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: