Pilot restaurant trio open Such and Such bar in Ainslie, Canberra

Restaurant trio Mal Hanslow, Dash Rumble and Ross Mcquinn push Canberra cool with new wine bar Such and Such.

Such and Such restaurant owners Dash Rumble, Ross McQuinn and chef Malcolm Hanslow in Canberra, ACT. Photo: WISH/ Rohan Thomson

In 2013, a few things happened in Canberra that had a significant impact on the then much-maligned and rather beige dining scene in the nation’s capital. First, chef Gus Armstrong opened Eightysix and his restaurant made an immediate splash, winning awards and critical acclaim. It was considered one of the first game-changing eateries in Canberra and marked the beginning of a foodie transformation.

The second thing was that three young people working at Eightysix became good mates; there was Mal Hanslow, head chef; Dash Rumble; and Ross Mcquinn, who were both on the floor. This friendship continued over the following years as the three spread their wings, left Canberra and worked at some of the top eateries in Sydney, including Momofuku Seiobo, Automata and Ester.

Pilot restaurant Canberra. Photo: Cassie Abraham/Supplied

“Eightysix was doing really well and I was still really young, like 26, and I wanted to learn more,” explains Hanslow of his decision to leave. “I had obviously eaten at places like Ester and I really wanted to cook at a higher level and I didn’t know how to teach myself, so I wanted to go and see it.”

Rumble and Mcquinn (who also became romantic partners) thought the same and also fled the nation’s capital, but unlike predecessors who often never returned, they decided to come home to open their first restaurant together instead of doing it elsewhere. “I wanted to cook my own food again and it just made sense and felt right to go back to Canberra,” says Hanslow. “We knew the community, we knew the people there, and we thought we could get away with doing something different,” adds Rumble.

And they certainly did. Pilot opened in 2018 and made its own splash in the capital’s culinary scene.

The seven-course degustation fine diner in suburban Ainslie – which seats only 30 – was awarded Gourmet Traveller’s best restaurant in the ACT in 2022 and 2023. It impressed with its elevated take on the classics, including Hanslow’s unique version of potato salad, which has inspired a rather devoted following. The chef also places local and seasonal produce front and centre.

Such and Such, Canberra. Photo: Anne Stroud/Supplied

“I feel like Mal’s cooking has always been familiar or nostalgic flavours or ideas but presented in a quite a refined way,” Rumble says when asked to describe Hanslow’s food. “I think even if they remind you of something, they are things that you wouldn’t be able to cook yourself. We do a little Hawaiian pizza tart at the moment that’s a little snack. Things that like that evoke memories.”

The trio started thinking about a wine bar when they spied a new site near the Canberra Theatre. Hanslow was also contemplating doing something more casual. “I was cooking dinner at home one day and I can’t remember what I was cooking, but nothing particularly fancy, and then we sat down to have dinner and I thought, man, this is pretty tasty, could we open a restaurant and do something like this,” explains the chef. “I thought people would go for something like that and so we did it.”

Such and Such, Canberra. Photo: Cassie Abraham/Supplied

They spent a year designing and building the venue – which they called Such and Such – and it opened in November last year. Hanslow is the executive chef of both restaurants, Rumble is the group general manager and the two of them are co-owners along with Mcquinn, who takes care of operations. They have a variety of people eating their food; locals, loyal repeat customers, and people who travelled interstate for the national capital’s food and art scene – something that would never have happened a decade ago.

“The Canberra scene has changed so much,” says Rumble. “I remember when Eightysix first opened and serving people the food and they weren’t as open to trying new things. Now everyone cares about where things come from and they are interested in experimenting with different drinks and food.

Such and Such restaurant Canberra. Photo: Cassie Abraham/Supplied

“Even since we opened Pilot in 2018, being young business owners and wanting to try something inventive, it was quite hard to build the trust. But I now feel there enough people, enough venues, and enough interesting and cool restaurants that it has become the norm now, which I love.”

Hanslow agrees, saying the dining scene has “changed massively” since when he started as a chef after growing up in Captains Flat, just out of Canberra. “I think a lot of people who come from interstate are still surprised about the restaurants here,” he says. “I was in Melbourne recently and I caught up with some of my friends and they were like ‘man, Canberra is actually cool!’”