Regatta Point is a prime location on Lake Burley Griffin, next to the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, with views across the water to the National Library and High Court and down to the Carillon and Kings Avenue Bridge.
So it's heartening that the revamp of the only building on the point has finally taken advantage of its location and let the views - and the sun - shine in.
Sydney-based hospitality group Grand Pacific won the tender offered by the National Capital Authority to operate the venue on the grassed slopes of Regatta Point.
The NCA revamped and transformed the existing dark, bit-of-a-rabbit-warren space into the Walter Cafe and The Marion wedding and function centre.
They are now light-filled spaces with banks of windows that take in the views of the lake from every angle, as well as overlooking the trees of Commonwealth Park.
The "multi-million dollar" fit-out was financed by the Grand Pacific Group.
Founder and CEO Manuel ("Manny") Spinola, oversees venues across Sydney including The Blue Room on Bondi Beach and Dunbar House at Watsons Bay. He was busy this week opening the revamped Tea Room in Sydney's Queen Victoria Building.
The Walter Cafe and The Marion function centre are the Grand Pacific's first ventures interstate, each a nod to Canberra's heritage, named after the couple who designed the national capital, Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.
"We are thrilled to be opening the doors to Walter Cafe and The Marion," Spinola said.
"The site has been closed for over two years, and a lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes.
"We know guests are going to love the menu that chef Matthew Ouwerkerk has created, and we look forward to showcasing the region's incredible local produce within this stylish and elegant space."
The Walter Cafe is now open seven days, from 7am to 4pm, with a breakfast and lunch menu. It also has a window to grab a coffee, perhaps while doing the bridge-to-bridge walk.
The Marion is a wedding and function centre, which now juts out towards the lake. An outside area edged in sandstone at the front of the centre allows couples to be married on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
The Marion can accommodate 180 people seated or 250 people standing.
The first wedding was held there on May 5. Other weddings have already been booked well into 2023.
In August, The Marion will also open as a separate restaurant, serving high teas and lunch seven days a week.
The Marion's head chef is Matt Ouwerkerk who comes to Canberra after working in London, Sydney and Melbourne. He may already be a familiar face to many Canberrans, having also been the head chef at The Duxton in O'Connor for three years and also at Highgate House in Kingston for a year.
Walter Cafe will focus on "great coffee" and a menu that celebrates local produce, also under the direction of Ouwerkerk.
The breakfast menu is split into four sections - breads, eggs, and healthy options, with sides available for add-ons including potato & cauliflower hash with togarashi and garlic and parsley mushrooms. Breakfast options include Alaskan crab omelette with chilli, coriander and lemon; ricotta hot cakes with caramelised banana, wattle seed butter, manuka honey and pecan crumble; and chilli scrambled eggs with feta and a potato and rosemary focaccia.
The lunch menu will comprise small and large plates, burgers, sandwiches and sides. Highlights include prawn linguine with crushed chilli, garlic and parsley; 180g Wagyu cheeseburger with maple bacon, lettuce, tomato, burger sauce and pickles; Walter Cafe Nicoise salad with grilled swordfish or roast chicken breast. Sweet options include sticky date pudding with butterscotch and vanilla; apple and pear crumble with ginger ice-cream; chocolate tart with espresso mascarpone and raspberries; chef's selection of petit fours served with tea or coffee.
Walter's interior was overseen by Chris Grinham, co-director of the award- winning H&E Architects. Cues were taken from various elements of the building's original mid-century architecture, and early sketches by Walter Griffin's wife Marion.
"We translated and reinterpreted these through the use of unique colours and materiality - timbers alongside green marble highlights and muted brass finishes, each informing a design narrative that never looked to speak over the phenomenal views offered of Lake Burley Griffin," Grinham said.
"Together with Manny and the Grand Pacific Group team - what's delivered here is a new level of relaxed culinary and design sophistication for Canberra."
After overseeing a portfolio of one-of-a-kind venues in Sydney, Manny Spinola said he had "always had ambitions to do something interstate".
"I felt Regatta Point was an iconic location and important to Canberrans," he said.
"I just felt it was the right fit for the Grand Pacific Group. So when it came up for tender, I was like, 'Okay, I've always wanted to do something interstate. This is kind of close enough where I can be on a plane or be in a car and be here easily'.
"It feels like it's heading in the right direction already and we're super-excited."
And he hasn't ruled out doing other venues in Canberra.
"Absolutely," Spinola said.
"I tend to think about business in a very wholistic sense. It's not just about the opportunity, it's about the people. So as we grow what I call 'a family' in Canberra, there will be opportunities and maybe the right people can lead those opportunities.
"I think it's very natural once we have a team there and other opportunities present themselves, that I'll begin to go, 'Okay that makes sense'."
And he has fallen for the national capital.
"I love Canberra," Spinola said. "I think it's a beautiful place. I think the food and beverage scene continues to evolve and is really, really strong.
"I hope we can play our little part in that landscape. I'm hoping I'm there for a long time."
- Walter Cafe is now open daily for breakfast and lunch from 7am-4pm.
- The Marion is currently open for events and will open for lunch and high tea in August.
- Walter Cafe, Barrine Drive, Regatta Point, Commonwealth Park.
