Australian Summer Peaks At Garagistes

It’s difficult to articulate how removed the Tasmanian restaurant scene is from its big brothers (or perhaps more accurately, revered grandfathers) in Sydney and Melbourne. Having spent some time in the country talking to chefs, restaurateurs and passionate eaters, it’s clear that hopping a plane to eat at a restaurant in Tazzy is as common as…cabbing to LaGuardia to break bread in Des Moines. People just don’t do it.

But as it turns out, this is just what Australian celebrity chef Kylie Kwong has been doing for some time at Hobart gem Garagistes. Before visiting the state, I had heard rumors that the Sydney restaurateur and TV personality was a regular at the garage-turned-restaurant. And, sure enough, soon after I took my seat on a recent summer night, she was seated nearby. Dining solo. Ready for the trip. Here's a recap of mine:

Australian Summer Peaks At Garagistes

Top in Tasmania

Chef Luke Burgess (Tetsuya’s, Noma) owns the restaurant with two partners, which opened in a former Volkswagen garage a year and a half ago. The vibe is undeniably Momofukian (counters, concrete, fresh-faced chefs and servers coexisting in a large open kitchen). A remarkable library of recipe and cooking reference books lines the back of the bar, including the Modernist Cuisine (book 3 was missing). But the cooking hardly leans in that direction. Ingredients drive Burgess’ menu — fresh seafood and produce sourced from the local community.

Yellowfin Tuna

Fresh yellowfin tuna weaves with a salad of fennel, lemon and fire candle radishes and edible flowers. Sweet and bright.  

Pastrami

Tasmanian-raised Wagyu beef is smoked like pastrami (peppery, slightly floral) and thinly sliced. A side of zuni zucchini pickles (not pictured) accompanies. 

Design

Large skylights drop beams of warmth into the industrial space as polished diners sip d’meure Pinot Gris and discuss the varying degrees of fucked-up-ness of their afternoon visit to MONA. 

 

Lamb Ribs

Fatty, gamey, beautifully slow-cooked lamb ribs are glazed with a sweet-and-sour lemon-coriander sauce. I’ve found that Australians are sort of humble about their lamb. Maybe they don’t know how good it is. It’s the best!

Lamb sweetbreads

The offal gods have spoken with Burgess’ lightly pan-fried lamb brains dusted with shiso salt. It was a special the night of my visit — and most certainly special. Chickweed and a sour cherry reduction added complexity. 

Leeks

A beautiful duck egg is the centerpiece of this plate of grilled leeks tossed with white beans and an earthy nettle sauce.

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