A Taste of Tassie

A Taste Of Tassie

It's been quite a while since I wrote. My problem is having too many interests and so little time.

Last December I headed to Tassie for the Taste festival which went on for a week. I wanted to take that opportunity to practise my new found interest in food photography and to eat of course.

The first day hubby and I were there, we ended up in a restaurant on Elisabeth street with a very ordinary sandwich and costs us $40. It was a depressing start to the holidays.

However, after two hours of walking around we spotted some street acts and followed the crowd. As we weaved through the crowd, I could see Marcelo's face lighted with anticipation and you see the face of a kid in a lolly shop when we stepped into a huge sheltered building that looked like a warehouse with huge boards of what was instore for our bellies.

Some of the offerings at the Festival

The summer pudding tasted as good as it looked. It was light with a jelly texture and a strong berry flavour.

Marcelo had the pork ribs which he found a bit sweet but it didn't stop him from wiping the plate clean. Off he went in a jiff as soon as I photographed his empty plate.

While I was reserving a seat for Marcelo when he went hunting for food, a couple came to join our table. It was a wonderful atmosphere- to be able to eat and also talk to strangers, Tasmanians we met were so friendly. Hubby came back with a pork sausage roll and justified his indulgence with the lack of meat in the ribs.
I tried the hormone free beef that was served in a wrap. The beef itself was tasty but I didn't like the cauliflower sauce that went with it. It was too oily and runny and did not do justice to the meat. It would have tasted better with a hint of chutney to bring out the flavour of the meat.


He then had a steak salmon which also had his thumbs up and Oh Yes! a fourth serve of food - beef burger and then it was time to call it a day. I ran out of batteries as well!

The following day Marcelo tried this cheese platter which had three different types of cheeses and cherries in wine. I had the yummy cherries and he devoured the cheese. I had a samosa and some Turkish food which were also very tasty.

Having limitations in his stomach space, he had to try this panacotta on New Year's eve which he had been eyeing since day one. I think the pic speaks for itself. He thought it was worth every calorie!

There were so many food highlights but one of the main highlights was a trip to Pasha's restaurant. This was a tip from the locals and we walked close to an hour to check it out ourselves. It was on the opposite end of the waterfront on Elisabeth street.
Pasha, the chef, is from Eastern Turkey and according to the waitress, the restaurant is very popular and booking is a must on weekends.

We could see why...
We ordered the finger food banquet. The dips was a definite indicator of the quality of the food. The Turkish bread was freshly baked, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

One of the dips had some walnuts to give a little crunch but all of them were sooo delicious.

As we finished the bread, Pasha came out smiling offering us more bread. We should have said," No!" as there were other dishes to come but we are so weak..

When the waitress came she smiled to see that the dish was wiped clean with the bread.The salad was so fresh and the hint of dried chiliies on the yoghurt gave the dish a real punch. By

then we were laughing from all that we have consumed but also wish we had cows' stomachs.
When the kofte of chicken and lamb came, we were wondering where we were going to put them. But then again, as you can see, someone couldn't wait till I photograph...
The kofte was the best I have tasted and I have been to Turkey! It melts in the mouth and not salty like many I have tried before.
It was value for money and very well worth the walk and visit.

The cheese platter above was wonderful according to Marcelo and very moreish from Grandewe. It was a cheese making spot on the tourist trek south of Hobart and the view of the bay from the restaurant was absolutely stunning.
After all that, we tried to detox at the Salamanca markets on Saturday where we came across this organic fruit stall. The apricots looked very fresh but we were not too crazy about apricots. One bite of the cherries won us over. We had nearly 3 kilos of cherries inspite of the $15/kg price tag.
The Ranier cherries was Marcelo's favourite but I so love the Sunburst variety which I have not seen in Canberra. As you bite into them, the juice just gushes in the mouth and spreads through the palate...Aaahhhhhh.

We'll be back!