Flatheads: Three Ways

Posted on 22 December, 2017

When it comes to food in summer, there are a few favourites.

Fish and chips on a picnic blanket by the side of Lake Burley Griffin. Takeaway pizzas, because it’s too darn hot to cook.

Burgers and fries, best eaten on a picnic bench or out in the backyard. Fresh salads, when you can’t stomach even the idea of a hot, heavy meal.

You might not know it, but you can get all of these summer favourites—and more—from Flatheads.

The little takeaway, situated in leafy O’Connor, is best known for their fish and chips. However, their menu packs a serious punch when it comes to options to feed the whole family.

We put their menu through the wringer—from a basic light desk lunch to feeding the masses at a spontaneous get-together.

THE FAMILY PICNIC

Emma Macdonald, Associate Editor

The sight of two large brown paper bags loaded with food was almost enough to bring a tear to my eye after a frenetic day at the office front and back-ended with school commitments.

The emotion only heightened as we lay our picnic rugs under the big tree on our lawn and unpacked dinner.

Choosing a range of items to suit the largest and smallest members of the household, we opened two boxes of seafood and the growing boy got the impressively sized burger.

“How is it?” I asked.

A contented sigh, accompanied by beetroot juice dribbling down his hand was the only response I could elicit.

Meanwhile, the fisherman’s basket was attacked by all members of the family as it provided tender calamari and prawns and the ocean-fresh hit of two freshly shucked oysters (I watched them get opened in the store).

The BBQ king prawn salad was delicious. The prawns came with grill marks and a hit of dried chilli, nestled next to a well-dressed salad.

But the hit of the night was the sweet potato fries. Impossibly long, perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, not a single one was left, long after tummies were groaning and the picnic rugs were used to lie down to recover from our excesses.

And for one now relaxed and contentedly stuffed mum, clean up consisted of putting the cardboard containers in the recycling. Hallelujah!

THE ‘LUNCH AL DESKO’

Ashleigh Went, ACTIVE Editor

As someone who considers myself a bit of a wellness enthusiast, I’m all too aware of the benefits of a proper lunch break.

That being said, some days are just too frantic to part with my desk. Such occasions call for a desk lunch: usually in the form of a tuna salad, packed half-heartedly in the morning rush to get out the door.

Well, not today. Today I was upgraded to a luxurious ‘lunch al desko’, having picked up a fresh salad from Flatheads on my way back from a meeting. I couldn’t decide between the black rice salad with roast pumpkin, pecans, pomegranate seeds, parsley, shallots and maple dressing, or the pulled chicken salad with freekeh, cucumber, celery, avocado, chilli, pine nuts, fresh herbs and salsa verde dressing. Naturally, I got both.

Having stolen sneaky glances on the drive into the office, by the time the clock hit 12.30 I was ravenous, and my lunch did not disappoint.

The chicken was tender and perfectly seasoned, and both salads were packed with texture. Crisp cucumber, soft pumpkin, perfectly cooked rice, juicy pomegranate, crunchy nuts.

I’m a pretty health-conscious person, and I really appreciated that the salads stacked up in terms of nutrition. The serving of chicken was generous, satisfying my protein needs; there were plenty of vegetables and complex carbs from the wholegrains; and healthy fats to keep me full until lunch.

Safe to say, I won’t be returning to my sad tuna salad anytime soon.

THE IMPROMPTU GATHERING

Amanda Whitley, Founder and CEO

 When you’ve got kids, you have to get a bit creative when it comes to Friday Night Drinks.

For me, the solution is to get together with friends—the kids play, my friends and I have a glass of two of wine and catch up on what’s been happening in our lives.

We take it in turns to provide food, and pizza is an easy—and delicious—option. There’s something about the combination of a thin wood-fired base topped with gooey cheese that soothes the soul.

Flatheads’ Caprese (buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato) and Hawaiian (double smoked ham, pineapple, mozzarella, parmesan) are no brainers when it comes to younger palates, and were wolfed down in minutes.

We also decided to try a couple of more unique combinations so that the adults could steal a piece or two from the five hungry kids: Pork Sausage (pork sausage, caramelised onion, spinach, parmesan) and Chilli Prawns (chilli prawns, artichokes, labneh, oregano). I must admit, I wasn’t quite sure about the latter combo ‘on paper’, but one bite and I was sold—it was actually my favourite of the four!

The result? Five full and happy kids and two content mums.

the essentials

What: Flatheads
Where: Corner of Bluebell St & Macpherson St, O’Connor
When: Open every day but except 25 December
Contact: Phone 6247 7330 or visit Flatheads’ Facebook page