Taste of
Tasmania
If you live in Hobart, you’ve probably been visiting the Taste of
Tasmania for years.
If you don’t know it, the Taste of Tasmania is a giant, 12-hour a day,
week long, Tassie food bonanza.
It has been much lauded for showcasing Tasmanian food, wines, ciders and
beers. Its popularity has increased exponentially over the years and it’s now a
major tourist destination.
If you’re a local it’s also a giant party. You generally see a half
dozen people you know when you’re there. It can be a great place to socialise
with friends and families, dwelling over a couple of bottles of wine and grazing
over a wide selection of food.
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| Image courtesy of Taste of Tasmania facebook |
Everyone has a favourite they look forward to: Huon tempura mushrooms,
Pacha Muma’s wallaby burrito, a Christmas Hills raspberry farm dessert, a glass
of Clover Hill sparkling.
Situated at Princes Wharf number 1, you can sit outside on the waterfront and watch the
Hobart to Sydney yachts come in. It’s grown in size in recent years too,
expanding onto the Salamanca side with extra seating and more food and drinks stalls.
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| Image courtesy of Taste of Tasmania facebook |
Hobartians either love it or hate it.
There’s nothing really new here for locals. Most of what is on offer can
be enjoyed at an inner city restaurant with comfortable seating and table
service. Two things you won’t find at the Taste. The Taste has offered a
profile to some of our emerging food vans however, making them more accessible
to people who don’t go so much on casual eating.
Finding seating can be a challenge. You’ll probably be wondering if
you’re having fun yet if you’re nursing your plate on your lap or eating while
standing. Lovely Cathy and I went last New Year’s day with everyone else, and
sat perched between the gas cylinder of a food stall and a recycle bin. But it
was in the cool shade.
The Hobart City Council has introduced a table booking system which
secures you a space of your own in the throng; an essential for big groups
unless you’re willing to get there on opening time.
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| Image courtesy of Taste of Tasmania facebook |
Locals have decried prices and portion sizes over the years. Something
that seems to have been rectified this year with more affordable ‘taste’ plates
at many stalls.
Over the years This Girl has tried to find the perfect time to visit
when the crowds are at their thinnest. Trouble is this varies with the days of
the week the Taste falls on and the return to work for most punters.
This year I popped in with my little sista, the Bone, and we went around
half three. Lunch was mostly over and the dinner crowd was yet to arrive.
Timing mid-meal meant that the crowds were not at their most claustrophobic and
it was possible to get served and find a small place to seat.
With dinner only a few hours away, we were both after something snack-sized.
We both chose from the Flamecake stall. Flamecake is a relatively recent addition to
Hobart’s food van scene and winner of the best new entry at the Taste in the
stall holders’ awards. It is a Bavarian/French pizza (somebody somewhere just cursed)
made with a sourdough base using local Callington Mill flour and topped with
Meader Valley crème fraiche.
I had a slice of the Huon, $6, with Tongola goat’s cheese, tomatoes,
potatoes, onions, rocket and balsamic glaze. The Bone had a speck rahmfleck
flatbread made of rye and potato sourdough topped with Boks bacon, spring
onion, garlic and herbs, $10. They were both delicious and predictably, the rahmfleck was much denser and more of a meal.
A big fan of Springvale Winery, I chose the Pinot Gris, $7 from memory. It was a bit more acidic than I was anticipating so I packed up a bottle of
the reserve chardonnay to take home with me.
The Bone didn’t choose a sweetie but I went for the ice cream sandwich
of strawberry ice cream and marshmallows between two crunchy biscuits. Ice
cream sandwiches are a winner. It was around $7 too and crazy popular
particularly on a hot day at the Taste.
What’s you
fav food at the Taste?
Do you have any survival tips?
For more information on the Taste of Tasmania find the official site
here.
Find Flamecake on Facebook here.
Been too busy with Christmas festivities to keep up with Living Loving
Hobart? Here’s the last post about Hobart’s own Latin cumbia band, Chupacabra.
Want to know other things to do in Hobart? Read more of our blog here.
