Capital, Smolt & The Mt Nelson Signal Station Brasserie

Hey everyone! Feels like a while since I posted but that's because I've been eating my way around Hobart (as usual!)
Let me tell you where I've been!
First up a newbie on the North Hobart scene. Capital.
It's located in the same building where Marti Zucco's used to be but inside it's totally different.

It has been given a really industrial, cool makeover. It looks super modern and in my opinion it takes North Hobart up a level in the style department.

Three hungry ladies went for dinner last week and right away I felt like I was in the right place.

We started a little untraditionally with pizza for entree. Hey, carbs are my thing.
The menu is very vast and it all sounds mouthwatering. We finally opted for the meatball pizza. I think we made a good choice, check it.

Delicious thin, crisp base with fresh, tasty toppings. Yum.
I decided to back track for mains and went for a selection of antipasti.
Deep breath...
Eggplant fritti with blue cheese and honey dressing, three cheese and wild mushroom arancini, pork belly with gorgonzola and fig jam AND lightly crumbed prawn skewers with salsa Verde.

It was simple, great food. The pork belly was my highlight. The bite of the blue cheese and the sweetness of the jam just balanced it out stunningly.
My lady friends both opted for the fettucine alla boscaiola. Equally delicious. 

 If you can't tell I enjoyed Capital, like, a lot.
One thing I was very impressed with was the service. Personally I haven't always experienced great service in Hobart. I don't feel as though its a predominant feature of a restaurant here but after you experience great service it really highlights how important it actually is.
Try Capital. Over order. Enjoy, amici.

Now for breakfast.
We headed to The Signal Station Brasserie on Mount Nelson to admire the view and sample the breakfast menu.

The building is slightly dated but who cares when you can look outside to this.
The menu is pretty standard breakfast fare.
The time old debate of sweet or savory was won by eggs. I had eggs Florentine (with a particularly vinegary hollandaise). 

The ladies that I breakfasted with had eggs Benedict (with a buttery, delicious hollandaise).

And the breakfast 'brushetta' with crispy bacon, poached eggs, Huon Valley mushroom and pesto.

The food was nice, just nice, nothing extra special but good portion sizes and well cooked food.
The reason I'm suggesting this place is because of the truly spectacular location.
Imagine even just coffee here.

Bliss.
Then add eggs and bacon. Heaven.
Find the info for Mount Nelson Signal Station Brasserie here!

Last but not least, Smolt.
Despite always hearing rave reviews, I'd had a particularly average dinner at Smolt in the past.
I decided to give them another go.
The location is fantastic in prime real estate in Salamanca Place and the building is modern and classic.

The menu is breakfast with flair. Italian and Spanish flair according to Smolt.

I easily choose parmesan confit mushrooms with house baked toast, goats curd and fresh herbs.

It was really, really special. Perfectly cooked and perfectly balanced. Rich, fresh, salty and creamy.
My breakfast buddies had a selection of breakfast dishes.
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, fine herbs and toasted ciabatta.

Potato and rosemary french toast, house cured thick cut bacon and house relish.

I tried some of this and had menu envy. I'd never thought about savory french toast but it was executed to perfection.
I most definitely would recommend breakfast at Smolt. And after my experience I'm keen to give the dinner menu another shot too.
One slight criticism is that Smolt doesn't offer gluten free bread, not a problem for me personally but I have friends with gluten intolerance and I've come to expect to see an alternative.
On the other hand I had truly great service at Smolt, the second time in a week where I was really taken aback by the quality of the service and yet again it made such a difference. Keep it up waiting staff of Hobart!

I know it's not quite the end of the year yet but I've already started thinking back about what a crazy year it's been! This year I started writing JACK bloggerand I'm totally loving sharing my experiences with you.
So, to say thanks I wanted to offer two of you lovely readers a little Christmas gift.
I will pick two readers and you can each choose a voucher to try anywhere that I have reviewed on JACK bloggerthis year! There are quite a few but I fully recommend all of them so really, you cant go wrong! 
Alternatively if you're not a Hobart local I've got a pretty awesome Tassie food hamper to give away so you can enter and I'll get it to you for a taste of Hobart!


Same drill as last time, if you haven't already 'liked' my page on Facebook do that and you automatically go in the draw. You can find it here JACK bloggerFacebook.
If you are already a fan just comment 'Merry Christmas' on my page OR share my latest post and you'll be added!
You COULD do all three and have three chances!
 
I will announce the winner on my Facebook page on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas, everyone! X

Raincheck Lounge, Jack Greene and Straight Up Coffee + Food

I've been to two of my favourite spots in Hobart over the past couple of weeks and would love you to hear about them.
The first one is Raincheck Lounge.
Me and Miss H stopped in for a girly dinner and over ordered, as usual.

Ham hock croquet's with pea puree and gorgonzola and porcini arancini with some of the most delicious mayo ever. I literally could have eaten 10 of these.

But I saved myself for mains.
Pumpkin and pine nut gnocchi.

Salt and Pepper calamari.

Rocket, Parmesan and Pine nut salad and fries with wasabi mayo.

The gnocchi was stand out for me. I'm pretty sure I could eat it again and again and love it more and more each time.
What I like about Raincheck is how casual and relaxed it is. Just a simple table filled to the brim with delicious food, chilled wine and best friends. So simple but so important and special.

They also do a chefs table which changes weekly (keep up to date with this on their fb page). I've never had it because honestly, I've never seen one in which I like all of the courses but when I do see it I'll most definitely oblige. It's usually $65-$75 for two people so it works at decent value.

I can't recommend Rain check enough - I've never been disappointed on leaving and really enjoy the social aspect that tapas offers.

Next up a new place I have mentioned wanting to try Straight up coffee +food

A new addition to Liverpool Street.
Straight Up is a 'healthy' cafe with a fully vegetarian and gluten free menu.They offer plenty of vegan options too. Vegan, gluten free and meat free. It's not exactly what I'd usually go for but it's perfect for my friend E. And that's great, it's nice to see more options for the diet restricted.
Inside its old skool, cool.
The menu is not over fussy and they have a cabinet full of healthy treats and freshly baked GF breads. Yum.

I went for the cornbread with scrambled eggs, avocado salsa and halomi.

It was really good - I love eggs and avo and the halomi offered a salty kick to the warm, thick bread.

T had a sweet tooth and went for the smashed banana on toast with popped amaranth, activated buckwheat, pear, agave and soy ricotta. 

It looked pretty awesome and she enjoyed it with but one slight complaint, the bread was slightly too hard in contrast to the soft banana. Minor details but I enjoyed mine enough for both of us.
I definitely recommend Straight Up if like me, you have friends with dietary requirements.
It's nice to have somewhere where we can all have delicious, nourishing food.
 

Feeling extremely healthy and happy I decided I was in need of a burger to balance it out!

So, me and D popped into Jack Greene. 

I've been a fan of Jack since they opened and this isn't my first time here. But I thought I'd share it with you on this occasion.

Jacks got it going on! Inside it feels like you've been whisked away to an old, charming hunting lodge.

It's beautifully themed. 

The cuisine is what you'd expect at any good hunting lodge. Hunks of meat - on bread.

D opted for the regular cheese burger (why mess with perfection?!).

 

And I went for the beef and bacon (bacon makes everything better).

We split chunky chips and garlic aioli. 

Everything was delicious, as always.
I know that it isn't especially difficult to make a burger taste good, but JG isn't just about the burgers. I keep going back because it's always good a great atmosphere, live music and it makes me feel great about my city. Hobart is full of hidden treasure and JG is a treasure. It's just not hidden. 
I also spotted the have a sundae menu too now. I will definitely be trying that next time because it might not be about the burgers but it's most definitely about the dessert! 

Do you have any restaurants you keep going back to? Or have any new places captured your heart? I still have so many on my list. I'll get there eventually....

A Pig and A Pony

This post is a little bit later than I anticipated. Mainly because I've been so busy this week!
I've been to so many places I want to tell you about so let's get started shall we?

Last weekend I tried one of the new talks of the town, Room For A Pony.
We went on a Saturday morning and it was super busy, there was a queue!
Everything about this joint is super cool.

 

The beautiful staff take orders on i Pads and play music into the court yard where groups of friends drink green smoothies and discuss their antics from the night before.
We discussed the food. The menu is quite small and to the point.
The boys all opted for the meatloaf.

I tried a nibble and it was really good. I've never really fancied meatloaf but this one has turned me over to the dark (meaty) side.
The girls ordered pumpkin rosti, poached eggs and burnt butter hollandaise.

There were a few teething problems with our choice. Me and R ordered the same dish but they were totally different, I'm going to suggest it's due to the fact it was so busy.
I was glad I got mine, despite the fact that it was sans pumpkin.
My eggs were perfect. Check it.

I'd most definitely go back to RFAP but if I was you I'd give them a week or two to iron out the kinks. After that it will remain one of the coolest place in No-Ho.

This week.we trotted (sorry) to The Westend Pumphouse to Pig Out - literally.

Pumphouse is a really well designed space. It's kind of industrial but manages to keep a hint of sophistication. I appreciate how there are spaces that feel intimate but the whole place feels very open.

We took our seats, drank our s-wine (not sorry) and awaited the main event.
The sides arrived. Apple salad.

Roasted new potatoes.

Finally, the one we had been waiting boar (I'm done).

We tucked in. The pork was delicious and the sides were too.
The rolls were toasty and sweet and the crackling was delicious.
The pig is $45 a head (this includes sides) and if it's for a special occasion it's definitely worth it. 
It's something a little bit different and when our pig was delivered the whole place looked on, it offers a little bit of entertainment and with Heston in town it did seem fitting.
I probably wouldn't have it again, it's a sort of a one off thing I guess but, what I would do is return to Pumphouse. The setting is perfect for after work drinks and laid back lunches. 

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. Has anyone been to beer fest?? 
I've been busy starting my Christmas shopping! Anyone interested in seeing a gift guide? I can't promise it will be anything like Gwyn's but it might give you a few ideas! 

A Trip Down The Huon

This weekend a trip down the Huon was on the cards as I was keen to share with you somewhere away from wee H-Town.
Although I love being around Hobart it's nice to stray if food is good enough. And it is.

We started off with breakfast at my favourite little spot in Huonville, DS Coffee House & Internet Lounge.

Such a retro spot.


An eclectic mix of kitsch and cozy.

 Lonely Planet sum it up perfectly, 'Hands down Huonville's most interesting cafe, this funky collection of retro furniture feels like your first student flat at university'.
 I'm especially partial to the Mona Lisa corner.

Their menu is simple, traditional cafe classics. Bacon and eggs, sandwiches and their famous burgers. With biscuits, ice cream, scones and cakes just some of the offerings for dessert.
I went for scrambled eggs on toast with mushrooms and tomato chutney.
It was tasty, big and cheap. My kind of breakfast! 

I have but one tiny criticism. It could have been way nicer on sourdough or a thicker bread (this is partly my fault as there was a choice; white, brown or Turkish - would go Turkish next time) but a decent sourdough could have taken this from good to great. I guess then the price would have increased as a result and also maybe I'm just a bit spoilt. 

Pop in to DS if you're down in Huonville. It's charming and not just because of the food it's in the decor and the whole feel of the place. Really homely but also like you're somewhere far away from home! 

Full from breakfast I wandered over to have a nosy into The Cat's Tongue Chocolatiers. I walked right into my version of heaven.

The smell was like I imagine the chocolate factory in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to be like and I felt like a small child.
The cabinets and shelves are filled with chocolates, pastries, pies and everything else to indulge one huge sweet tooth!
You can see into the kitchen where the beautiful food is being prepared

And the artists tend their work in front of your very eyes.
 
I can't believe I've not been here before!!
Full from breakfast I was very restrained and just ordered 4 chocolates; mint, salted caramel,  hazelnut and a sort of Turkish delight adaptation.

They are quite pricey but they are so damn close to perfection.

The Cats Tongue do a breakfast/lunch menu which also looks entirely fabulous.
AND they open Thursday-Sunday which I reckon more places should do, it makes it so much more accessible to the 9-5ers amongst us!

Whilst down in the Huon why not check out some of the cider outlets. Willie Smiths and Pagan Cider both offer delightful stops with cellar doors. 
And if you make it as far as Cygnet and feel you're tummy rumbling try The Red Velvet Lounge. You'll love it!  

We have a lovely forecast in Hobart for this weekend, do you have anything planned?
I thought I might find somewhere to do some strawberry picking, any ideas?