By BEVERLEY BRILL
Mornington Inn, 322 Cambridge Rd, Mornington 6244 3855
OVER to the Inn with Lady Letitia for lunch. The day’s surprisingly warm weather and the picturesque views overlooking the Meehan Ranges added to the location’s delightful ambience. It is so nice admiring the ranges and it is easy to ignore the bustling highway traffic to the airport.
We decided to order the seniors’ meal and at a cost of $15 for two course, a feast that provides real value for money. Last month the choices for the mains included the flathead fillets, chips and salad, or crumbled scallops, chips and salad. The dessert choices were equally as tempting – ice cream or blueberry teamed with a decadent white chocolate panna cotta. The generous and delicious serves were complimented by the infectious smile of our waitress Kaitlyn.
Lady Letitia and I both treated ourselves to the blueberry and white chocolate panna cotta, an Italian classic that hit the spot nicely. Following the lovely meal we headed to the bar area to have a well-deserved rest, where we were met by Adam, one of the waitpersons, who kindly moved the rather heavy chair for me. What a gentleman! All in all, a good value meal with unpretentious, helpful service.
The main menu at the Mornington Inn has all sorts of goodies in store for patrons; a special seafood dish priced at $33 featuring tiger prawns, fresh oysters, smoked salmon, a mussel hot pot, squid and other appetising treats. A popular ‘flavour of the month’ at the moment is the Beef Hung Drawn and Quartered, a 300g Scotch Fillet with special accoutrements for $29. The menu is updated regularly and there is always something bound to enlighten your tastebuds.
Cascade Hotel, 22 Cascade Road, South Hobart, 6223 6385
I HADN’T been to the Cascade Hotel in what seemed like an age, so it was lovely treat to catch up with mates for a lovely lunch there recently. The South Hobart thespian ordered the seafood chowder – a mighty large serving of a nourishing soup. The Aquarian Queen enjoyed a trevalla, cheese and asparagus dish, the Caesar Queen had a rump steak, and I ordered the garlic prawns nestled in a bed of salad, rice and chips. The beauty of Cascade’s food is that it is old fashioned ‘pub grub’ – substantial serves, great service, and even when busy, the staff are terrific and always attentive. Warning: the food is not for the faint-hearted!
Old-fashioned pub grub never fails to impress at the Cascade pub
Renowned Tasmanian chef at the culinary forefront
THE most affable Paul Foreman, the singularly successful and crafty local chef, has done much to promote cooking in our state. A bit of wizard with the pots and pans, Foreman coaches his apprentices brilliantly – that is, if they are prepared to take in his breadth of culinary wisdom.
Foreman has recently taken over as the executive chef for the Kalis Group, which incorporates the Beltana and Mornington Inn on the Eastern Shore and also operates Cooleys, The Black Buffalo, Margate Tavern, Beachfront at Bicheno and the Tandara.
The Beltana is soon to undergo a much-awaited one million dollar facelift. The bottle shop and public bar will remain open during renovations.
Foreman will also be doing some private catering at the Coal Valley Vineyard. The space is dynamite and the site boasts spectacular views.
Jean-Pascal Patisserie & Les Trois Etoiles Restaurant, 34-36 Cambridge Road, Bellerive 6244 1077
ON the occasion of Whammy’s birthday we decided to go to jean-Pascal’s in the beautiful Bellerive. Whammy ordered the confit of duck (which I highly recommend), and I had the pistachio and pork terrine, accompanied by the house bread and side of salad. Talk about yummy! For a little place it is always busy. If you prefer not to have coffee you can organise a bottle of water without the added dramas of paying $5 for a glass, as in Sydney at the moment. Let’s hope this does not spread to Hobart any time soon.
Orizuru Sushi Bar, Victoria Dock, Hobart, 6231 1790
MY daughter who lives in Melbourne was down in Hobart recently for a conference, as was her partner, the delightful GL. During their stay they loaded me into the car and transported me to Orizuru, downstairs at Mures, for a gastronomic and visually striking taste of Japan in Hobart.
Shige, the chef/owners was so occupied in the kitchen that I didn’t get the opportunity to greet him. However the dining experience surely delivered the goods; the food was wonderful, the service was pleasant and forthcoming, and naturally, the dock views are nothing short of brilliant. We ordered a tempura (prawns and vegetables), vegetable gyozas and vegetarian maki rolls. While we were dining it pelted down outside with rain, but rain miraculously, the ceased and the sky smiled down upon us once we left. The food was scrumptious.
The bill, including a Moo Brew for GL, was a mere $53 for three, well worth it for a wonderful experience of superior Japanese cuisine.
When a burger’s a burger
THE following piece is about ill-gotten gains. I am in involved in a footy tipping competition along with Luci’s mum. If you pick eight winners in the AFL you win a burger. Well, Luci’s mum and I picked eight out of eight and we won! We decided to turn it into a tasting with the Head Hunter who was most miffed, as he had only picked seven. The sponsor of the competition is Hungry Jacks, so we sat down with the two winning beef burgers, topped with lettuce, tomato and mayo, while the extra from the Head Hunter was the chicken burger. The three burgers all came with fries. The quality of the burgers overall was pretty good – no fat to be seen, and the burger buns, while dull, were not squishy fold-up bread. I think the chicken burger won and the two puppies were certainly content to lap up the leftovers.
Plating up our Hungry Jack's burger prize - minus the guilt
