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| Parking slot at the MONA |
This year, I promised myself that I'll travel more. To hell with saving up leaves and I figured, life is too short to worry about things like that. If I really get to live only once and this is what life is - then I'm sure it's great. Not to say that I'll spend all of my life savings on traveling but I'm determined to set money aside so that I can travel.
It all started with a friend of mine. She lives in Perth and I can say that she loves life. She has firm principles but she knows how to have fun too. While she was in Melbourne, we always talked about traveling together, so when cheap flights to Hobart came around, I'm glad she remembered me.
To be honest, I had totally zero expectations with Hobart. All I know is - it's a small city and it has this mountain called Mt Wellington. That's it. So much for research. My friend had a few ideas on what to do and suffice to say, I simply went along for the ride.
So here's what happenend at Hobart.
We stayed at Best Western. Yes, it's an old hotel but it's not too far from the pier and the city centre. If you're a city girl like me, then you won't like the city centre. On our first night at Hobart, I immediately complained to W (that's my friend) that it's so damn quiet here, it almost scared me. There was not a single soul in sight but you can see that some of the restaurants were packed!
On first day, we had brunch at Tavern42, before heading out to MONA. W ordered the house cured smoked trout with wasabi buttermilk. It also had cubes of fresh avocado and melon then poppy seeds sprinkled on top. It's a somewhat cold dish that would be perfect for the summer. I had the okonomiyaki. Very delicate and it didn't fill me up like the normal Japanese pancakes. Very nicely done.
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| Smoked trout with wasabi buttermilk |
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| Okonomiyaki |
We took the ferry to MONA. Can I please just say that I love the ferry to MONA? It made me feel like a celebrity. The inside had comfy dark leather seats with a barista with very flashy gold walls and metal bars in a semi circle in the middle. Granted it was a small underground museum and I can'r really describe it as charming. To be honest, after walking out of MONA, I felt a bit unnerved but in a good way. I think it changed my view on life. It was a "real" museum and it focused on the very real, even sometimes morbid and twisted, aspects of life. It was larger than life but it focused on life. Here were a few of my favorite installations. The cafe there was really nice too but of course, very busy. The chocolate tart was really smooth and luscious. The bagel was average. Coffee, surprisingly, good on a cold Tassie day.
For dinner, W and I walked around the "CBD" and noticed that the Vietnamese place called Sapa Rose was packed for the night. We ordered steamed rice with beef morsels wrapped in betel leaves, crispy spiced silken tofu (must order!) and the lemongrass chili lamb. W and I had a really good chat about our lives, being single (and not to feel ashamed about it) and our plans for the future. Sorry, no pictures. We were too busy talking and eating, I forgot to do it.
The next day, we ventured out into the wet windy Hobart streets, and had brunch at the Pollen Tea Rooms. W loved this place and honestly, I like the very country feel about it too. W said that it really felt like we're in London, weather and all. Food-wise, I love this place. It's my kind of breakfast. Very honest and very "clean". I can't stop saying good things about the nut milk latte. I had a very unusual breakfast of kimchi, cashew cheese and baked eggs. Not too bad but again, unusual. I think the dish needed more balance but not too bad. It's too sour with all the elements there but it's healthy so I'm not gonna complain. Serving-wise, it's perfect and it will definitely keep you full throughout the afternoon.
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| Burnch at the Pollen Tea Room |
We spent the rest of the day at the Salamanca Markets. I love this place. Even on a cold, wet day, it was buzzing with excitement and people and local sellers and local food. Honestly, better than QV Market. You must come here if you're a food lover. At the end of the trip, I got a small bottle of sherry from Nant, this cute little sauce container from a local clay maker (who seems to be very popular with some Japanese tourists), loganberry jam, a very nice passport holder (which was made in Thailand btw) and fudge for presents. And oh, I got hot pressure packs too. Nothing too exciting but I would need them for the cold winter months in Melbourne.
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| Goodies from the Salamanca Market |
We stopped for a break at Daci Daci Bakers. If you love your baked goods, this is the place for you. If you love Dench Bakers and Baker D Chirico, this is a must visit. Trays and trays of extremely enticing sweet and savory snacks that will make you swoon and wish that you're not on a "no sugar" diet. We shared a slice of the black cherry and pistachio tart and a roasted pumpkin and green bean with red rice salad. Both very nice and very filling. Oh, we had coffees too. Too strong for me but not bad.
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| Black cherry and pistachio tart |
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| BIG meringues! |
We were definitely full by this time so we decided to walk it off. Again, there was really nothing to see in the CBD, so we headed back for a quick snooze back at the hotel. When it was nearly dinner time, we decided to try the seafood and headed to Fish Frenzy. The place was, well, very normal and felt like your average fish and chips shop. The only problem was, the fish and chips here were crumbed and not battered. We ordered the fish frenzy - it had 2 pieces of crumbed fish and chips, 3 scallops and 3 calamari rings. It was ok. Nothing special. W even found the fish too dry, so I skipped this after a few bites. The fish chowder, however was the bomb! I really really liked it. There was fish and seafood laden goodness in every bite with scallops, mussels, white fish and trout interspersed throughout the milky concoction. Will come back just for this.
So, all things must come to an end, W and I flew back to Melbourne early in the morning. I must say that I missed Melbourne while I was away but I was definitely surprised at how delicious and unique Hobart was in it's own way.
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