This was published 5 years ago
The seven dishes you must try in Hobart, Tasmania: Chef Vince Trim, MONA
Vince Trim.
MULLED WINE & BITTER CHOCOLATE CROISSANT, IMAGO BAKERY & PATISSERIE
Pizza: the crust is the key.
The bread here is brilliant and they're becoming famous for their pastries and sweets too. The mulled wine and bitter chocolate croissant is delicious. And the glazed gateaux are spot on. They're not too sweet, are exceptionally good looking and full of interesting flavours.
See imagobakeryandpatisserie.business.site
EDIBLE PLANTS, PROVENANCE GROWERS
Black margarita in Faro.
The Provenance Growers garden at Neika supplies many of Hobart's restaurants. On Saturdays, you can buy directly from Paulette and Matt at Salamanca Market. Recently, I've been loving their kunzea ambigua, which is native to granite soils in south-eastern Australia. We use it as a thyme replacement in a lot of things, including braising meats and octopus. It's got an earthy, lemon bitterness to it.
See Salamanca.com.au
PIZZA, LOCAL PIZZA
MONA is proud to call Local Pizza a neighbour. The crust is the key. They don't overfill the pizza and use really good quality ingredients, but it's the beautiful thin crust that keeps me going back.
CAPPELLETTI IN BRODO, FICO
The cappelletti in brodo is just one example of the authentic food that Federica and Oskar are serving. Their authenticity sets them apart. Everything is made by hand. It's irresistible. The ''feed me'' menu is great. The starters have a Japanese influence right through to the really authentic pastas. The quality of the ingredients is paramount to their success.
See ficofico.net
PREMIUM TASMANIAN MEAT, VERMEY'S QUALITY MEATS
Vermey's supplies high-quality and hard to find cuts of meat to restaurants across town.
We use their products at both The Source and our new restaurant, Faro. We get everything from wallaby and Berkshire pigs through to really obscure products like ox heart. We even get them to source pigs' eyes for the black margarita in Faro.
See vermeys.com.au
SMOKED TASMANIAN EEL ROSTI, PIGEON HOLE CAFE
Farmer Richard Weston turns his produce into tasty dishes at Pigeon Hole Cafe. The Smoked Tasmanian Eel Rosti comes with seasonal greens like dill, sorrel and tatsoi and is finished with a beurre blanc. The cafe is in West Hobart, while the farm is 25 minutes north of Hobart at Brighton. There you'll find everything from peonies to smoked paprika.
CONFIT DUCK CASSOULET, A TINY PLACE
I was lucky enough to work with chef Philippe Leban at MONA and am really happy I'm still able to taste his food at A Tiny Place in Battery Point. Dishes like his confit duck cassoulet match the colder months in Hobart perfectly. It's served with white bean ragout, french green lentils, pulled lamb shoulder and goats' cheese. He's without a doubt one of the best chefs in Tasmania. His execution is there at every stage. Recently he posted a photo of his golden chicken stock as a reminder that even the most seasoned chefs need to get the basics right.
Vince Trim is MONA's Executive Chef. He joined the team in 2010 as executive sous chef before taking on this lead role in January 2016. He was born in New Zealand and moved to Sydney in 1984, where he worked at The London Hotel in Paddington and The Forresters Hotel before moving to Tasmania with his family. Faro is MONA's new bar and restaurant. See mona.net.au/eat-drink/faro
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