COMPA — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

We dined here for Mother’s Day lunch. The service was excellent - very on point. The ambiance was also fantastic.The food, cocktails and wine were also great, particularly the wine recommended by our waiter. I wanted to give 5/5, however, one of us was lactose intolerant (not me) but because of this all of the food presented had no dairy. I have been to hundreds of restaurants and have never been forced to eat lactose free food because someone I dine with has an intolerance.

After the first courses came out without the burrata, I asked where the burrata was and that if it meant that the entire experience had to be one or the other, we would prefer dairy as it was my Mother’s Day lunch and I am not lactose intolerant.The waiter was great and sorted the burrata, however, everything else had no dairy. The fish, steak and dessert were all missing the dairy accompaniments or were cooked differently and we were not offered the Mac and cheese despite it being on the set menu. I sat there watching everyone else have a delicious, buttery, saucy experience and felt I missed out. The people on the table next to us did let me know the Mac and cheese was fabulous.

The food was still great, but it wasn’t cooked the same and we weren’t consulted at any point on whether we wanted any sauces/butters on the side and I was disappointed with this. We booked the Mother’s Day lunch because of the set menu and I was very much looking forward to all of the dishes, sauces and the dessert, most of which were not the same as what we saw everyone else eating.

The other thing, if I hadn’t mentioned the burrata we would not have got it. I did not want to make a fuss when we also did not get the Mac and cheese (again, I understand share menu, but we did address this at the start of our sitting when we noticed the burrata didn’t come out). Noting that, does this mean if someone has an intolerance you get no sauces and two dishes less for the same set price? Every other restaurant we have ever been to offers a substitute if an item is not suitable, but also gives an option when we arrive to let us know items can be swapped out or changed if we want so we can make that decision for ourselves.

Overall a great restaurant by my experience due to the above was...

We went for our wedding anniversary. When I booked online I made a note of this (because it asked in the booking form) but there was not even an acknowledgement of this (yet I have been to many restaurants across Canberra and noted anniversaries or birthdays and often it is acknowledged in someway - so that was disappointing.. why ask in the first place). We had to wait 15-20 mins just to order our first drink (& no the waiters were not running around the tables super busy) so when a waiter finally returned I just ordered all drinks and food because I felt it would be another 15-20 min before he would return for our food order. The menu also didn’t display their dietary needs options (though they have them), so I couldn’t pre-choose my options until the waiter returned for me to ask, so my decision had to be quick as well! Given our booking was 7pm we were already quite hungry so I didn’t want to loose more time for ordering. Sadly also as a waiter (I’m going to say head waiter on assumption) he was not engaging at all, there was no conversation, no checking on how we were going…nothing. The food was delicious, as others note, when you order your steak…that’s all you get, you have to order your sides as well (but that is also quite normal for a restaurant like this). Our steaks were not to be faulted at all, they were delicious, but for the price I can say I have eaten just as good for less $$ at multiple other restaurants around Canberra. The potatoes and carrots 100% are to die for!! Overall I won’t be rushing back but I hope when I return again the service is more like others have posted about, as it was very much the thing that let this place down for us on our visit. Which was...

We expected exceptional food, and Compa certainly delivered. We did not expect such exceptional service from Zach! He is just a warm ray of sunshine! His recommendations were excellent. He chose a perfect wine when I said just to bring anything white and refreshing. He knew the menu very well, and answered all of our questions. It's rare to experience such exceptional service, we were so impressed.

Back to the food: Oysters were fresh and served with a vinaigrette with red onions. Scallops were perfectly cooked, so they are still juicy and soft. Tuna was nice and thick slices with peppers and tomatoes; I added an extra squeeze of lemon. Beef carpaccio had anchovies, which I don't normally like, but with the capers and sauce it totally worked and balances out the fishiness beautifully. The gnocchi with mushrooms and parmesan was the star of the show. The gnocchi was so nice and soft in the middle, but seared in butter and slightly crispy on the outside. It honestly tasted like meat! Zucchini flowers on the side with honey and parmesan, and the batter was so light -almost paper thin- and crispy. We finished with the Zuppa Inglese - which was on the lighter side with fresh fruit - and the Lemon sorbet with Basil oil - which was cold and refreshing - followed by coffees. Perfect finish after a big meal.

We will definitely be back. There is more of the menu to try out before it changes in...