There’s not much that will be get me excited about a 6am flight but when there’s a date with a food tour waiting at my destination? Well that’s a different story.
Especially when that tour has been recognised by Lonely Planet as one of the top ten walking tours in the world!
After quickly dropping off our bags, Mr LML and I are excited to meet Mary McNeill, the founder of Gourmania Food Tours.
A trained pastry chef, Mary has spent time working in France and New York, before returning to her home of Hobart in 2011 to start her foodie business.
There are a few options but we’re doing the four hour morning city tour. Groups are intimate with a maximum of eight per session and luckily for us, today we’ve scored a private tour.
| Hot tip: Have a very light breakfast (if anything!) or risk getting full too early. |
Our first stop, the Jackman and McRoss bakery, is an early favourite. The savoury danish with goats cheese, caramelised onion, spinach and sundried tomato is possibly my highlight of the day and not something I would usually order. This is why this tour really is worthwhile: Mary has handpicked her favourite dishes and we get the spoils of her hard work!
As we wander the streets to our various stops, Mary gives us insights into the history of Hobart (pointing out for example, the very first café to open here). We also soon realise, Mary is a bit of a celebrity around town, everywhere she goes people seem to know her and at some of our stops, she’s actually the one who created the dishes we’re sampling when she worked there!
Other highlights include:
• Salmon at Tassal’s The Salmon Shop
• Freshly crumbed fish courtesy of Fishy Business at Constitution Dock
• Grilled calamari with chorizo and eggplant puree at the Brunswick Hotel (I never would have found/chosen this spot but it is a winner)
• Vino sampling at Cool Wine
• House-made sorbet at Smolt (we came back here for dinner another night, highly recommend it).
| Hot tip: Booking your tour for your first day is the way to go. It’s also a great way to get to know a new town and discover the spots you want to return to during the rest of your stay. |
After all that eating, we’re ready to retire to our home for the night, the Salamanca Wharf Hotel.
Opened in 2012, it’s perfectly located just on the edge of the Salamanca action.
The hotel is inspired by Antarctica, with distinctive ice-blue styling and photography by Antarctic adventurer Laurent Dick.
Our premium apartment features a kitchenette, lounge area, bathroom (with walk-in shower and separate bath), and bedroom with queen bed. The polished floorboards, shiny kitchen finishes and subtle down lighting, provide a sleek, home-like vibe.
After a power-nap (early flight plus walking and eating = exhaustion) we’re ready to go again with an early dinner at the renowned Garagistes.
Walkable from the hotel (pretty much everything is), we arrive early to stake a spot courtesy of the no-bookings policy. A converted motor garage, the industrial vibe is surprisingly warm and inviting and we take a seat at one of the communal tables.
Garagistes offers a three or five course set tasting menu that changes frequently to reflect the seasonal produce (and yes, no surprises if you know me that we went the five course option).
I’ve been known to judge a restaurant by the quality of its bread and butter offering (it’s the little things) and Garagistes offering is as good as Testsuya’s, making a request for another serve compulsory.
It sounds corny but you can tell that each and every dish has been created by a team that truly loves food and values the difference seasonal produce can have in making a star dish.
Garagistes is up there with one of the best meals I’ve had this year. Just. Go!
The next day, we hit up Hobart institution: the famous Salamanca Markets.
Operating every Saturday from 8.30am until 3pm, the markets attract thousands of locals and tourists each week. Here, we stroll and discover nearly 300 stallholders offering everything from chocolates, desserts, jam and fudge, to cheeses, breads, apples and of course arts and crafts.
| Hot tip: Get there early and grab your goodies before the crowds arrive. It also gives you a better chance of chatting to the stallholders and getting their local knowledge. |