Smolt

After four restrictive hiking days foodwise along the overland track, we were back to Hobart for a nice diner and checked into Smolt based on the reviews and their appealing menu and good wine list.
Unfortunately the place was almost fully booked and they only had room left on their big shared table. Sitting on stools, with the open door blowing cold air at us, it was far from the comfort I was expecting for the price tag.
We started with their simple but tasty beetroot arancinis and a few local oysters, served fully shucked with both nerve cords cut and already dead. A disapointment really at almost $ 5 a piece.
The mains were great. We had the pork shoulder and the duck breast special. Well cooked and balanced with their sides. Decent portions too. Very nice.
A shared dessert and 6 glasses of wine for a total of almost $ 200 for two. Overall a good experience but a bit overpriced for sitting on stools and eating dead oysters. The quality of service was average too, hence the 3 stars only.

I came here based on the ratings and it was one of a few that was still open after arriving from an evening flight and within walkable distance from my hostel. I also like that they use local food to a certain extent. The customer service is great! The waiters appear to be young and are friendly. We were given bread with olive oil mixed with something sweet. It tasted pretty good. My friend really liked it.
I ordered the gnocchi dish and it tasted good but felt it was on the salty side. My friend ordered one of the pizzas and she said it was soggy. She addressed this to the waiter and she came back to report that the chef was going to prepare another batch and will reduce her bill by 50%. That was kind. The second pizza was better and little burnt.

We had a blast everyone there really knows how to have fun A very comfortable atmosphere know pretense! just good food and great people. The beef cheeks, lamp pasta and pumpkin with yogurt was a «10»

Food was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The service was really good and dessert was ‘to die for’.

On a trip to Hobart, Smolt was recommended by the concierge at the hotel. I was somewhat skeptical given that Unilocal had other places that were better rated. At the end the Spanish/​Italian fusion won me over. I had the ceviche and the pasta paired with some Tasmanian wine. The good was delicious from the bread, to the ceviche and topped off by some sides of vegetables.
The service was impeccable. The wait staff was very attentive. I sat at the communal table which helped stir up conversation with the locals.
I did not get the impression that Hobart had too many choices on Sunday night. At the end I did not care because one of the few that was available was Smolt where I would gladly come again

Went this restaurant as the review in Tripadviser was very good however was quite dissapointing. Mediocre food and atmosphere. Wine selection is on the averae side. Good to go with bunch of friends but otherwise not recommended. Friendly staffs were big plus.

Great tasty food. Fast, efficient and friendly service. Good vege options. Gnocchi was amazing, as was sausage pizza.

What a shame
The wine was too cold and the pours too small (not even coming close to the pour line on the glass), the ceviche was also way too cold. Hint — let it reach room temp before you send it pre-​prepared to a table. The risotto was ok, but a bit wet for my tastes.
Lovely house made bread and appealing Aussie scandi design were wins, but if it came down to the food and the service — as it always does in restaurants– then I’m afraid this is a bit of a let down.

Smolt. Something a lobster does during puberty? Smolt. The past tense of smelt? It matters not, does it?
Dining at Smolt is like staring at someone’s ear while you talk to them. You can still have a nice converstion but it is slightly off.
The house made bread was lovely, but could have and should have been warmed and served, perhaps, with fresh goat butter in addition to the olive oil with sludge like balasmic vinegar at the bottom of the dish.
The Crumbed Fried Oysters with Aioli and a light fresh salad were spot on. Absolutely perfect. The Potted White Fish with Chorizo Aioli and Grilled Ciabatta bread (see, they can heat the bread if they want to) read well on the menu. However, instead of a rillette which is what I expected, or a pâté which may have been great, it turned out to be akin to that Feta and herbs drowned in a jar from the super market when you want something fancy to offer your husband’s boss who popped over for dinner. This one fell short of the mark.
Holy aioli. Almost everything show ups up with some form of this catch all sauce. Now, I love aioli, but maybe the kitchen should live on the edge a little and try a nice pesto or chimichurrie now and then, just for grins and giggles. Maybe go with something with no sauce? That could be fun.
The Lamb Chops nestled in a squish of Whole Grain Mustard Aioli and buried under seasonal baby vegetables was a nice try. Some of the baby veggies had been separated from their Mum to early leaving an unchewable fibrous dental floss to deal with. The lamb was a wrestling match at best. Every third bite of lamb ended up under a left over piece of baby squash or on the convenient edge of a finished plate to be whisked away to the kitchen. This may have been a sourcing issue rather than a cooking one, but whichever, the ktichen takes the hit if you can’t chew it.
Finally, the Walnut Sponge with Cherry Sorbet, Yogurt Mousse and White Chocolate also looked as good on paper as a
profile. Two bites and you want to leave it on the paper. The Walnut Sponge was just that, a sponge. Dry and mealy. (Reminds me of a recent first date). The Yogurt Mousse was simply a teaspoon of yogurt plopped on three or four halved pitted cherries. The Cherry Sorbet was so good I wanted to do a belly flop into a pool of it, but it couldn’t carry the dish by itself, and who likes White Chocolate? Just the people who manufacture it, I think. It isn’t even chocolate, but rather sweetened cocao butter more suitable to gettting a nice tan than eating. Pass on dessert and hope your hotel provides a cookie on your pillow instead.
The staff was provincial, dutifully reading the script. It was like Chopin in Waltz time. How about some enthusiasm or at least some knowledge about what they are actually doing in the kitchen? Work the table, ladies, be the frame for the food.
All things noted, it was good but not great. There were some high notes, as stated, but enough low ones to garner only a 3 star rating for an expensive destination. Speaking of, I think I will try Franklyn tomorrow.

This would have got 5 stars, they just need to up the service slightly.
Food was superb, we rolled in for a late lunch and had the oysters, a beetroot salad and some croquettes. Oysters were divine, the beetroot salad blew my mind and I gobbled down the croquettes within seconds.
These guys know what they are doing and clearly source the best ingredients and combine this with technical skill and pride.
Service was good generally, it just annoyed me a bit at the end, when it took ages to get our bill paid, I was then left with the card machine to do it myself. Trusting but a bit weird!!!
I would definitely recommend this place and I am only sorry I spent my hard earned cash at ethos for dinner instead of here.

I would come here consistently for exquisite flavours, great service and funky fresh beats. I can’t espouse the benefits more confidently.
The service was delightful and friendly, and the bread just blew our mind. THE BREAD. I had a special slow goat main with kalamata olives — neither they nor the goat overpowered and the crunchy added bits perfected this amazingly balanced meal.
Please enjoy.

Wonderful food!!! Absolutely amazing main meals… The salmon and venison were both to fantastic. Good sized mains too. Although pricey, Smolt boasts an impressive menu. The wait staff were a little slow at first but our waitress made up for it with her happy and helpful attitude!

In Hobart for 5 days (ex Hobartians/​now Sydneysiders), trying out the Hobart restaurant/​café scene.
This place was very disappointing and just not «up there», great reviews, it’s why we came here.
Partner has «Sardines with poached eggs», served 3 small «bits or very small sardines», said it was tasty but would have liked more sardines.
I had baked eggs with asparagus, artichokes and spinach. Spinach was on bottom of bowl so dry, tough and not easy to chew.
Staff quite rude and push, twice attempted to remove my unfinished meal, as they were asking «have you finished/​can we take that away», quite put out by my NO.
Obviously you aren’t welcome to sit and enjoy your meal at a leisurely pace. And please don’t dally when you have. It’s get you in and get you out.
Won’t be back and wouldn’t recommend.
Hovering has to be the most offensive customer service.
We we weren’t asked if we enjoyed our meal, just told the amount to pay.

Wow! Loved this small local restaurant located a stones throw from the sea. Oysters very fresh. Pickled veggies a must try. Pappardelle with lamb ragu so wonderful it could be my final supper. Gnocchi with Swiss chard, carrots, pancetta got rave reviews. Nice local wine list with some hard to find wines, such as the 2006 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon. Pricey but worth it given emphasis on local fresh ingredients and a chef and staff that really care.

You enter this venue via glass doors and are greeted by staff within 2 mins.
The venue is very basic with their décor which gives it a very casual feel.
We dined here on 3 occasions, twice for breakfast and once for dinner.
In my opinion this is defiantly a breakfast venue, we enjoyed both breakfasts but dinner was abit of a downer.
Breakfast service was great, they have a great selection on the menu and are willing to change items due to allergies etc.
Dinner service wasn’t that flash, we were say around a dark corner, took ages for us to order drinks and we waited approx 45 mins for 2 small pizzas.
The dinner services seemed out of control, they forgot my drink order, we had different staff wanting to take meal orders even though we had already ordered, when it was time to get the bill they have us someone else’s bill.
In my opinion I suggest if you would like a great Aussie breakfast, head to Smolt but for dinner I would head elsewhere.

I had a really good meal at Smolt. Having seen ads touting Tasmania as a place for good food and fresh produce, plus after watching the latest season of MKR with the adorable team from Tassie, I now expect amazingly fresh food and nothing less from Tasmania. Even in winter. Even in the touristy part of town. Yes, I’m being a harsh critic! So after debating a bit between four and five stars, I’ve settled on five.
What really made our night great was our server. She recommended dishes and wine, we ordered them, and everything that she recommended really was as good as she said. She was one of the most competent servers I’ve ever had, both in her knowledge of the food and her timing of when she came by the table and knowing when not to bother. Hopefully all servers at Smolt are like that.
The dish I enjoyed the most was one of the daily specials, an entrée featuring squid in a broth that was seasoned just perfectly. It was somehow simple but complex at the same time, and just the best squid, the best dish, I’ve probably ever had. I also enjoyed my main, the fish of the day, although I’ve forgotten what kind of fish it was now. My friend ordered the lamb which was good but didn’t particularly stand out to me, maybe just in comparison with all the other great food on the table.
A note on the wine, don’t bother with the house «Smolt» wine. We should have asked our server for her recommendation first, but we didn’t and ended up sending back the bottle. The moral of the story: listen to what your server says at Smolt.

OMG Smolt in Hobart would have to be one of my favourite restaurants in Tasmania!
On a recent mini break, a friend and I wandered down to Salamanca Place to grab some dinner. We hadn’t made a booking. Yes, we were naïve mainlanders.
To cut a long story short, Smolt ended sneaking us into a shared table in the front section and were super helpful and attentive and recommended all the good food we could have.
We shared a bottle of pinot noir (awesome!) and aso shared a sardine dish, beetroot and pumpkin salad, lamb gnoochi and mushroom pizza. All excellent, highly awesome food with great ambience to boot. Apart from the middle age couple that were making out all the way through the meal next to us. Guys — a little socially awkward!
Highly recommend Smolt be on the list when you head to Hobart — it’s a definite foodie destination.

I’ve been to smolt twice now and I’ve got to say– for all of the hype around it I found it to be average at best for pretty steep prices.
The atmosphere and décor are lovely– and the servers are as friendly as they can be, but the food is lacking that sort of «oomph» that you’d expect for a hotly discussed restaurant in town.
The standout of both trips was their roasted veggie salad– beers, asparagus, artichokes and garlic with roasted hazelnuts and pumpkin purée. I would come back just for this dish as it’s simple but supremely well done.
In my opinion get a few of the entrees and skip the mains– my chicken breast main was widely overpriced and I could have sautéed it at home myself and my friend’s pasta was rubbery and tasteless.
I wouldn’t really recommend this place to friends visiting Hobart as there isn’t a reason to– they don’t have great cocktails, it’s overpriced and the mains aren’t worth it.

Dined at this restaurant for a work trip to Hobart ., very swish restaurant!
Our waiter was lovely very friendly and helpful… explained all dishes very well.
I enjoyed the meal however I did feel it was quite over prices for what it was and a little too fancy for my liking.
I ordered the pork loin which unfortunately lacked in taste… we also ordered some share plates the salmon stuffed zucchini flowers were the highlight for me. I was ordering vodka lemon/​lime & bitters very weak and expensive.
I would not return unless work was paying again but it was great service!

Nice place. We arrived on a Saturday night when the only place available was a corner of the comfortable communal table in the front. It was very pleasant.
The salmon cerviche was superb; the green salad good and minimally dressed (as it should be). The pizza and pasta we shared were good but not transcendent.
This place suffers from an affliction that seems common in Australia: no check. You have to go to the front of the restaurant, explain where you were sitting and pay then and there. Not a big deal but somewhat confusing.