The Billabong Australian Restaurant & Bar - Winnipeg, MB Canada

The restaurant was recommended to us by a woman that worked at the hotel we were staying at.  Always a bit skeptical, we did not know what to expect, but in the end we were very surprised by the quality and variety of the food.

We started our meal with:

Sydney Rocks Yum Cha (Dim Sum) - Served with ginger-chili dip.

2 Alligator and Manitoba Pickerel Pot stickers
2 Barramundi Shrimp, and Black bean Spring rolls
2 Pork, Scallop, and Shark Wontons

Wow - this was fantastic and the flavors just came together so well. I like to try different things when I go back to a restaurant, but I might have to have this again. If you were not sharing this could be a main course

.
For my main course I had Barbecued Kangaroo - Barbecued Kangaroo Loin medallions served with fried quail eggs, pumpkin and sweet potato pouches, pineapple and beetroot relish, then drizzled in a carrot and horseradish cream. Once again, fantastic. The meat was moist and cooked a perfect medium rare. I think if you cooked it more it might have gotten tough. The pumpkin sweet potato pouches are a great side.

My coworker had the Barramundi Wrap - Australia’s premier native fish, steamed in a banana leaf with shitake mushroom sticky rice and lime-coconut broth. Served with seasonal vegetables. This was not only delicious it was more or less healthy, at least it looked like it. I was able to steal a taste and it reminded me of being in Hawaii.

The restaurant was slow that night, but I have a feeling they get crowded on the weekends. It is not that large of a place, so you might want to call ahead. Prices are between $20 and $30 for the main entrée, but the price seems fair for the area.

If you get stuck in Winnipeg, it is worth stopping by.

They don't have their own website, which they should remedy, but you can find them at: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=billabong+winnipeg&fb=1&gl=us&hq=billabong&hnear=winnipeg&cid=12511849320540702790 or http://www.menumanitoba.com/billabong.htm