Garagistes

Ok, GGs. I take it back. I refound my love for you just in time to farewell you. When I heard you were closing for good, finally, after being up for sale for AGES, I knew I had to come say my goodbye – and finally try that sake matching I’d heard so much about.
$ 135 a head is a steal for a five course meal WITH matched sake, be real. ($ 90 without the sake.) No bonus courses, which I’ll admit I was a little disappointed by – I think literally every other degustation I’ve done has had at least one extra round thrown in, usually in the form of an amuse bouche, but never mind. Was I still a little hungry at the end? Yes. But did the courses blow my mind a little? Sure. It all evens out.
And now it’s gone.
:(Ah well.

This place did not live up to the hype. The host was not a pleasant man. Our female waitress was extremely nice and genuine.
First dish of the degustation was great but the others were so/​so. The portions were very small and they forgot to give us bread & butter after the 2^nd course. The main course came with a tough cut of beef but without appropriate cutlery. It wasn’t pleasant trying to cut pieces, but like an old leather shoe.
It was half the price of Attica in Melbourne but only a quarter as good. With so much good produce here in Tassie I would have expected better flavors and combinations.

After Mona the place I most wanted to visit was Garagistes. I reserved two spots as soon as I was able.
We were seated facing each other across a communal table. They brought us a vegetarian five-​course set menu of delicate ingredients with outsized flavour, at times a mere shaving of mushroom or apple. Several items I had never tasted (brassicas, burdock, oca, lovage, kamut).
Each dish was matched with a sake (either junmai or junmai daiginjo). I wish more people did this.

We had two separate recommendatios to come here so it was with much anticipation that we entered and asked for a table. With the no reservation policy we had to put our names down and duck next door for a quick pre-​dinner drink.
Our table was ready at 8.30, right on time. We ordered the 3 course option and a bottle of Sangiovese from the extensive wine list.
We loved all three courses and the extra snack too. We couldn’t fault anything. The courses were tasty and well balanced. The first course was grilled octopus with a delicious aquid ink sauce. Next was lamb, chop, marrow and sweet breads — devine. Dessert was a delicious white chocolate filled with lemon cream and a light lime jelly.
The dining room is small however surprisingly the noise level was reasonable considering the large wooden share tables and concrete floors.
The recommendations were spot on and we’ll be sure to come back next time we are in town.

Oh no. Oh no, you didn’t Garagistes. You did not just serve me a tomato scattered with rice puffs, a tiny piece of steak surrounded by little green squiggles, and a scoop of ice cream and charge me 55 dollars for the pleasure.
Wait, no, that’s exactly what happend. Yet one day later I’m still trying to get my head around it.
Garagistes is trying to do the gastronomique thang, which I get: I lived in NYC and Paris for a number of years and am no stranger to going out for fancy dinners and consuming unidentifiable squiggles and random sprigs of watercress. This particular example of gastronomy missed the mark by a wide margin: The tomato confit entrée, surrounded by a scatter of puffed rice and some sliced onion, had a pleasant but rather monotone flavour and desperately required something else to prop it up. It tasted like a garnish, not a featured dish. The main was also disappointing. A tiny piece of bavette steak, which was cooked perfectly but which was served with an assortment of seemingly disparate accompaniments, including some pureed fennel and a overly salty morsel of cornichon (pickle) and a grilled onion. The flavours didn’t work together and the portion size was far too meagre. Would it kill them to put a bit of starch on the plate? The bavette was also a component of the five course dinner (we got the three course, natch) and the amount of food on the plate was appropriate for a five course meal. For a three course meal, even one at a relatively reasonably priced 55 dollars, there simply needed to be more food on the plate.
Dessert was a very well executed scoop of creamy parsnip ice cream, topped with a blah meringue and liberally sprinkled with blueberries. It felt lazy and uninspired.
On the positive side, we were served some excellent fresh bread and a couple of delightful amuse bouche (complimentary appetizers) upon being seated. These were both lovely, and led me to have high expectations for the meal, which were sadly deflated by the time our «tomato» was served.
Service was polite and efficient and the wait between dishes was pleasingly brief. I also enjoyed the clever industrial chic fit out. Pity about the food.

The place was full on a Thursday night even though it is located in a quiet part of the CBD where there is very little foot traffic after work. There are four long communal tables and about 8 seats at a bar.
There are two options: a three course tasting menu or a five course tasting menu. They are similar — some of the dishes cross over — but each menu stands on its own.
The food was delicious and interesting. There’s a big foraging element in the kitchen’s dishes. Many local flowers, plants and grasses find their way into this food.
Our one complaint — and it was quickly rectified — was that we lacked spoons for two of the courses (one consommé, one well sauced dish) that required them.

This place isn’t for everybody but we love the dining experience we had here. The food was phenomenal and you can watch the chef at work with the open style kitchen. You need to be comfortable sharing plates with your group to really get the fullness of the experience. You also need to be comfortable sharing tables with strangers. The wine list is extensive but you can definitely enjoy the food without drinking any alcohol whatsoever. The menu changes seasonally which makes for an innovative and interesting restaurant that I’d definately come back and eat at when in Hobart again!

One of the most amazing gourmet experiences in a long while: An open space warehouse design with large tables for around 20 people. Despite this it is still possible to enjoy relative privacy. Food unbelievable reflecting NOMA and Tetsuya pasta of the main chefs: Innovative explosions of flavour uniquely combining local ingredients at very moderate prices. The menu changes every day so be surprised, this will be an evening to remember. As good as it gets in Australia.

We’d only been sitting here a little while when the large group of 8 next to us had a gigantic Cape Grim short beef rib placed in front of them on the table. At around 1kg, it wasn’t something my dining companion and I were able to order and I mentioned to the gent sitting nearest how wonderful it looked. This is where things got interesting…
Sure this style of communal dining encourages sharing amongst your group, but how about from one group of strangers to another? The large group, getting full, encouraged us to try the short rib and were delighted when we accepted their kind offer. You can’t buy that kind of experience, but it’s the kind of thing I reckon happens regularly at a place like Garagistes.
What can I say? Garagistes is magical and rocked my world in all the ways that my friends told me it would. The food, wine and service — impeccable.
The menu changes regularly, with a big leaning toward cheaper cuts of meat and offal. My dining companion and I shared a number of items. He loved the char-​grilled fatty lamb ribs with lemon and coriander seed dressing. I went weak at the knees for the vegetable based dishes and the dessert that had crazy freeze dried basil «meringue». Yes, these kids know what they’re doing.
The higher tables offer good views of the open kitchen. I was especially interested to see a placha being used — raised and lowered over the licking flames underneath to cook, char and smoke the items above.
Wine by the glass is offered in two sizes and so it’s easy way to try a diverse selection from the biodynamic and organic list. I enjoyed a slightly oxidised (on purpose) white from Jura and being a mad fiend for sherry, it ticked all my boxes.
Our waiter really helped to make our evening special — explaining the dishes, recommending her favourites and suggesting interesting wines to try. It’s often difficult for smaller cities like Hobart to attract and keep great hospo staff, but Garagistes have somehow nailed it and have a crew that is knowledgeable and passionate about every aspect of the menu.