Oli Mellers.
Brand Tasmania ambassador Oli Mellers is a born and raised Tasmanian who has returned home to helm Landscape at Hobart's Sullivans Cove. Influenced by his years working in Michelin-starred European restaurants under chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Jason Atherton, at Landscape he collaborates with Hugh Whitehouse and Tetsuya Wakuda to offer a simple and sophisticated menu that showcases their world-class expertise alongside premium Tasmanian ingredients. See landscaperestaurant.com.au
FAVOURITE TABLE
The Glass House has got great modern Asian dishes, amazing cocktails and a beautiful view. In my rare free time I like to go there and have a long lunch – I recommend tasting all the small plates as you can make it a bit more of an experience and try the many different food types on offer. They also have a really good whisky list. See theglass.house
Steak from coals with grilled baby gem lettuce.
LOCAL FOOD DISCOVERY
We wanted to create unique offerings when writing the menu for Landscape Restaurant & Grill, which is how the cheese trolley came about. We use McHenry Distillery's by-product of berries left over from their sloe gin and make it into a paste, which is then served with the cheese trolley. It has great flavours, and again utilises Tasmanian produce. We also use this paste in the jus for our wallaby and venison dish at Landscape. This flavour complements our game meats so well and has a nice feel-good story behind it. Food aside, McHenry's does a great gin. See mchenrydistillery.com.au/
BEST-KEPT FOOD SECRET
Masaaki's Sushi in Geeveston. Masaaki is originally from Japan and produces the most amazing sushi. He has his own fisherman go out to collect tuna and kingfish and grows his own vegetables to utilise in his miso soup. It's a little bit different from the traditional but puts his distinct spin on Japanese dishes, particularly Japanese sushi with Tasmanian produce. If you don't have time to visit Geeveston, he can also be found at the Hobart Farm Gate Market on a Sunday. See farmgatemarket.com.au
MUST TRY DISH
You have to have a Tasmanian Pacific oyster, Tasmanian scallops or if you're within the season you have to try crayfish – these are some of the best of Tasmanian seafood. I think Tasmania is obtaining a reputation worldwide with its seafood, however not every restaurant offers it. Me Wah in Sandy Bay have wonderful crayfish dishes and Franklin do a great whole flathead. See mewah.com.au
FAVOURITE INDULGENCE
Tasmanian cheese from Bruny Island, Coal Valley or King Island. Tasmania is also making some of the best whisky in the world from a number of distilleries including Lark Distillery, Overeem Whisky, Nant Distilling Company, Sullivans Cove Whisky and Hellyers Road Distillery.
A BIG NIGHT OUT
Peacock and Jones is a contemporary open-kitchen restaurant and wine bar adjacent to The Henry Jones Art Hotel. It pairs a locally sourced menu of small and share plates with an extensive selection of niche Tasmanian, Australian and old world wines. My favourite must-try dish is the wagyu smoked tongue – it's sensational. See peacockandjones.com.au
BEST TIME TO VISIT
A great season for Tasmanian produce is Christmas and New Year period. At this time of the year a lot of the leafy vegetables are in season – carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplants as well as local citrus, apricots and nectarines. It's also a great time of the year to pay a visit to the vast array of vineyards - they are just beautiful in summer. Bruny Island is worth a visit to sample delicious oysters and cheeses and the waterfront, particularly in December and January comes alive with balmy summer nights. See brunyisland.org.au
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