This hatted restaurant is bringing ‘gourmet’ to Greenway

Posted on 18 October, 2024

One of Canberra’s finest hatted restaurants has relocated to an unexpected location – and those in the south are finally getting the sophistication they deserve.

Table Canberra  – a two-hatted fine dining restaurant known for its unique degustation menu – has returned to where it all began, opening in Greenway to bring Chef Thomas Heinrich’s elegant food back to the south of Canberra.

Originally opening in Wanniassa as a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant that only sat eight diners at a time, Table was one of Canberra’s biggest culinary successes of 2020.

Praised for its 15-course set menu that changed weekly, it was in 2021 – following the second wave of COVID lockdowns – that saw Thomas decide to move Table Canberra to a new home, opening just a stone’s throw from the city at The Truffle Farm.

And while he was able to expand the restaurant’s seats, menu, and team, after two years Thomas decided that he wanted to bring his culinary magic back to the southern suburbs to offer diners an exclusive, elegant dining experience without having to travel to one of Canberra’s inner eat streets.

That’s why Table Canberra newest location is somewhere fine dining foodies might not expect: Tuggeranong’s Scollay Street, just across from South.Point.

“There’s nothing in the south, no restaurants. Everybody has to drive to the city if they want to have fine dining or enjoy a good dinner,” says Thomas.

“I don’t like the idea of all of the restaurants being in the same place…it’s about trying to spread the culinary scene out around Canberra.”

Still offering an intimate Chef’s Table experience, the Greenway location means that now up to 32 diners can enjoy Thomas’s delicious degustation menu – 12 courses designed to be no more than five bites each.

Drawing on his expansive experience as a chef (which includes Sage Dining Rooms, The Langham in Sydney, and The Four Seasons New York), his official training in Greek, French, and Italian cuisine, and his ‘self-taught’ training in Asian cuisine – which includes previously working with some of the top Thai chefs in the world – Thomas says Table Canberra is about more than a good meal.

For him, it’s all about creating an experience. It’s why his food comes out with so much love.

“With a degustation menu, I get to share my wealth of knowledge in the food and hospitality industry. It’s a key differentiator for Table, setting us apart with a unique dining experience,” he explains.

“Just as art knows no boundaries, a chef’s creativity should be unbridled, allowing them to craft dishes that truly express their artistry.”

Drawing inspiration from his background in Michelin-star dining and infusing it into his culinary creations, the menu at Table Canberra is designed around seasonality and sustainability. Sourcing locally where possible, each dish is crafted with his passion for sharing good food and unique flavours.

“Most fine dining restaurants are now doing the typical a la carte menu,” says Thomas.

“Some of them have degustation but ours is 12 courses long and it’s more about taking smaller bites…I try and capture that perfect amount of food.”

Changing the dishes almost weekly, diners can expect innovative and flavoursome combinations like Ponzu Beef Tartare with miso tare mascarpone and nori or Mushroom Agnolotti with shitake broth and black pepper oil, along with something sweet thrown in every three courses to cleanse the palette.

And unlike other fine dining restaurants, Thomas says he won’t kick diners out after two hours.

“You go out for dinner and then you’ve got a clock on you to get out. I understand financially why it’s important…but you’re taking away from the experience of the guests. And having them return is more valuable than making a few extra dollars on the night,” he explains.

With nothing else like it in Canberra – let alone in the south – dining at Table Canberra is something that can’t truly be captured in words.

It needs to be experienced.

And now that it’s bringing gourmet to Greenway, it looks like Thomas will be tapping back into why he started Table in the first place.

“We’ve created a restaurant that’s an extension of our own home, where loved ones gather and share in the joy of good food,” says Thomas.

“When I’m surrounded by the people who matter most, my cooking is at its best.”

Images supplied.