Recently in Australia / TAS Category

You could say that dining at Marque IV was the highlight of my recent trip to Hobart. I dare to even place it on par with the Restaurant Of The Year - Quay. I thought it was definitely the best restaurant in Tasmania.

Marque IV sits along the Elizabeth Street Pier and for booking weeks in advance, we were rewarded with one of the best seats in the house, facing the waterfront harbour views. There was a relaxing glamour feel to the restaurant... dim lighting, royal furnishings and even a gold feature wall.

We sat back and began to drool over the 6 course signature tasting menu which was clearly inspired by local produce.

We started off with an Asian-inspired hot and sour soup. A small flask of piping hot broth was brought out and drizzled over a plate of carefully arranged items including baby abalone, Bruny Island oyster, shitake mushroom and lup cheong (Chinese sausage). The flavours lingered in my mouth after each spoonful... it was amazing.

Next up was a dish consisting of my fave 3 ingredients... scallops, pork belly and truffle -so heavenly. The scallops were seared perfectly so that they remained tender and plump. And the truffle foam aroused the crispy cubes of parsnip and juicy cut of pork belly. This dish worked on so many levels... the presentation was gorgeous too, I was so bummed my speedlite decided to run flat.

I was a little concerned when I saw rabbit on the menu as I have never been a fan of the strong game essence. However, the spaghetti of braised rabbit surprised me. It was rich but not overpowering, buttery but not too heavy. The baby brussel sprouts were sweet and enhanced this winter wonderland.

Lighter in texture and strong on taste, the blue cheese souffle was superb. The candied walnuts and pickled pear played cheerfully with the stringy bark gum honey.

This palette cleanser was refreshing and definitely something I'll try replicating. It looked simple and good for you... ceylon black tea, ginger, elderflower and lemon. I loved that it was served with a tiny sprig of rosemary and lemon zest... mmm, It left me ready for the main course!

Main course was pan roasted wagyu blade, black and white beans, served with horseradish and sweet onion dumpling. The dumpling was a bit like onion gravy in a Chinese steamed bun... and the wagyu was good... really good!

Finally, dessert... the 5 courses so far only increased the benchmark of this restaurant. I expected nothing short of spectacular. The coffee, prune and armagnac tart with burnt orange caramel and vanilla bean ice cream was pretty damn good. The flavours were reminiscent of a sticky date pudding but somehow was more magical.

There were no petit fours (not that they were needed, as I was more than satisfied with the $110 I'd just spent) but coffee or tea was included in the degustation. The presentation was thoughtful... a sugar cube sat on top of a tiny strainer... I joyfully watched it crumble beneath the hot tea and then swamped it with a splash of milk... muhahaha!

It was simply quite idyllic to end my trip down to Tasmania with the best of them all.

Marque IV The Restaurant
Elizabeth Street Pier
Hobart Tasmania
Tel: +61 03 6224 4428
Web: www.marqueiv.com.au

Back to blogging about my recent trip to Hobart...

Salamanca Market was the place to be on a Saturday. All of Hobart crowded the busy streets of Salamanca Place to check out stalls of organic produce, craft, jewellery and ofcourse food and wine.

Salamanca Market
Every Saturday at Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania
Web: www.salamanca.com.au

I secretly love to indulge in golden fried foods. I simply adore the crunchy texture and the pleasant satisfaction it provides. Nothing can really beat a good and cheap fish & chip shop, particularly one that's also a floating fish monger.

Along Constitution Dock in Hobart, were several of these floating fish mongers / seafood takeaway shops. Mako Seafood were a tad cheaper than the others, they offered dine-in and I seemed to prefer their menu which offered little extras such as homemade chilli and coriander mayonnaise and gourmet salad greens.

We enjoyed 1/2 dozen of Bruny Island oysters for $6.90...

The service was quick and friendly, the oysters were juicy and fresh and the scallops, with roe intact were perfectly coated in light breadcrumbs. They were pipping hot when served and lovely with the homemade sauce. Likewise, the trevalla was meaty and filling... need not to say, I was back the next day!

View Larger Map

Mako Seafood
Constitution Dock, Hobart, Tasmania
Phone: (03) 6234 9884

Yes, I am still blogging about Tasmania. It's funny how much you get up to when on holidays versus procrastination in between workdays. Anyway, despite being terrified of heights, the Tahune AirWalk was a great adventure. Zen almost pushed me to tears when he jumped mid-walk, causing the whole thing to shake... and the cantilever swerved nervously every time a light breeze blew over... being 20 metres above ground, I thought it was quite an achievement. Who cares if I had sweaty palms and shaky knees throughout the whole 597m walk!

Tahune AirWalk
Web: www.forestrytas.com.au/visiting/visitor-sites/south/tahune-airwalk

When in Hobart, do as the Hobartians do.

Mures Fish Centre was packed day and night. Couples, families and friends could be found at the Lower Deck restaurant, Upper Deck restaurant and Sushi Bar. Mmm... fresh seafood, waterfront views and a special "Prawn Fest". How could I resist?

The "Prawn Fest" was available as a 2 course for $29.50 or as a 3 course for $33.50. Naturally, I went for the 3 course and started with an entree of Mures' signature smokey chowder. It was fragrant and creamy with sauteed smoked trevally and bacon.

Zen opted for the seafood platter ($49.50) which included a drool-worthy array of pacific oysters, natural and nam jhim; terrine of smoked salmon mousse, mascarpone and nori; Crystal Bay banana prawns with herb aioli; blue eye and scallops in a citrus and star anise ceviche; smoked trout pate with croutons; and crumbed fish, scallops and squid served with tartare sauce and lemon. It was literally, a mouth full!

Options for the Prawn Fest main course were tempura prawns, whole cooked prawns or scallop basillica. I chose the cooked Queensland banana prawns which were served with herb aioli, chilli, lime and shallot salt and salad greens. The prawns were huge, uber fresh and simply delicious.

While Mures do fruit strudels, creme brulee and panna cotta, the Prawn Fest only had one option for dessert.

The ever-changing menu signifies a strong focus on fresh seafood... and that's exactly what I've enjoyed about Mures Upper Deck. It was fresh produce served a little bit fancy.

View Larger Map

Mures Upper Deck
Mures Fish Centre, Victoria Dock, Hobart, TAS
Web: www.muresupperdeck.com.au

On our second day in Hobart, it was a gorgeous clear sunny day, so we decided to drive up Mount Wellington. I was thrilled to see snow, and there was lots of it! The panoramic views of Hobart was beautiful...

For as long as I can remember, it has always been a fantasy to visit a real chocolate factory. My expectations of course were hyped up by films such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

At Cadbury's visitor centre, for only $5, you get to smell plenty of cocoa beans and watch footage of chocolate in the making. I learnt lots about the company's history and the world's chocolate eating habits and even get to shop at the factory outlet for discounted chocs! But we weren't allowed past the gates, into the real factory... boohoo!

According to ABC Hobart, the chocolate floor tours had stopped in April. Damn, I missed out by a few months!

Still worth a visit.

Cadbury Visitor Centre in Claremont Tasmania
Web: www.cadbury.com.au/sites/cadbury/index.php?pageId=55

Restaurant 373 is a relatively new restaurant that works. Local fresh produce, warm furnishings, great casual service, funky appetisers and a fabulous 8 course degustation.

We started off with olives, garlic popcorn and chilli grissini...

And then slapped on lots of this delish fish and white bean paste onto crusty bits of poppyseed and almond bread.

I think we had the best seat in the house, at the front of this heritage building, facing the busy night life of Elizabeth Street:

Next up was the roasted butternut pumpkin soup. Mmm, the saffron yoghurt turned good old pumpkin soup into something more.

The menu boasted that the oysters were delivered by the oyster farmer from Bruny Island... you don't get that every day! These were served in 5 ways, although none of them really stood out. We had ours grilled with mushroom relish, natural with white balsamic pickled cucumber, gratinated with braised leek compote, drizzled with limoncello and kilpatrick hollandiase. I thought some of the flavours were too overpowering for juicy fresh oysters.

"Dust" is such a fancy word for powder. The Spring Bay scallop mousse, crispy skin confit chicken wing and scallop roe was served with lime "dust". Although being seated in a top notch restaurant in North Hobart, I somehow expected a real chicken wing.... as in, the type with bones. Nonetheless, this didn't disappoint ... it was uber crispy and there were no sticky fingers to lick up.

Oh boy, did I love the ham hock consomme. The Campania pork belly was tasty, as was the stick of crackling and the hearty aroma of the creamy fennel puree. All the flavours intertwined well into a savoury heaven.

Restaurant 373 is generous with their serving size. In fact, so generous that I was pretty much full before the Flinders Island wallaby shank was served, so Zen helped me finish off half of it. I was a little puzzled at why they served consomme after consomme but the meat fell off the bone. It was tender, juicy and... big!

The Flinders Island lamb stew was gorgeous (yes, with the wallaby and lamb both from Flinders Island, i did feel like I was eating up Flinders Island!). It was modern European at it's best... served with tiny roasted vegies and rosemary mash, I thought it made the perfect Winter feast.

... so that we could enjoy these desserts twice as much!

Overall? Restaurant 373 is new and they show it with their amateur looking business card and fresh innovative twist on European food... you've gotta love it.

View Larger Map

Restaurant 373
373 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, Tasmania
Web: www.restaurant373.com.au

I love nothing more than stumbling across a great restaurant. And that's exactly what happened within the first few hours of arriving in Hobart!

Shu Yuan is a tiny Chinese vegetarian restaurant, hidden within the Bank Arcade. It's probably the only one in this small sleepy town.

At lunch time, hungry workers flocked to the few tables and others crowded over the bain marie. Zen and I were lucky to grab the first available table without too much hassle... and for $23.50, we tried the curry puffs, which were unusually served with a pleasant sweet honey dressing, a scrumptious spicy Hakka basil noodle soup and rice with green bean delight & lemongrass and mixed veg.

It was a tasty feed and a fantastic start to the trip!

Shu Yuan
Shop 7, 64 Liverpool St
Hobart City, TAS
Phone: (03) 6231 1270

Hello Hobart.