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....