The hot honey and salami pizza was my pick of the evening. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Sanam Shrestha is no stranger to the world of cafes. Having spent a lifetime in the barista biz, he’s well-versed in the art of hospitality. After the light rail construction slowed custom at his other cafe in the city, the Belconnen local has now opened a new cafe at the Giralang Shops.
Named for Sanam’s own pet beagle Beans, Hungry Beagle opened its doors in early August to hungry locals who quickly tested the limits of the new team.
“We sold out of pizza every day!” Sanam told Region.
“The nights are really busy – we spend all day preparing for the evenings.”
Fresh pastries in the morning, fresh beers in the evening – Hungry Beagle does it all. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The family and dog-friendly space has quickly become ‘the local’ for people living in the area. The morning I visited saw a steady stream of takeaway coffees, a couple of ‘work-from-home’ folks, and groups of friends catching up.
Chatting while Sanam manned the coffee machine, he told me that the move to the suburbs was intentional.
“The construction in the city made it really hard, but the suburbs are a safe bet.
“This kind of place was missing from Giralang; people wanted a proper sit-down cafe. We’ve had great community support.”
The mushroom dish has been a brunch favourite so far. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
There’s a multicultural daytime menu offering everything from bacon and egg rolls to okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake), eggs benny to nasi goreng, plus a couple of burgers.
Sanam recommended the mushroom toast, which he said has been particularly popular.
I can see why.
They say you eat with your eyes first, and this dish is lovely to look at. Shiny sautéed mushrooms sit atop perfectly piped ricotta with a scattering of parmesan shavings and microgreens. There’s occasionally a risk with mushroom dishes of leaning too heavily into the savoury umami flavours and ending up with a ‘too-mami’ (too much umami) overload. But the flavours here are well balanced with the fresh zing of the lemon ricotta lightening up each mouthful. If I were a Giralang local, I could see myself ordering this dish on the reg.
In the evenings, the brunch menu transforms into a classic pizza-and-pasta menu. Why pizza?
“Easy. Everyone loves pizza!” Sanam told me.
Good point!
The pizza menu covers all bases (pardon the pun) with a few fun twists. A tandoori chicken pizza sits comfortably alongside the Beagle Supreme, Hawaiian, and prosciutto offerings.
Other main dishes include Steak Frites, Rigatoni alla vodka, or Chicken Kyiv. The kids menu has spaghetti bolognese or a kids-size Margherita pizza.
The tandoori chicken pizza is a good time. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Returning later in the week for an early pizza dinner, I walk into a packed restaurant. The 5:30 pm crowd is out in force, with children at nearly every table. Before long, there’s a wait for tables and an energetic buzz in the room as the smell of freshly baked pizza bases wafts through.
I order the hot honey pizza and the tandoori chicken pizza. The base is the perfect blend of light, chewy and charred. Pizza chef Omar deftly spins dough in the air, much to the delight of the kids (and plenty of the adults too).
The pizzas are moreish and tasty. The toppings balance restraint with generosity: they’re not overfilled, but they’re not stingy either.
It’s clear that the community has already embraced Hungry Beagle: the suburbs are the place to be!
Hungry Beagle is located at 72 Canopus Cres, Giralang. They are open Tuesday to Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm, and from 3 to 9 pm for dinner. Follow Hungry Beagle on Facebook or Instagram.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
