October 16

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It’s Thursday, 16 October. In today's issue I have Canberra's hatted 2026 Good Food Guide restaurants. There's just one surprise inclusion—I'll let you guess. And a round-up of gardening events for your spring garden.

☀️ Weather: 28° and sunny.

🍜 Canberra Eats

A small serve of foodie news this week:

2026 Good Food Guide Awards: Pilot was Canberra’s only restaurant to receive two hats in the 2026 Good Food Guide. New one-hat recipients include Carlotta and Lunetta, joining Bar Rochford, Mu Omakase, Onzieme, Paranormal Wines, Rebel Rebel and Such & Such. The SMH Good Food Guide reviews NSW and ACT restaurants—and while every recognition is well deserved, there are plenty of other great Canberra spots that could have made the list. Still, it’s a handy starting point for finding somewhere excellent to eat.

June: Elemental Café on Lonsdale Street has a new name, new look and new menu—it’s now June. Details here.

Muku Brunch Pop-Up: Popular plant-based ramen bar Muku in Scullin is hosting a pop-up café on Sundays from 10 am – 2 pm for the rest of the year. Expect shōjin and Hokkaido-inspired meals, including Hokkaido cream buns, Japanese shakshuka (Japshuka), sandwiches, baked goods, frappes, and, of course, coffee and matcha. Details here.

Dog Day Out: The Cupping Room is holding a Dog Day Out—there’ll be three stalls for pups, a special menu, a BBQ, and a free treat for every dog that stops by. Details here.

Sapling Yard Launch: Bungendore winery Sapling Yard is hosting a wine launch at their cellar door. Enjoy tastings of new releases (including a mystery vintage), winemaker talks, and small bites by Scumber’s Kitchen. And best of all, you don’t need to drive—there’s a minibus departing from Kingston. Details here.

Grande Café: A new café has opened at Westfield Belconnen—try their signature dishes Iraqi uroog and falafel, made fresh in store.

👩‍🌾 The Canberra Garden

Gardening Across Generations: A panel exploring how gardening is shared across families, communities and ecosystems. Featuring Anna Matilda (Everyday Permaculture: Sustainable Living for Every Space), Chloe Foster (The Rookie Gardener) and Judy Friedlander (The Bee Squad: Boosting Biodiversity in Your Neighbourhood). Also, ABC Canberra’s Saturday Breakfast with Emma Bickley and gardening guru Graham ‘Willow’ Wilson will broadcast live from 8.30 am before the panel and be on hand to answer your gardening questions.

Giveaway: I have a double pass to give away to the Gardening Across Generations session. You can enter here.

Canberra Dahlia Share and Swap: This Saturday, Dahlia Growers Canberra hosts its annual swap-and-share event. Meet other growers, exchange growing tips and discover new varieties—for seasoned growers and the dahlia-curious alike. Details here.

Beginner Bonsai Workshops: Join an interactive session and learn the essentials of creating, styling and maintaining your own bonsai. A chance to learn from internationally recognised visiting artists and the expert curators of the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia. Details here.

Home Soil: Discover simple, effective techniques for growing food in our region. Take a tour of a ‘beyond-organic’ garden built on interconnected systems that divert waste, build soil and promote diversity both above and below ground. Details here.

🎥 Film and Screenings

Yeh Nah Horror Film Festival: The Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival is an Australian festival celebrating international and local horror, thriller and genre films—made exclusively by up-and-coming, emerging and independent filmmakers. It’s happening at Dendy and the AIE Theatre from October 24. Details here.

Capital Film Festival: Tickets are on sale now for the Capital Film Festival, which showcases some of the best films from around the world while shining a light on local content. The line-up includes major festival award winners, ACT premieres fresh from international screenings and more. It begins October 30 at Dendy. Details here.

Supported By:

✈️ Qatar Airways from Canberra: Starting 2 December 2025, enjoy daily flights with Qatar Airways from Canberra - via Melbourne and Doha - to over 170 destinations worldwide. Enter the promo code QRAU10 to save 10% off your next flight. Details here.

✨ Remember what it feels like to be calm? Starts 29 Oct - Transformational Mind Intelligence™ Program. Life can pull us off balance. This 5-week, science-backed mindfulness program helps you restore focus, emotional balance, and resilience. Discover practical tools to integrate mindful awareness into daily life. So you can perform at your best, with greater ease. Find your calm again — feel better, live better! Get info & tickets now (first release tickets available for limited time)

Cause: 👗 World Op Shop Day

This Saturday is World Op Shop Day—the perfect excuse to go thrifting! Vinnies stores will be offering 30% off everything, with every sale helping fund food relief, housing support and more for people doing it tough across Canberra and the region.