Tasmania’s determination to protect its natural environment is attracting top chefs keento deliver food employing the freshest ingredients.
Text by Rob Ingrim
Few visitors to Tasmania bother to visit the monitoring station at Cape Grim on the north-west corner of the island. This little unit records the purest air in the world, which gusts in from the vast Southern Ocean. As the world grows increasingly environmentally conscious, it is this clean air that is marking out this island state as a tourist mecca.
Tasmania has become almost a theme park in homage to environmental responsibility. Sitting 240 kilometres south-east of the Australian mainland, the island is similar in size to the Republic of Ireland or Hokkaido in Japan.
To demonstrate its government’s commitment to protect it from the polluting forces of the modern world, 44 per cent of it is protected as World Heritage wilderness, national parks or reserves. It is particularly keen to protect the pristine waters that surround it, a habitat for abundant sea life. It is thanks to this clean water and air, fertile soil and responsible agricultural practices that Tasmania is fast earning an international reputation for food and wine products of the highest quality.
The local calendar is dotted with food and wine festivals, the most recent being Savour Tasmania, which took place in May and June. Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation, Philippe Nouzillat of Singapore’s Brasserie Wolf, Paco Roncero of Casino de Madrid and Martin Bosley from Wellington were among those applying their skills and styles to prime Tasmanian produce at the festival.
The Savour Tasmania event was taken on tour around the island this year – and visitors would be mistaken if they believed the state’s burgeoning fine dining scene was confined to the capital Hobart. Gastronauts can be assured of a succession of delights along the emerging foodie trail across Tasmania. Hobart is, of course, the hub, however. The city itself is a recipe, a blend of heritage and a lively contemporary lifestyle. As a preview to your evening’s dining, walk the harbour front and watch fishermen unloading shiny fresh rock lobsters, salmon, scallops, mussels, oysters, abalone and sea urchins.
Our fine dining favourite here is Scott Minervini’s Lebrina, which is housed in an intimate heritage cottage. To enjoy an authentic local delicacy, make sure one of the party – and one who doesn’t mind sharing – orders Tasmanian striped trumpeter, a succulent white fish presented with puree of Jerusalem artichoke and a drizzle of olive oil.
Also high on the Hobart food chain is Remi de Provence – a French restaurant that uses a diverse range of local produce to express the authentic cuisine of Provence. Among the highlights on head chef Joel Robert’s menu include mussels in white wine broth with tomato, capsicum, garlic onion and Provencale herbs, and a memorable casserole of squid marinated in garlic and Pernod and finished with tomato concasse.
Me Wah is Hobart’s finest Chinese restaurant. Here, head chef Gordon Tso creates great excitement with his shredded roast chicken dressed with ginger, green onion, chilli and soy.
To experience authentic regional food we travelled south from Hobart to the cheerful Red Velvet Lounge at Cygnet. It is at the vanguard of Tasmania’s culinary revolution and head chef Steve Cumper has just been named Australian Country Chef of the Year. He is part of a growing movement of top chefs moving closer to their food sources, and much of the produce here is grown on his own farm. This is comfort food – dishes include braised beef shin with Parmesan polenta, slow-roasted red onions and crumbled King Island blue cheese – par excellence.
A new level of luxury and sophistication has come to the east coast of the island with the opening of Saffire resort on the spectacular Freycinet Peninsula. The Executive Chef is Hugh Whitehouse, formerly at Orient Express’ Lilianfels resort on the mainland. Great Oyster Bay, a few steps from his kitchen door, provides him with fresh mussels, scallops and sea urchins and – this being Australia’s trout fishing heartland – diners will hope to reacquaint themselves with his signature smoked rainbow trout salad with fennel, artichoke, grapefruit, pickled cucumber, feta and nasturtium.
Cradle Mountain Lodge in north-western Tasmania features heartier fare. The lodge is set in a World Heritage-listed national park and the cuisine matches its highland setting. Take a break from the seafood diet here with dishes such as slow-braised and crisped pork belly; whole roast quail with sage and pumpkin puree; and seared backstrap of venison. In Launceston, Stillwater chef Craig Will transforms the day’s catch into dishes that reflect the high art and drama of an innovative kitchen. Wild scallops, southern octopus, calamari, abalone and urchin roe are presented on dashi jelly to create the seductive “Stillwater Rockpool”, and a lime-grilled whitefish arrives on a dramatic bed of squid ink tapioca.
One of Tasmania’s most popular tourist attractions is the dramatic Bay of Fires on the north-east coast. In unspoiled natural beauty, we find a restaurant displaying finesse and modern sensibilities. Angasi is a showcase for chef Patrick Weekes’stunning flavour matches. Pork fritters and sesame squid, for instance, present an unimaginable depth of flavour when matched with candied chilli and lime, pickled ginger and wasabi aioli.
Immerse yourself in Tasmania’s clean landscape for a week and you can easily imagine a time before greenhouse gases and exhaust smog. Its foodscape, meanwhile, propels you forward towards a new milestone of culinary vibrance and harmony.
Angasi
64A Main Road,
Binalong Bay, Tasmania 7216
Tel: +61 3 6376 8222
Despite the spectacular views, it is difficult to keep your eyes off Patrick Weekes’ menu at Angasi. Inspiration, skill and confidence shine from dishes like pickled abalone tom yum soup, red coconut curry duck leg on black rice, and smoked bacon and braised capretto in a pearl barley and wild mushroom risotto.
Cradle Mountain Lodge
4038 Cradle Mountain Road,
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania 7306
Tel: +61 3 6492 2103
Hearty food complements warm hospitality at this lodge in the highlands. Venison, quail and salmon dishes accentuate the rustic hunting lodge mood of the place which has long been recognised as one of Tasmania’s premier dining experiences.
Lebrina
155 New Town Road
New Town, Tasmania 7000
Tel: +61 3 6228 7775
Scott Minervini creates a new dimension of harmony by serving intimate, beautifully presented dishes in an intimate, beautifully-presented cottage setting. He is a master of retro comfort-style food that also displays modern sensibilities, such as his celebrated daube of lamb in a rich broth with olive dumplings.
Remi de Provence
252 Macquarie Street
Hobart, Tasmania 7000
Tel: +61 3 6223 3933
This bistro, wine bar and fromagerie presents a totally French experience capturing the essence of Provence and the bounty of Tasmania. Chef Joel Robert shows classical respect in his Provencal treatment of prime local produce from the sea and the paddock, including a memorable coq au vin.
The Red Velvet Lounge
24 Mary Street
Cygnet, Tasmania 7112
+61 3 6295 0466
The little country village of Cygnet has become a mecca for foodies since The Red Velvet Lounge’s Steve Cumper was named Australian Country Chef of the Year. In his lively and casual neighbourhood restaurant, he displays precision and innovation in tying together all the produce, seasons and moods of the area.
Stillwater
Ritchies Mill, Patterson Street
Launceston, Tasmania 7250
Tel: +61 3 6331 4153
A distinctive contemporary Tasmanian cuisine is emerging here under the direction of new executive chef Craig Will. His food is smart and vibrant, his ideas sound and his instincts unerring. The inspirations are global, but wherever there isfusion, there is also cohesion.
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