On a chilly Saturday evening in July, we set off for what would be a very interesting evening at the Campbell shops’ Lanterne Rooms. The presence of the much-adored L and T, some of our very favourite friends who’d come to visit for the weekend, had Barney and I in particularly high spirits.
Amused that our interstate guests had just likened the Campbell shops to a European square, we invited them out of the European cold and into the softly lit, oriental curtain draped dining room. Lanterne Rooms is owned by Josiah Li and Jeffery Shim , who are already well loved in Canberra courtesy of their other enterprise, Chairman and Yip— a firm Canberran favourite. The food here is described as Nyonya style with Indian and Chinese influences. The concept is, the waitstaff will explain to you, that food should be shared.