef, Derek Brown (below) came and had a chat to us.

Our third surprise for the night: Derek said he was preparing a vegan and gluten free menu for us to try. As dedicated carnivores, but with adventurous palates, we looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said, “Cool – we eat anything!”

Derek paused, looking a little nonplussed. “Anything?”

“Yep, anything.”

“You’re not vegetarian?”

“Nope. But we’re more than happy to eat it!”

So, a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line between us and the PR and the chefs, but in all honestly, it was probably a really great thing to happen. Because we got to experience just how good vegans and coeliacs can have it at Soju Girl. I’d always wondered how vegans could enjoy any kind of variety in their menu (no meat? no eggs? no dairy? no fish? no fun?), but Derek’s cuisine showed meals don’t need to have any meat – or wheat – to be amazingly tasty.

Soju’s menu has influences from all over south-east Asia with a heavy focus on Japanese, Korean and Thai cuisine. Dishes are designed to be shared, whether the plates are small or large. Plates are served staggered, not only to compliment the palate but also to ensure that each of the unique flavours can be enjoyed.

Derek told us he expected our meal would comprise five or six courses, depending on how hungry we were – we could say ‘stop’ whenever we’d had enough. And so we began.

The first course was a bit of a show stopper. A giant (dinner plate-size) sesame cracker, topped with miso chickpea puree and eggplant chutney arrived – the idea was that you broke off bits of the cracker and dipped it into the ‘condiments’. It was a great way to begin the meal – a lovely combination of flavours and perfect for a group, as it encourages a communal style of eating. Definitely one to kickstart the appetite.

Next out were two generous;y sized zucchini flowers, stuffed with sushi rice, and with a kick of soy mirin. I love a good zucchini flower, but these were quite different – coated in rice flour, instead of the usual batter, they had a delicate flavour and crispier texture than the traditional version. A lovely ‘palate cleanser’ of a dish.

Our third course was our favourite: Korean ‘gnocchi’ (cylindrical rice noodles) tossed with three kinds of mushrooms: button, oyster and porcini, and flavoured with soy and truffle oil. Oh my. Flavour explosion. This dish was a special, and wasn’t on the Winter menu, but I would go back to Soju for it alone…and I would be a very happy vegan if this was guaranteed for dinner.

After this course, Chef Derek took advantage of our declared carnivore status to wheel out some good old fashioned meat: a dish of pig’s trotter with kimchee and scallops. Now, I know you’ve probably got a mental picture of a pig’s foot being wheeled out on a plate, but no. The meat had all been shredded off the bone, and shaped into a flat patty of tender pork. Served with plump scallops and kimchee (a Korean staple side dish of spicy pickled cabbage), it was delicious.

By this point, our stomachs were reaching capacity, but there was still dessert to come. We chose one, the coconut vanilla pannacotta, lychee jelly and strawberry cloud, and it was the perfect fusion of East and West. The delicate texture and flavour of the pannacotta, the slight chewiness of fresh coconut slivers, and the slipperiness of the lychees and jelly, all came together in a subtle and elegant dessert.

Derek chose the other dessert, a deconstructed cheesecake which really showed off his flair and interest in molecular gastronomy. A seemingly random placement of pastry ‘sand’ and various textures and flavours, were intriguing apart, yet when combined formed an amazing dish.

But wait. It was at this point that Chef realised we had never had a Soju cocktail. What is Soju? It’s a Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, similar to sake, and the restaurant has a few cocktails based on their namesake liquor. We sampled the eponymous Soju Girl (soju, midori and house lemongrass syrup with lime, kiwi and cranberry juice), and the Sojutini (korean soju and aloe vera juice, ice, lychee and cucumber).

Now, as I said at the start of this article, it was a school night, and I was designated driver, so I sampled the drinks (in the name of research, of course) and left Mr HerCanberra to polish them off. Not long after this, he messaged his colleagues not to expect him in the office early the next day. They were yummy. So easy to drink and just plain fun, the Soju Girl served in a plastic party pail.

As we exited the restaurant, a few hours and two very full and satisfied stomachs later, we reflected on what had been an enjoyable night of excellent food and friendly service in a warm atmosphere. We’ll be heading back soon – and we’ll be taking our vegan and coeliac friends!

the essentials

Where: 41/43-45 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City
When: Open six days. Mon + Tues | 5pm – Late; Wed + Thurs | 12-3pm; Wed + Thurs | 5pm – Late; Thurs + Fri | 12pm – Late; Sat | 2pm – Late
Bookings: Call 02 6257 5328
Web: www.sojugirl.com.au