I Don't Eat, I Devour

Strongly recommended by a friend of the same name who discovered it by chance, Lucinda Wine Bar is the little sister of the highly regarded Dier Makr (where I'd failed to make a booking due to its popularity on this trip). The concept is fun: instead of a wine list, you tell the staff what you like, they bring you whatever they have opened, you taste a few and settle on your pick of the glass. The food list is ever-rotating and curated, and extremely well-priced.  Resolutely refusing to take bookings, going to Lucinda is something of a romantic affair: either you are the right person at the right time, or you are not. There is something serendipitous about the whole thing, including the artsy, beautiful, slightly unconventional clientele it appears to attract.  Bread with schmaltz, $5 Schmaltz, I learned, is rendered chicken or goose fat. Silkier and more decadent than butter, it is surprisingly light and non-greasy in consistency, with a lovely saltiness that is perfect with ...

 A tiny, unassuming little gem seating no more than 18, Templo is a neighbourhood gem in the truest sense of the word. The set menu, along with a small-ish wine list, is scrawled on a blackboard. The kitchen is semi-open, the chef calling "service" from time to time. The glasses and the drinks are lined up near the teller, to be picked up casually, as if reaching in one's cupboard at home, whenever a drink is ordered.  While awaiting the food, fresh bread is served. Drizzled with olive oil, it is fluffy, pillowy, and large loaves of them rested near the open kitchen temptingly. We ordered a skin contact wine to pair with the first couple of courses - refreshing like a white, but bolder and deeper, with strong and distinctive passion fruit notes on the nose.  The first course, the gnocco fritto, consist of little fried pieces of bread to be wrapped in cured meat along with pickle. The pickle at Templo is distinctly sweet compared to most pickles, which works very well with...

 Hobart is one of the most under-rated cities in Australia, in my humble opinion. Combining culture (MONA is my favourite museum / art gallery in Australia), natural beauty, excellent whiskey and creative cuisine showcasing local produce, it is a city I could revisit again and again.  Aloft is on the wharf, overlooking the vast expanse of water carrying fishing boats out to sea. It is what modern high end Australian cuisine is all about: fresh ingredients, superb technique, and a little East-meets-West.  The set menu starts with sashimi sitting on a bed of parsley buttermilk. It certainly lives up to the name of the course - an amuse bouche. The interesting texture, unexpected flavour (creamy yet so fresh) and tiny portion tickle one's fancy and awakens the taste buds.  Wallaby is meat I don't often see in Sydney, but in Hobart, most good restaurants would at least have one course that serves this unusual meat. Here we have a wallaby tataki with miso and macadamia. T...