It's about time Canberra has it's very own wine bar!
RIZLA.
A Riesling bar at that! Since COVID-19 HIT, I thought I would change the angle of this post because #stayathome.
This post is about why you should make Rizla your next take away choice AND a little Q & A with owner, Andy Day.
I truly think his fries are the best fries in Canberra! He share's the secret ingredients and how to cook them them at home.
I bet you have almost eaten through your takeaway staples... pizza, Chinese, pizza, Turkish, thai, pizza, burgers, pizza, Chinese.
If you have been thinking about going to Rizla for a while... Order takeaway instead! Rizla now offers take away! Their delivery is through Canberra-based delivery service Canberraeats that are employing recently unemployed hospitality staff to run the deliveries which I think is awesome!
IF you're like me, you're bored of the same old take away offered...
Think Rizla. They have food on their menu that you can't get anywhere it is so unique and incredibly scrumptious!
This is where you can make your take away great agains. You order out but eat in [dressed up].
To make take away great again, you could:
1. Order take away from Rizla, have a virtual dinner party with your friends and eat all together.
2. Dress up! Make it a date night. Discover new favourites and day dream of what it would be like when COVID-19 is a distant memory...
3. Have a Riesling tasting at home. You can order a wine pack and taste in the comfort of your own home!
1. What is your most fave wine and dish on the menu at Rizla?
Honestly it changes weekly. At the moment I'm loving Eden Road's 2013 Riesling. Its hard to get aged Riesling from Canberra - because it's so delicious when it's young too - but the Eden Road 2013 is perfection. I'm also loving Sapling Yard's Four Pinots blend. Only very rarely is it not a Canberra Riesling though!
Favourite dish has forever been the tuna tartare; ridiculously tasty and super versatile to pair with a range of different riesling styles.
2. Why the name Rizla?
Rizla is slang for Riesling, and I wanted our name to reflect a bit of fun. One thing that commonly scares people away from drinking wine is that they think they don't know anything about it. And I can't count how many times I've felt like a numpty in a nice restaurant listening to a sommelier say words and give stats about a wine that put me in a daze. So our whole philosophy, like the name, is to make it fun and relaxed.3. Will you share the secret ingredient to your fries? How can we cook these at home?
Yes and no! So very simply we deep-fry some shoestring fries until crispy, and then toss them with grated parmesan, finely sliced shallots, and some fennel salt (the exact ingredients I can't tell you, but it includes fennel, salt, a little onion powder, and a few other spices). You'll need a bench top deep fryer and you're all set!
4. What’s next for you? Any expanding ideas?
My immediate plans are to make Rizla one of the best bars/restaurants in the country. I believe hospitality is at its best when the vision and focus of the owner is present in the business, so I wouldn't want to race off and start a new business and leave my baby 'unattended' of sorts. Any expansion would be in our opening hours and our team size. Part of the charm of Rizla is that it's absolutely tiny - is the title "Canberra's Biggest Hole-in-the-Wall" available?? - and that makes it manageable with a small and passionate team with me running around every shift. Any 'side-hustles' will have to wait for now!
Support local and switch up your take away choices! Happy eating and don't forget to order the fries!
Back to when we could go out...
