Brett Waslin is the owner at Hide and Seek cafe in North Lyneham. Photo: Amanda Aldred.
Who are you?
My name is Brett Waslin, owner of Hide & Seek cafe in North Lyneham and A Bite to Eat in Chifley.
Tell me about your cafes.
We’re all about good coffee and good food. We want to bring fine dining techniques to your local cafe, so you don’t have to travel to the city.
We’re pushing good quality food and local produce in an approachable way.
How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality has been my game since I was 16 years old at Eddys (St. Edmunds High School). They’ve got some of the best commercial kitchens I’ve ever seen. The program is run by Dean Parks who was a chef for 20 years and he’s just amazing. He pushed me to do a cooking competition with a friend and we won! And then Ben Willis took me on as a school-based apprentice at Aubergine, and it all went from there!
Since then I’ve done everything from fine dining to breakfast to massive functions at Parliament House and everything in between.
A Bite to Eat has reopened to the public after a short renovation. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
What is your food philosophy?
Keep it simple: four or five good quality ingredients on a plate can really speak for itself. We do everything in-house and we try not to overcomplicate things. Leaning into cafes has really taught me that you’ve got to be quick, good, precise and turn out good food consistently.
What is your favourite or must-use ingredient when cooking?
I love turmeric, because it adds amazing colour and flavour to dishes at the same time.
We do a zucchini pickle with turmeric which just makes these beautiful pickles bright yellow. I love all those simple spices, but turmeric is the one I’ll always try and get on the menu.
What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?
I went to Rama’s Fiji Indian in Pierce for the first time the other day; that was two weeks ago and I’ve already been three times!
I also really like Two Blind Mice; I think the food is great and Curtin really needed it. Nice food, good beers on tap and they’ve created such a nice atmosphere for the shops. They’re really approachable; it’s the same style I really enjoy.
Canberra Chef Ben Willis trained Brett when he was a school-based apprentice. Photo: Zen Photography.
Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?
Growing up it was Ben Willis. I worked with him for years; I feared him but respected him so much. There’s so many people doing great things; Sean at Rebel Rebel is Mr Consistent with what he’s doing, the guys who run Bunny Beans have been such a staple for their community in Holt, and I love Redbrick coffee. Tim and those boys are just phenomenal.
I also want to shout out my wife Caitlin, she’s a massive part of this business! She does all the timesheets and rostering, and I don’t know how I could have done it all without her.
Where’s the best place to go out for a drink in Canberra?
We have a newborn, so I haven’t gone out drinking for a bit! But you can’t go wrong with a nice cold beer in the garden at The Kingston Hotel before the AFL or the cricket.
Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?
I really like the comedian James Cordon. He’s such a funny man and I love Gavin and Stacey so I’d love to have dinner with him. I’d make him duck – I really love duck – and I make awesome duck tacos with crispy skin.
What’s your current food obsession?
Pancakes. I’m trying to do something new every week with pancakes on the menu. I just scroll, scroll, scroll, to find inspiration online. We’re about to change from a rocky road to a tiramisu pancake. Maybe we’ll do violet crumble next …
Mini Gaundar, owner of Rama’s Fiji Indian Restaurant in Pearce, has been serving the Canberra community since 1991. Photo: Rama’s Fiji Indian Facebook.
What’s the best thing you ate this week?
We went to Rama’s; we got lamb korma, and butter chicken with roti bread. My wife is allergic to nuts so when she’s away I go a bit crazy and order everything! The samosas are the best thing I’ve put in my mouth for a while.
What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?
I grew up in Jakarta for a few years, so any kind of nasi goreng takes me right back. But my parents are great cooks, and we’d have lots of slow cooked meals like lamb shanks.
What’s a normal breakfast for you?
A sausage and egg muffin made at A Bite to Eat.
Wonderburger, Kingston. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?
Wonderburger in Kingston. I get a double smash burger, followed by tiramisu ice cream and passionfruit sorbet from Messina! That’s a pretty typical date night with my young man and my wife.
What are your dream travel plans?
Our little man has a few health things going on so we’re a bit limited in our travel options right now, but we love heading down the coast around Mollymook. We love eating at Gwylo, Bannisters and all those cool places down there.
Tell me something you love about living in Canberra?
The ease of life here. Our venues are on opposite sides of town but they’re just 20 minutes away from each other. And I love that every suburb has its own personality and demographic and they all have something different to offer.
What TV show are you watching right now?
My wife Caitlin and I are all over the shop with the cafes and the baby so we love just watching TV shows start to finish when we’re a bit zoinked. We just pick something you can just throw on in the background and have a laugh, like Brooklyn 99 or Friends. We’re onto Will and Grace now.
An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?
Iced latte with a sugar. I have it all year round and I have not changed in 10 years, much to my barista’s dismay!
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