Modern Australian

Smolt

Spring Bay mussels, white wine, garlic, parsley, dill, shallots, saffron aioli

★★☆☆☆

Tasmanian oysters

★★★☆☆

Tassal salmon ceviche, crisp radish, pickled fennel and celery, goats curd cream

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Tassal salmon, freekah, faro and du puy lentil braise, chimichurri, chorizo and herb salad

★★☆☆☆

House made linguini, Spring Bay mussels, spanner crab, yellow tomato, pernod, bottarga

★★☆☆☆

Chargrilled baby chicken, sweet corn puree, quinoa, roasted summer onion, tomato and walnut salsa

★★☆☆☆

Pan fried house made herb and parmesan gnocchi, pancetta lardons, baby carrots, pear, walnuts, cavalo nero, pecorino

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Good food, casual atmosphere, friendly staff.

Smolt

2 Salamanca Sq, Hobart, TAS

(03) 6224 2554

Home

Garagistes

103 Murray St, Hobart 6231 0558

Smoked new season pink eye potatoes, sauce of whey, garlic scapes, herbs, flowers

Tartare of veal leg, uni and pine nut cream, nasturtium buds, speck and aged buffalo cheese

Green feast peas, lovage, samphire, lardo

Venerupis clams cooked in kombu butter, chicken and anise hyssop dashi

Garagistes smoked eel, poached rhubarb, laver and pickled hawthorn blossom

Lightly steamed Tasmanian blue eye trevalla and oyster mushrooms cooked over charcoal

West Hobart lime posset, iced fig leaf kefir, caraway and dill shortbread

Kunzea blossom ice cream, elderflower milk crisp, green almond cream

Overall:

Garagistes offer an ever-changing five course set menu with optional artisanal sake to match. The food here is beautifully presented and has interesting flavours, however portions are quite small (I left still feeling a bit hungry). Service was friendly but slow, and the decor was simple (eg. plain wooden communal tables) and dark (eg. black walls, dark floors). Not a place I am likely to return to.

Note that this place opens Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm, and that reservations open two weeks in advance.

Miss Fitzy’s

I was invited to a menu tasting at Miss Fitzy’s a little while ago and had the pleasant opportunity to sample a range of their mouthwatering dishes.

Monica’s Melting Majik

(Van Gogh coconut vodka, strega liqueur, housemade chai syrup, coconut water, candied cherry)

Smoked quail, parsley and mustard fruits on rye

Spicy fried school prawns served with garlic aioli

Organic tomato, buffalo mozzarella, herbs

Roasted squid, chorizo, parsley, pickled onion

Smoked chicken wings, pork belly, mustard fruits

Grilled Robbins Island wagyu bavette steak, poached quail eggs, truffle

Scallops, bacon, truffle, watercress, black caviar

Grilled goats’ cheese, beetroot, quinoa, hazelnut

Whole 1kg crispy fried snapper, asparagus, sauce grenobloise

(deboned and reconstructed!)

Asparagus, snow peas, parmesan & egg

Smoked saskia beer corn fed chicken, roasted celeriac, brussel sprouts

Cape Grim black Angus 2+ Tri Tip, charred onions, roasted carrots, duck fat potato

(from left to right)

Bitter chocolate, olive oil & peanut brittle, brown butter sherbet

Cinnamon doughnut custard, chocolate, coffee, shortbread

Rhubarb & pear jelly, liquid puff pastry, prune and Armagnac ice cream

Overall:

Located at the beach end of Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, Miss Fitzy’s is a great place to head to if you are after a tasty sharing menu or a decent late night feed. The menu has French and Spanish influences and has been created by head chef Lachy Cashman (Circa, Sloaney Pony, Salsa Bar and Grill Port Douglas) who has a background in butchery and meat curing. So it came as no surprise to discover that Miss Fitzy’s has their own custom-built smoker and curing room. Every dish I sampled was terrific but I particularly enjoyed the prawns, smoked chicken wings, scallops and the duck fat chips (oh so amazing!). The decor here is simple and chic, with impressive 1920s inspired murals along the back walls. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Miss Fitzy’s

23 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, VIC

(03) 9537 1653

http://missfitzys.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Miss Fitzy’s.

Woodland House

Purple congo potato crisps

House-cured Atlantic salmon, avocado, radish

Goats cheese bavarois, watercress, spring greens

Rockling, black barley, fenugreek

Poached and roasted spatchcock, nicola potato, asparagus

Tête de Moine cheese

So this particular cheese was prepared at the table using a girolle (cheese curler) which produced thin shavings that resembled rosettes. By creating a larger surface area, more oxygen was able to come into contact with the cheese and enhance its odour and flavour. Out of all the cheeses we sampled, this one was undoubtedly my favourite.

Farmhouse cheeses

Vanilla parfait, Yarra Valley berries, wild fennel

Cocoa covered mixed nuts, yuzu jelly

Herb and vegetable garden

Overall:

Established in an old Victorian mansion that was previously Jacques Reymond, Woodland House is a place of class and elegance. The decor is refined and the staff are extremely polite and attentive. The food is of a high standard as the kitchen is run by two of Jacques Reymond’s former chefs Thomas Woods and Hayden McFarland. We sampled the House Lunch menu and found every single dish to be fresh and enjoyable. The rockling and the spatchcock in particular were cooked to perfection, and the flavours of the vanilla parfait dessert were amazing. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Woodland House

78 Williams Rd, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9525 2178

http://www.woodlandhouse.com.au/

Mister Jennings

Frozen kangaroo, wasabi, nashi

As soon as I began chewing this icy cold dish, I realised that frozen meat is not something I enjoy. The idea is for the meat to thaw in your mouth thereby changing its flavour and texture. It was an interesting experience but not for me.

★☆☆☆☆

GMS sirloin

★★☆☆☆

Pork, lime pickle, silverbeet

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Small portions, efficient service, orderly decor. Not a place I am likely to return to.

Mister Jennings

142 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9078 0113

http://misterjennings.com.au/

Richmond Hill Café and Larder

RHCL grilled cheesy toast with eggplant & chilli pickle

I simply cannot describe how amazing this was! The toast was perfect, the cheese was unbelievable, while the eggplant and chilli pickle added delicious zing and was a fantastic contrast to the heavy cheese.

★★★★★

The Lot

(two eggs any way with toast, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms & roasted
tomatoes)

★★☆☆☆

Potato & spring onion rosti with smoked salmon, two poached eggs, spinach pistou sauce, Cantalet cheese fondue & grain mustard

The crispy rosti was tasty but could have been finished within two bites. Okay maybe three bites.

★★★☆☆

Baked Eggs

(two baked eggs with RHCL sausage ragu, toasted pinenuts, feta & fresh coriander)

The feta was fantastic! If only there had been more!

★★☆☆☆

Baghdad Eggs

(two fried eggs with lemon & garlic, sprinkled with cumin & mint on homemade flat bread)

Super simple, super marvellous!

★★★★★

Overall:

Terrific food, warm atmosphere, prompt service (although we did feel a bit rushed when our bill was presented as soon as we had finished eating and before we had even asked for it). Richmond Hill Café and Larder even have their very own cheese room which offers an impressive selection of local and imported cheeses, many of which they mature in-house. I am so looking forward to my next visit. I already have my eye on the cheese platter…

Note that this place takes bookings.

Richmond Hill Café and Larder

48-50 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9421 2808

http://rhcl.com.au/

O.My

23 Woods St, Beaconsfield 9769 9000

House-made bread with cultured butter

Fabulously soft bread, and the cultured butter was absolutely delicious as it had a noticeably fresh, tangy and of course buttery flavour

= Good

Pastrami cured salmon in pork broth with radish and watercress

Fresh salmon, fantastic pork broth

= Good

2.5 hour roasted cauliflower, leek, red wine gel, fresh grapes

Cauliflower is one of my least favourite vegetables but this dish was seriously amazing.

= Excellent

Homegrown leaves, King Prawns, King Prawn powder

The King Prawn powder was rather salty and overpowering so only a tiny bit was needed and the rest just got pushed to the side

= Good

Dehydrated and powdered mushrooms, dehydrated jerusalem artichoke

= Excellent

Pork, dehydrated carrot, parsnip puree, oats, jam

= Not bad

Honeycomb, caramel, Italian merigue, crème fraîche, sticky date

= Not bad

Buttermilk gel, buttermilk foam, coffee gel, honeycomb, chocolate mousse tart, chocolate sorbet, sweet potato gel, dehydrated sweet potato, fresh grape

An odd assortment of items that tasted fine on their own but not so fine once they were combined together

= Not bad

Overall:

Three brothers (Tyson, Blayne and Chayse Bertoncello) own and run this family business, and it is a business that they should definitely be proud of. The food here was innovating (we noticed that the chef had a fondness for food that was dehydrated, in powder form and in gel form) and was genuinely fresh. The menu here constantly changes according to produce that is in season and the produce that they use is locally grown. They even use herbs and vegetables that they grow organically themselves! After our meal one of the Bertoncello brothers (not sure which) enthusiastically showed us the beautiful garden that they have out the back. He informed us that this was one of many gardens that they owned and that the plan is to get a beehive and possibly some chickens (for fresh eggs) some time in the future. He also mentioned that during the warmer seasons they have a few tables available in the garden so that diners are able to enjoy their meal amongst the greenery.

Throughout the night service was fantastic however the ambience was somewhat dark and moody. The intimate dining area (which seats no more than 30 people) was predominately black, and the artwork here can best be described as eccentric (particularly this one painting of a pig that had bright red blood seeping from its gouged eye). Note that O.My also have a private dining room at the back that can seat 10 or so people, and that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

360 Bar & Dining

100 Market St, Sydney NSW 8223 3883

House-made focaccia with honey, garlic and rosemary

Pacific oyster, cucumber and gin martini, avruga

Baked eggplant, buffalo mozzarella, basil, 25 year old balsamic vinegar

Prosciutto, rockmelon, rocket, gorgonzola dressing, roasted hazelnuts

Wagyu beef cheek raviolo, shiitake, oyster and swiss brown mushrooms, master stock

150 day grain fed Angus beef tenderloin (Darling Downs, Queensland)

Seared king salmon fillet, roasted cauliflower, citrus and cauliflower puree

Vanilla and rhubarb panna cotta, genoise sponge, poached rhubarb

Overall:

I had been wanting to dine at a rotating restaurant ever since I first saw the Sit-N-Rotate restaurant in an episode of The Simpsons back when I was kid. It looked like it would be so much fun and you would never get bored because the view outside your window would be constantly changing. So with a location 305 metres above sea level, it comes as no surprise that the views from 360 Bar and Dining are absolutely fabulous! The floor-to-ceiling windows and unique rotating floor provides amazing, uninterrupted 360 degree views of Sydney and beyond.

It was quite a bizarre experience stepping out of the elevator and into the restaurant and feeling the floor move beneath my feet. I initially felt a little wobbly (like I was on a boat) but thankfully adjusted after some time. In all honesty I was there for the experience and the view, and not really the food. Thus I was delighted when it turned out that the food here was actually quite good! I later discovered that the Head Chef was in fact Ashley Hughes who has previously worked with Marco Pierre White at L’Escargot as well as alongside Jamie Oliver at The River Café in London.

Each dish was beautifully constructed and contained fresh ingredients that marvellously complemented each other. The dish I enjoyed the most was the wagyu beef cheek raviolo (the mushroom stock was bursting with flavour and the delicious beef simply melted away in my mouth). Service was friendly and the decor was refined. Note that the restrooms don’t stay in the same spot as the restaurant rotates.

Toko Restaurant & Bar

490 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW

Freshly shucked pacific oysters, tosazu

Sliced kingfish, yuzu, chives, pickled daikon

Seared beef, pickled onions, mizuna, garlic chips

Daily selection of sashimi (kingfish, salmon, scallop)

Robata grilled scallop, sweet pickled apple, jalapeño garlic

Crispy tempura squid, soy chilli broth

Chef’s selection of maki rolls

Skewered chicken

Marinated lamb cutlets, chilli miso, pickled eggplant

Pork belly, apple-kizami wasabi relish, sweet soy

Zucchini, wafu sauce, sesame

White miso soup, spring onion, tofu, wakame

Chef’s selection of desserts (chocolate fondant, raspberry/chocolate/pineapple sorbet, fruit)

Overall:

We opted for the “tsuchi tasting menu” and although each dish was beautifully presented and was full of flavor (particularly the fresh seafood), I left still feeling hungry which was quite disappointing. The service was smooth and efficient while the ambiance was very lively. A nice place, but not somewhere I would be rushing to come back to. Note that reservations are unavailable for dinner.

Hurricane’s Grill

130 Roscoe St, Bondi Beach NSW 9130 7101

Steak and Ribs Combo with chips

200g free range sirloin with half a rack of pork ribs

Pork Ribs (Half) served with a baked potato

Overall:

One of the worst steaks I’ve ever had (flavourless, tough, rubbery) and some of the best ribs I’ve ever had (tender fall off the bone meat that had been generously marinated in a delicious gluten-free secret recipe basting sauce). Be prepared for some messy eating when it comes to the ribs, but don’t let that deter you from coming here as the staff will offer you the option of having a bib (which they even tie around your neck for you). The service was quick, the atmosphere family friendly, a place certainly worth visiting for the ribs.