WILLING BROTHERS

390 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart

Words: Stephanie Williams

If this was my neighbourhood bar, I’d be a pretty happy local resident.

We had lofty ambitions of going out for a bite to eat and then catching a movie. We checked the film schedule and knew we had just over two hours to kill. When the waiter at Willing Brothers said they were a little understaffed and it might be a slower experience, we were in. This was the perfect spot to while away a couple of hours. Sitting at a kitchen or bar is always fascinating to me - watching as chefs and bar staff prepare meals and drinks. At Willing Brothers we had a box seat on a busy night for the duo working the room.

We started with a glass of Utzinger Wines Riesling ($17/gl), a lovely drop from the western side of the Tamar Valley, made with minimal intervention. It was superb and paired beautifully with the sardine escabiche on toast ($6 each) - silvery chunks of oily fish on thin toast, dressed with a vinegar marinade. I’m a big fan of Samantha Connew’s Stargazer wines from Tea Tree just outside Hobart so I jumped at the opportunity to enjoy her Rada Pinot Meunier ($16/gl) - it was a light red, but served perfectly chilled.

The one chef is clearly under the pump servicing an almost-full venue, but is moving effortlessly while on full display in the very open kitchen right in front of us. The cheddar beignets ($14) are fluffy, cheesy puffs and are the perfect sideshow to our wines.

We venture outside Tasmania to the Barossa and sip on the Small Fry Isolar Reisling Roussane ($17/gl), perfectly timed for our bigger dishes to arrive. The risotto ($26) was as good as I remembered (which was excellent!) this time with asparagus rather than cacio e pepe, and the fettucine with spanner crab, chilli and dill ($29) filled us up.

Monthly Must Try

MoTown Rolls - Centrepoint Arcade, Hobart

After hearing about a new lunch spot opening near our office, we ventured to try their flatbreads and filings. Based on the Chinese concept of mo rolls, you choose the filling you’d like in your roll. On this day, we had the option of mapo tofu, mushrooms, crispy pork belly or slow roasted spiced lamb. I chose the last option - and had my flatbread smeared with chilli oil and filled with the lamb, pickles, radish and spring onion. Delicious! A perfect size for a lovely light lunch.