GT‘s 2023 Tas Restaurant of the Year
The broader brushstrokes may be Italian, but the details are distinctly Tasmanian on Fico’s creative, surprising and beautifully executed tasting menu. Owner-chefs Federica Andrisani and Oskar Rossi display confidence and expertise on every plate. Local wasabi tops a perfectly sliced piece of raw kingfish. A petite piadina is stuffed with muttonbird from Babel Island. Creamy cacio e pepe risotto brings together the best of both worlds with native pepperberry and Parmigiano-Reggiano, while squid-ink pappardelle and charred broccoli are bathed in a velvety oyster emulsion, both mellow and briny. The wine list treads a similar cross-cultural path, and service in the dining room – hung with paintings by Rossi’s father, late local artist Tom Samek – is calm and well-paced. It’s a celebration of techniques, flavours and produce from distinctive family backgrounds, one that embraces the innovative spirit that makes the Hobart dining scene one of Australia’s most captivating.
151 Macquarie St, Hobart, ficofico.net
Institut Polaire has been doing its cold-climate-themed thing since 2018, an ice-toned, marble and grey leather showcase for Tasmanian produce as well as the spirits and wines produced by co-owners Louise Radman and Nav Singh (Süd Polaire and Domaine Simha, respectively). It’s still doing that – the signature Süd Polaire Antarctic Martini is non-negotiable – but with chef Gabriela Macedo (ex-Restaurant Hubert) in the kitchen, the food is now as focused on flavour as it is on theme. The seasonal six-course set menu is the best way to experience Macedo’s cooking. Expect fingers of toast topped with whipped bottarga and salmon roe; wild mushrooms sinking into black-garlic sabayon; Cape Grim eye fillet with sake-braised Tropea onion, and a wonderfully sculptural yuzu meringue tart. Factor in Simha’s dynamic wines and great service, and it’s little wonder the Polaire experience is hotter than ever.
1/7 Murray St, Hobart, institutpolaire.com.au
The Tasman hotel’s signature restaurant, Peppina, lives large – in both scale and ambition. Once part of an 1840s sandstone hospital, the beautiful dining room is cleverly and cosily divided by a central bar and open kitchen among booths and trees in brick planters. But really it’s chef Massimo Mele’s modern Italian menu that’s the drawcard. Dishes marry great Tasmanian produce with rustic sophistication; think good salumi, pitch-perfect polpette, swoon-worthy marinated octopus and pickled sardines with finely tuned agrodolce. Excellent house-made pasta, meanwhile, might be tossed with crayfish, or a brilliant combo of cavolo nero, lemon, chilli and pecorino. Then there’s a not-too-sweet torta Caprese that’s a credit to its kind. The Italo-Tasmanian wine list hits all the smart modern notes at hotel prices, while service combines warmth and efficiency. Up for a chaser? Check out the hotel’s bar, Mary Mary.
2b Salamanca Pl, Hobart, peppinarestaurant.com
Exemplary service, outstanding food and the thoughtful renovation of an historic mill with Tamar River frontage have made Stillwater one of Tasmania’s best restaurants for more than 20 years. Chef Craig Will’s cuisine-hopping menu takes inspiration from the island’s bounty, highlighting the homegrown good stuff from wallaby to truffles, wasabi to cheese. Dishes zig and zag from wagyu chilli con carne for breakfast to house-made gnocchi dotted with Tongola goat’s curd for lunch. The reverence for excellent local produce continues at dinner, where koji-aged Cape Grim eye fillet finds favour alongside garlic custard, and octopus arrives in a dashi stock with udon noodles and a slick of chilli. The wine list, curated by co-owner James Welsh, similarly showcases Tassie’s finest, benchmarked against great labels from both the mainland and overseas. Taken as a whole, it’s an experience not to be missed.
2 Bridge Rd, Launceston, stillwater.com.au
Set into a sloping field, Van Bone quietly invites you into its seemingly humble rammed-earth walls, then takes your breath away with extravagant views of Tasmania’s east coast towards Maria Island, framed by a huge picture window. Chef Timothy Hardy works with fire and smoke in the open kitchen, the daily-changing menu focused on closed-loop sustainability with any excess produce fermented, preserved, pickled or turned into sauces and powders. The multi-course set menu might include alpine-style cheese from the nearby Tongola dairy finely grated over a perfectly smoked tomato, followed by a paper-thin sliver of locally grown potato sprinkled with powdered sea flavours. Southern calamari, sliced into paper-thin noodles, is served with a delicate pork broth. Smoked buttermilk ice-cream is made from the by-product of the housemade butter that’s served with a dense sourdough partway through the meal. The entire experience is uniquely Tasmanian, celebrating the immediacy of the land and sea.
357 Marion Bay Rd, Marion Bay, Tas, vanbone.com.au
The dining room at Van Bone;
(Photo: Adam Gibson)
