First posted on March 4, 2013
My first meal in Hobart, was in fact just outside Hobart at Peppermint Bay. Eleven early-bird library technicians took a day cruise there on the Friday, including lunch. It was a set menu for the 100 (approx) people in total on the boat so, although they went on about “fresh local produce” in the advertising, I was nevertheless sceptical, thinking that really, it was all about the cruise. Wrong! The food was superb! We started with the most amazing olives I’ve ever tasted (and ordinarily I’m not much of an olive fan when they’re simply on their own) and finished with an equally amazing cube of salted caramel. In between were local smoked almonds, dips and pate, cauliflower and Gruyère soup, and 16-hours cooked shoulder of lamb. Fantastic!
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| Peppermint Bay looking towards North Bruny Island |
That night, a few more had arrived and some locals joined us, so there were about 15/16 for dinner at Blue Skies [since closed, a pity] on the waterfront at Sullivans Cove. This place would seat about 200 people, at a guess, so again, I was expecting an OK meal but nothing to write home about. Wrong again! Right around the table, everyone agreed their food was great. After a fairly big lunch, I settled for entrée sized pumpkin gnocchi – it was superb. Several of us had zabaglione for dessert … pretending it was light. Ha, ha!! It wasn’t what I know as the traditional recipe but again, it was fabulous.
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| Blue Skies |
Saturday night it was dinner for about 24 at Squires [since closed, no loss]. The noise and crowd on arrival didn’t raise your hopes and so it proved. The food was OK – but we only had one course…. didn’t see a waiter again to offer us a dessert menu or even a coffee. I wouldn’t go back. But the evening was saved by gelati from the hole-in-the-wall ice-cream shop on Salamanca Place.
Sunday night my expectations were upset for a third time, but not in a good way this time. We were down to eight for dinner and decided on upstairs at Mures, overlooking Victoria Dock . This was more expensive so hopes were high. Two people decided to share the seafood platter for two. One said it was “seriously underwhelming” and that pretty much summed it up for us all. It wasn’t bad, but for the price, and compared to what we’d had on Friday, it should have been a whole lot better than it was.
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| Mures - seriously underwhelming |
Other food was grabbed here and there – I’m reluctant to say ‘meals’ because apart from Friday lunch and all the dinners, it was pretty much eating on the run.
Saturday morning I went to the Salamanca market. Just as I entered the stall area there was a pastry/cake stall with … Eccles cakes!! I *love* Eccles cakes and because they’re so hard to come by these days I decided I’d have one for breakfast – well, currants are fruit and the flour would pass for cereal. ;-) It did rather spoil my appetite for all the other yummy things on offer as I progressed around the market – no bad thing! But I did need a top-up to tide me over the TasLinc tour so as I was leaving the market I got … another Eccles cake! :-)
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| Salamanca Place - starting the market crawl |
It was a late lunch on Saturday after the TasLinc tour. I slowly walked the streets taking in the sights until I got to Pilgrim Coffee, as blogged by Cindy & Michael on Where’s the Beef?. A steady stream of people came and went but it was clearly past peak time, getting on for closing up in fact, so not a big choice left. Nevertheless, I had a delicious pork belly roll and a reviving coffee and wasn’t pestered to leave. I wanted to try a couple of other places Michael & Cindy had visitied but my window of opportunity was Monday and both places were closed that day.
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| Pilgrim Coffee |
Sunday breakfast was at the quaint Harbour Lights Café opposite the MONA ferry departure point. Couldn’t fault the muesli, yoghurt and fresh fruit – except for the wedge of kiwi fruit being unpeeled. Looks exotic but you don’t want the fuss of peeling it when you’re out. It’s bad enough at home!
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Harbour Lights Café
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Sunday lunch was at the café at MONA. Yes, it was good. But sitting down, taking the weight off my feet, after a couple of hours at the literally painful shuffle speed you do around galleries – aaaahhhhh!! … as they say, better than sex!!
Monday morning I finally opened my eyes on the way to the waterfront and spied Daci & Daci. What a wonderful bakery! Wish there was something like it close to home. A croissant and more lovely fruit and yoghurt. (I’m finally getting to like yoghurt – when it’s with fruit!)
Then came the nadir of eating in Hobart: Sara Lee cheesecake and a dollop of home-brand ice-cream on the morning river cruise that I did. Oh dear.
I’d decided that I’d finish eating in Hobart with a scallop pie back at the Harbour Lights Café but found my self ‘out of range’ by the time I was hungry. So it was an unexceptional tuna & greens sandwich at the café at Fullers bookshop before getting the airport bus. Had to love Fullers – they were selling a handy first aid guide edited by my daughter for the Red Cross … never mind that it was on the bargain table!
You couldn’t call me a food blogger – not one photo of any of the food that I ate. Just the drink at Jack Greene’s. Late Saturday afternoon, thirsty, in need of a rest and with a bit of time to kill before dinner, I went to Jack Greene’s, a pub one of the locals said we “should look at”, without saying why. When I got there and asked, the friendly staff seemed bemused but said to look around, upstairs too. I finally twigged that as library people we were supposed to go “Ooh! Aaah!” at the books stashed on high ledges. Further questioning of the (upstairs) staff elicited the info that at one time the pub was going to be called The Library. I didn’t find that all that exciting but had two large lemon squashes sitting at a window seat, reading the misleadingly named and frustratingly ended “Sisters of Mercy” by Caroline Overington, interrupted by gazing across to the waterfront and down to where the Salamanca market stalls were being packed up. A very pleasant way to pass the time.
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Bargain table outside
Fullers Bookshop
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| Taking a break at Jack Greene's |
At the airport was in a sense the best ‘food’ experience of all. I bumped into friends on their way back from a week in rural Tassie, she to start treatment the next day for a recurrence of lymphoma. Under the circumstances, bitter-sweet to catch up with them so unexpectedly, but a graced time to be with them, drinking airport coffee, chatting, and waiting for our different flights.