A weekend in Hobart, Tasmania
Published 12th January 2012 | Comment
Tasmania has always been known for the beauty of its rugged landscape. Visitors have long travelled to this southern island of Australia to marvel at the ancient forests, the stunning mountains and mile after mile of unspoilt, white, sandy beaches. And there is no shortage of experiences to enjoy the scenery whether it be the famous boat trip up the Gordon River where you can almost touch the ancient forests lining its banks, the walk through the rugged Cradle Mountain National Park, the less onerous Bay of Fires walk or the thrilling boat trip to see the marine life off south-east Tasmania.
However, there are now new attractions that are drawing people southwards. The best known of these, of course, is the unique MONA set on a promontory in the tranquil Derwent River a few kilometres north of the centre of Hobart. Here you can spend days revelling in ancient and modern art treasures of staggering beauty. MONA is sometimes confronting, sometimes bizarre, but always exciting and compelling.
In the past many visitors left with the vague feeling that the meals they ate in restaurants somehow didn't always do justice to the much-hyped produce that is found in abundance. Now however, there are restaurants that are committed to sourcing the freshest and best of local produce and cooking it with care, attention and skill.
So here is how you can make the most of a short weekend stay in Hobart. Fly down on Friday night choosing from accommodation that ranges from expensive luxury (think Henry Jones Hotel or the Islington Hotel) to excellent value (Red Door Apartment in historic Battery Point).
On Saturday morning start by heading to the favourite food haunt of the locals, the tiny Pigeon Hole, where you will find one of the best breakfasts in Australia and some of the best bread. Then wander down to the Salamanca Market and enjoy the waterfront ambience before an early lunch at hidden treasure Tricycle where flavoursome soups and salads and other delights are accompanied by very good coffee.
Then it is out to MONA to take in as much as your brain will allow during the afternoon. You can enjoy a delightful Moo Brew beer in one of the bars if you need a rest.
If MONA is not an experience you are after, perhaps you might book into a cooking class instead at the world class Agrarian Kitchen an hour north of Hobart where you can get expert tuition and hospitality from Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet.
Back into Hobart to the hottest ticket in town, the much-feted Garagistes where Gourmet Traveller 'Best New Chef' Luke Burgess pays homage to the best of local produce and co-owners Katrina Birchmeier and Kirk Richardson dispense wines from the extensive list of organic and natural wines from around the world. There are only forty seats and there are no reservations except for Sunday lunch so go early (before 6pm) or drop in and put your name on the waiting list and wander around Hobart waiting for the call when a seat becomes available. Soon you will be able to enjoy a drink in their new bar round the corner called Sidecar while you wait.
On Sunday morning Hobart is fairly sleepy but you can always get a good coffee and a breakfast snack at Smolt in trendy Salamanca Square before taking a drive to Peppermint Bay at Woodbridge an hour south of Hobart to enjoy local seafood and other delights cooked by David Moyle and his team in relaxing surroundings overlooking the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.
By the time you have finished here it will be time to head for the airport, but you will have had a glimpse of the best Tasmania has to offer.
Reviews of the places mentioned in this article can be found here:
Pigeon Hole Tricycle Agrarian KitchenGaragistes Smolt The Stackings at Peppermint BayIf you are here for longer make sure you check our comprehensive A Food Lovers' Guide to Tasmania.
News from the Sydney restaurant scene
Published 22nd October 2011 | Comment
There is a lot happening in the Sydney restaurant scene at the moment. Much of the focus in the mainstream press has been on the big-ticket openings in The Star.
We are interested to at least try David Chang's Momofuku Seiobo because we have thoroughly enjoyed our meals at his New York restaurants, including the impressive, over-the-top, Beef Seven Ways at Ma Peche.
The Sydney dining scene is very diverse. A lot of attention has been paid to the various openings at the refreshed Westfield centre in the city. The clear winner here in our opinion is Chat Thai with their wonderful northern Thai flavours, but there are others that we need to visit here as well.
The wine bar scene is really pumping with The Wine Library, Ten William Street, Love, Tilly Devine, The Bentley Restaurant and Bar and the tiny 121BC all providing amazing experiences, including a wide selection of natural wines.
We were recently delighted with our first meal at Ross and Sunny Lusted's The Bridge Room. There is a lovely ambience here to match the carefully crafted food.
Another hidden delight is the recently opened Shortgrain Canteen underneath Longrain. Here the food is cheap and cheerful but cooked with the same passion and expertise as the food upstairs.
A full report on where to eat and drink in Sydney can be found in our Sydney City Guide.
New openings in Paris
published: 6th August 2011 | Paris Eating Guide
Since we were last in Paris in May, 2011 two new restaurants have opened that we have added to our 'must visit' list.
The first is l'Agape Substance where the food of David Toutain has been showered with gushing reviews by everyone from Patricia Wells to Alexander Lobrano to Gilles Pudlowski to the venerable Le Fooding.
The other venue in our favourite current haunt the 11th is a wine bar called Au Passage in a back street off bd Richard Lenoir. Here Australian chef James Henry (fresh from a long stint at Spring) and a crew of experienced front-of-house staff have created a value-for-money space that we are anxious to visit.
[Read our comprehensive Paris Guide which contains more details]Naked Wine by Alice Feiring: A new book about natural wines
published: 22nd July 2011 | Wine book
Another book from natural wine guru Alice Feiring continuing her campaign to highlight the need to return to natural methods of making wine. The subtitle "Letting grapes do what comes naturally" says it all really!
Her stories of trips to famous vineyards only to find dead soil and vines damaged through overuse of chemicals made her first book an international best seller.
In this book she explores the world of natural winemaking from a personal perspective and chronicles the highs and lows of her journey.
Click on the Amazon link above to order this book.
Modernist Cuisine: Amazing new cookbook set
published: 12th July 2011 | Cookbook
A new 2438 page cookbook called Modernist Cuisine has burst onto the scene and is certainly making waves!
It is the result of the obsession of former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold in collaboration with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet both of whom spent time working with Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck before joining Myhrvold at his Intellectual Ventures in Seattle.
Now we should add that we think that many of the outward manifestations of modernist cuisine leave us cold. Spherification, liquid nitrogen cooking, foams and gels are not for us. However, this set of books goes beyond the frippery and delves into the HOW and WHY of cooking in a way that helps the reader understand cooking in much more depth.
And there is another dimension to the books that is truly staggering. The photography is simply awesome! It is used to elaborate on a concept in a way that words could never do.
The bookset isn't cheap but it is worth every cent. This has to be the ultimate birthday present this year!
Click on the Amazon link above to order the set of books.
Brilliant newcomer on the Paris dining scene
published: 22nd May 2011 | Review
Paris is a city of very good restaurants - but it just got better!
We were lucky enough to score a reservation at Septime - the hottest place in town at present.
The space is interesting. It is interesting - almost rustic in a NOMA sort of way. The food is fantastic with flavours bursting from every dish. The wine list is a careful compilation of the most interesting natural wines from France and Italy (and beyond) with even rare and obscure wines such as the Belluard Le Feu being available. And finally, the waiting staff are efficient, friendly and knowledgeable.
In the short time it has been open, Septime has become known as a must-visit restaurant to sample the assured cooking of Bertrand Grebaut.
[Septime review]Could this be the best value lunch in Paris?
published: 22nd May 2011 | Review
Paris is a city of wonderful bargains if you are prepared to seek them out.
There are many places where you can find special lunch time menus at a very reasonable price.
But when you can eat the delicious food of Giovanni Passerini at newcomer Rino for 25 euros for three courses then you are definitely on a winner.
The delicate brandade bathed in a cress soup, the gutsy tete de veau and the flavoursome bonito were all winners on our recent meal here.
During summer they open for lunch on Friday and Saturday. It is a good idea to check with the restaurant for opening hours.
[Rino review]Honest food and natural wine in Vaison-la-Romaine
published: 24th April 2011 | Review
The more restaurants we visit, the more we crave to eat at those that display honesty about what they put on the plate. This is why when we landed in France a few days ago we immediately headed for Le Comptoir in Paris for the honest, well-executed food and a great range of natural wines at reasonable prices.
And when we reach Vaucluse one of our first visits is to the Romanesque village of Vaison-la-Romaine where we head for a small restaurant with just a few tables in a side street away from the main tourist strips.
At Le Bonheur Suit Son Cours they serve simple food with lots of flavour - and they have one of the cleverest natural wine lists we have come across in France.
An additional bonus is that the food is very reasonably priced - you can enjoy two courses for under 10 Euros per head!
[Le Bonheur Suit Son Cours review]Fiefs Vendeens named as latest AOC wine appellation in France
published: 20th March 2011 | Comment
A small area that lies south of where the Loire River spills into the Atlantic Ocean has been named as the latest AOC wine appellation in France. The area is known for its fine maritime Pinot Noir, Gamay and Chenin Blanc wines including those made by dedicated biodynamic vintners such as Thierry Michon from Domaine Saint Nicolas. It is also one of the few areas in France where wines made from the rare Negrette grape can be found (the other is in Fronton).
Visitors to the recent 'Return to Terroir' event in Melbourne were able to sample some of these fine wines at the Domaine Saint Nicolas stand.
Tragic restaurant closures
published: 17th February 2011 | Comment
We have been inundated with stories of restaurants that have closed over the last month or so. Two restaurants that have displayed the CLOSED sign for the last time are Trio in the Swedish town of Malmo and our long time favourite Campagne in Seattle's Pike Place.
We went to Trio just last year after our seminal meal at NOMA in Copenhagen. Malmo is only a short train ride from Copenhagen and is quite close to the shared airport. The cottage atmosphere and the ethereal, cerebal food contributed to a memorable food experience.
Our many trips to Seattle have usually seen us staying quite close to the centre of town so that we could easily access favourites such as Green Leaf, Le Pichet, Salumi, coffee at Macrina, tiny Matt's in the Market, and, of course, the elegant Campagne. We loved the fact that they were in tune with Provence, one of our favourite places in the world. They have always promoted wines such as the brooding giants from Domaine Tempier. So we are very sad that it won't be there on our next visit.