I LOVE FOOD.
If you know me personally, I’m sure you’d know that. And it was thrilling to discover what a paradise Tasmania was for food-lovers. Fresh oysters, succulent steaks, deliciously plump fish and the likes – Tasmania has some of the best produce due to the abundance of its natural habitat and also the lengths the people have taken to keep it sustainable.
There is so much good food in Tasmania that I wrote a really long post on in and you’d possibly fall asleep reading the whole thing in one go. So I’ve decided to split it into two posts instead to whet your appetite.
SALAMANCA MARKET
Salamanca Market in Hobart, Tasmania
If you only had ONE DAY to savour all that you wanted to eat in Tasmania, pick a Saturday and visit the Salamanca Market. A melting pot of Tasmania’s best food, it gives you a snapshot of what you could possibly find throughout the whole of Tasmania. We were spoilt for choice while at the market and literally ate from breakfast till lunch and dessert, trying out the plethora of food that it had to offer.
FOR THE BEST STEAK
Now, there are several places contesting for this spot.
Carpetbag Steak at Ball & Chain Grill in Hobart, Tasmania
Be greeted by the chefs in action as they flame-grill the steak in open kitchen visible from the front entrance of Ball & Chain Grill. The smell of the beef is intoxicating and you can pick from a variety of cuts on their menu, in several sizes too – which is great for varying appetites. We found the Carpetbag Steak something really unique! Apparently an Australian favourite, you can get your choice of cut, stuffed with oyster meat. The steaks are lightly seasoned with salt, and are tasty enough that sauces are not required. Each order of a main comes with a free-flow salad bar which is honestly enough to fill up your appetite. It was so good! But do save some stomach space for the steak, which is obviously the highlight of the meal.
Black Cow in Launceston, Tasmania
My favourite steak still had to be the one at Black Cow though. We were really lucky to be able to try this because we popped by on a whim for a weekday dinner, and the place was packed. The staff kindly squeezed out a table for us after seeing our pleading faces, informing us that we had to return it in an hour before the next guests arrived. Despite that, our whole experience with the food there was incredible.
The beef took awhile to be prepared, but we were happily entertained by the White fish ponzu sashimi and Scottsdale pork belly we’d ordered as appetizers. When the steak was ready, the staff swooped down with a plate for each of us, with a layered potato galette to accompany the steak. It was really nice that they gave one to each of us, even though we’d only ordered two steaks. And let me digress here – but the potato galette with Dijon cream and chives was SO GOOD. Every layer had been cooked just-so, and I’m not usually a fan of potatoes but I really savoured every bite of this one. We ordered the Robbins Island Wagyu scotch fillet and the Porterhouse, and they were both cooked to perfection, with a delicious aroma and just the right amount of bite. Even the sides we’d ordered – baby carrots with leatherwood honey and local asparagus with red yuzu and lemon dressing were yummy. If there’s one restaurant I’d recommend in Tasmania, it would be this! And please make a reservation so that you can enjoy the meal slowly. In the end, we did manage to have a slow meal because other tables cleared and we no longer had to rush. Yay!
FRESHEST OYSTERS
Dozen Oysters at Melshell Oysters, Tasmania
“A dozen oysters for you?”, asked the staff as we were presented with a tray of the biggest oysters we’d ever seen. Picked from the adjacent farm, and freshly shucked – we had the best oysters at Melshell Oysters, a random, out-of-the-way caravan-style shop near the Freycinet region. They serve nothing but oysters here, and they make sure they do it well. I’m not particularly a fan of oysters – I’d usually eat one or two and be done with it, but boy, these were different! For the squeamish ones, they have a selection of sauces to go with the oysters and we enjoyed them so much that we ordered another dozen!
Brunch
Brunch at Cafe Mondello in Launceston, Tasmania
Oh, who doesn’t love a good Aussie brunch? Although Tasmania certainly can’t compare to Melbourne and Sydney when it comes to their café offerings, their options aren’t too shabby as well! Check out Café Mondello when you’re in Launceston where we relished a hearty brunch before our Cradle Mountain hiking trip.
This post is getting too long, so I shall keep the rest for Part 2. Keep a look out for the next drool-worth post 😉
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