The Two Girls first met Stuart Addison making fancy pizzas at Winstead Vineyards. Then coincidentally, the 30th birthday of a very happening girl about town brought us together again. Tasman Quartermasters moonlights at the Derwent Sailing Club serving bistro classics like parmigiana, but free range.
Now he has tenure, with a rental on Elizabeth Street. Formerly Chado Way of Tea, it’s now a burger and beer joint to the max.
The menu is all about the burger. There’s little burgers, regular burgers, extras for your burgers and sides. There are also a few options to share before your burger arrives, the bits of the animal that doesn’t go so easily on a burger, and something sweet to eat after your burger. Stuart's menu kindly suggests the best beverage to match your burger too.
The menu changes regularly. Once a beast has been eaten, you’ll find something new to try.
We enjoyed TasQM on our first visit and hightailed it back soon after. This is what we’ve tried:
Bubble n Squeak Burger, $15 with a side of Adzuki Chilli, $2. This was a delicious vego option that was on the menu on our first visit.
72 hour Charolais brisket n ’slaw, $6, and the 24 hour Berkshire pork belly, $6. Sliders are a great way of trying a few things on the menu and two sliders of your choice come with fries, or another side, for $15.
14 day dry-aged Charolais (beef) burger, $15.
On the second trip we also shared a special dessert: a chocolate caramel chewy gorgeousness enclosed in a chocolate tart shell. It was to die, and more than sufficient for us both to share.
The burgers are served on Jean Pascal’s brioche buns made for TasQM’s specs, with a little less sugar befitting a savoury meal.
It’s fair to say that TasQ is going off. This Girl drove by with an interstate visitor in tow last Sunday night thinking of pulling in. There wasn’t a seat in the house. On a Sunday! Night! In Hobart!
What’s the secret to TasQM’s popularity?
It’s mostly simple food done well but there are a few surprises thrown in to lift the bar.
It’s in no way pretentious. You sit on barstools at barrels or upstairs on bits and pieces of furniture.
And Stuart is the perfect larrikin. He’s a storyteller and entertainer, perfect for front of house. He also slips effortlessly into the kitchen to facilitate.
He’s another sustainability convert but he’s not putting himself up on any pedestal. Sustainable food is ‘nose to arse’ and if you’re not going the full nine yards, don’t write on the wall he says. What you’ll find on his menu is, from his own lips, a compromise. There's a devotion to sourcing local and ethical, and there's pretty much the whole beast. You’ll also find some items that have travelled their fair share of food miles. His off-shore sourcing is for genuine niche food like the avocado, practically impossible to grow here, but impossible to live without.
Why Quartermasters? Stuart tells us that a Quartermaster is a supply officer in the British army.
Why Tasman? It’s a tip of his hat to his Dutch heritage.
Stuart is a sommelier by profession so check out the winelist.
