Two Blind Mice Curtin — Restaurant in District of Woden Valley

I had heard incredible things about this place from the day it opened... and I was not disappointed!

Just by looking at this place, you can tell the owners know what they are doing. Wonderful wood tones with an open kitchen and great decor (I have a soft spot for Antica Formula). They are busy at the moment but have a lovely courtyard where you can enjoy a drink while you wait for a table. Once seated, you can browse the moderately sized menu and be enticed by the fantastic options. There is an emphasis on good produce from the Scallop Crudo to the Burrata and the Tartate. You cannot hide behind poor scallops or beef when you're presenting them raw, and they definitely don't here. The scallops are sweet and tender with a punchy citrus dressing, the burrata isn't served straieeeght from the fridge so flavour is sweet, fatty and creamy with bread to soak it all up. We also ordered the Fried Cauliflower Salad that was delicious, but lacked a sweetness from a dried fruit (currents, prunes or sultanas) that would suit the moroccan spice theme.

For mains, we got the Prawn and 'Nduja Pizza and the Beef Burger. The pizza was woodfired and pretty darn good considering this isn't a pizza restaurant. I would argue there aren't many better pizzas a non-pizza restaurants in Canberra so well done there. The combination of Prawn, 'Nduja and pesto doesn't sound like it would work but damn was it a delicious bite. The burger was possibly the only let down of the meal. The bun is fine but proportionately a little much and a little "supermarket-y". The patty isn't particularly juicy but does the job, the toppings aren't much different from what you would find at any old takeaway and the sauce is ordinary. Overall, it felt like what you would get if there didn't have a burger on the menu, and you asked if the chefs could make you one with what they had in the kitchen. That being said, the shoestring fries were seasoned perfectly and very tasty. I'm sure the burger is objectively tasty but when you have such a fantastic menu, it just felt like an afterthought.

The bar is well stocked with a fine selection of beers and some nice cocktails on the list. Can't speak for the wine list but I saw some nice bottles floating around.

Definitely a place to visit if you haven't already and probably the place you'd want to take people when they visit Canberra. Though you might be setting their expectations a little high for other things in this price...

TL:DR: Food tastes amazing, sparse service, casual but comfortable dining.

2 Blind Mice elegantly straddles the line between gastropub and restau-bar (gastro-bar?). Hidden in the 'burbs, much like Casey Jones and Frankie's at Forde. 2BM has the same cozy and biophilic ( by this, I mean wood & plants) interior, but is just a tad warmer and more chic.

2BM is much quieter and more relaxed than CJ, which has quite loud live music at times. It's also much roomier then F@F, there are plenty of seating options. The open space means you won't overhear conversations from adjacent tables.

Before entry, your eye is drawn to the massive timber door that swings both ways. Once inside, there's a cute wall of wines and charcuterie, nice wooden chairs and general hygge. The service is pared down to the essentials - you have to request napkins and cutlery and order your food at the front.

I had the lamb shanks it was just perfect. I appreciated the simple plating. Usually, lamb shanks sit in a big vat of tomato stew, thankfully it wasn't the case this time. I was concerned that there wasn't enough sauce, but the red wine reduction & the fruit mush on top was actually the perfect complement. The meat was also perfectly cooked. My dish was also cheaper than at other venues ( $38 versus, for example, $45 at Black Fire). Also, sorry photos...

Went out for dinner to try their pizzas and burgers. We ordered 2x pizzas and 1x burger, The food took a total of 60 mins to come out. First we were served the burger after about 30 mins then 1 pizza came out 10 mins after then 20 mins after that our last pizza came. Serve the table as a complete unit, not have people watching each other eating.

We asked the staff and waitresses where our food was on multiple occasions, they always said "well go check" and never came back. We asked 4x individual people and all said same thing, hopeless!

Wood fire pizzas are not meant to have black on the base underneath, our 2 pizzas were burnt on the base, yes we know its wood fire however if you have the temperatures set right, they shouldn't burn, . We've had many wood fire pizzas in the past at other places and none were burnt underneath.

Clearly they are still working out their kinks, we may give them another go in the future but for the price they charge for a burger and pizza and the serving size you get, not value for money.

We love to support local business and we will give them another go hopefully in the near future!

P.S: Put up a kids menu, Curtin has families with kids.

EDIT 26/1/2022 - Tried again after couple of weeks, pizza is still heavily burnt underneath and the pizzas are small...