Salamanca Market

Lots of locals like to pooh-pooh Salamanca as being full of tasteless crap catering only to tourists, and yes, it's true that there are a lot of tacky souvenirs available, but you just can't beat it for atmosphere.

On a sunny, blue-sky day, the many spreading green lawns, the buskers, the food stalls, and best of all the Hobart City Council mini-tractors that are left with keys in the ignition, kids crawling all over them and the council workers happily turning a blind eye, make a morning spent mooching around the market a very pleasant one indeed. I usually make sure to scrape up $3 for a bag of Oliebollen, the delicious Dutch fruit donuts made fresh on-site at one of the stalls (their tempura mushrooms are also excellent!). For an outing with kids, you've got loads to see, Princess Park just around the corner, the docks a stones throw the other way, and the CBD a stroll away.

There's a reason it's famous around the world. It's noice.


Oliebollen: DO NOT miss out on these.

PS: I've labelled it as pram-friendly, but you have to pick your routes. There is loads of space to park a pram and lay about on the grassed areas, and it's not impossible to meander through the stalls with a pram, even a Hummer like ours, but be sensitive to the fact that you're taking up more space than the average punter, and watch out for those ankles!

Rectango!

Playing Friday nights in Salamanca Square, just up behind the Peacock Theatre, Rectango is free salsa music that seems to have become a Hobart institution.
We went along tonight, and it was packed. Crammed with Hobart's bright young things, and some not-so-bright-or-young (me, for example, although I had one of the most popular accessories there - a hip-slung toddler. And there were kids of all sizes there. A very family-friendly atmosphere.), the small courtyard backed by a raw rock wall was like an instant party. Beers were being drunk everywhere, though I didn't see any sort of bar per se in the immediate vicinity. Which isn't to say there wasn't one behind a thicket of people that a short-stuff like me couldn't see. We made do with excellent homemade ice cream from Cargo Bar and Pizza Lounge ($3.50 for a huge single scoop - I recommend the caramelised fig!), just down the street in Salamanca Place.

If you can't find a comfortable pozzie in the square to listen to the music - there is, after all, a lot of loud mingling to compete with - we found the acoustics to be excellent at the top of Kelly Steps!

Where: Salamanca Square, down the arcade off Salamanca Place
When: Friday nights, I think through February only, but don't quote me.
How much: FREE!!!!

The Churros Cafe

The Churros Cafe, located in Moonah's Island Markets, is an understated little gem. Great fresh churros (Spanish doughnuts - long ridged deep-fried cinnamon-dusted delights with thick chocolate dipping sauce for the mighty price of $4.00 a serve [take a friend!]), fresh authentic paella, and something called a cold caramel souffle...

...all served with a smile by the friendly Spanish tias...that's aunties to you!
I will be making regular outings to Churros to sample the various other eclairs and baked goodies, and to have a soul-food Spanish chat to the senoras.

Where: Island Markets, 54-56 Gormanston Rd, Moonah.

Tricycle Cafe Bar

The short and sweet of it:
Tricycle Cafe Bar is a cute little spot in the Salamanca Arts Centre, with great coffees (about $3.50 apiece) and a fantastic decor. Lush flocked wallpaper and cool old trikes hanging everywhere. Plenty of room to bring a pram, a few different areas to sit, both outdoors and in, and ample elbow room. Next time we have a breakfast budget, would love to come back and eat.

Where: Salamanca Arts Centre, 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart.

Jackman & McRoss

(Photo: Pork & apple sausage roll and chorizo and gruyere pastry roll, both with spicy homemade chutney)

We love Jackman & McRoss.

Great coffee, great food, great ambiance!

Jackman & McRoss is a little gem of a cafe and bakery, one of which is found in Battery Point, the part of Hobart so cute you just have to pinch its cheeks and chuck it under the chin! A short walk from Salamanca Market, this bright, airy and pram-friendly cafe (an important consideration for us these days!) has excellent fare (we've tried a couple of the pies) and very good coffee. We sat there rhapsodising over our food and decided it rivalled the very best cafes we've patronised in Melbourne. Its decor is stylish yet understated, the vibe is relaxed and comfortable and the prices are about average for cafes of this ilk. We've also sampled various sweet pastries, filled rolls and savoury tarts, and everything has been unfailingly excellent! This is definitely going to be our Hobart coffee house!

Where: 57-59 Hampton Rd, Battery Point; 4 Victoria St, Hobart; 32 Cross St, New Town

Tant Pour Tant Cafe/Bakery

Possibly the most delectable breakfast I've ever eaten, the ragout of mushrooms and spinach on gruyere toast was my first meal in Tasmania upon returning here to live, and a very good omen indeed! We'd had Charles St, Launceston recommended as the place most likely for a good feed after landing in Devonport, and Tant Pour Tant just happened to be the first place we came across. The menu sounded pretty good so we didn't bother to shop around, and man, am I glad! I was actually making embarrassing noises of pleasure as I ate my mushrooms! I gushed to all the staff, and my partner practically had to drag me out of there before I ordered seconds (and at $9.50 a serve, it would have been well worth it!).

The selection of pastries and cakes also looked amazing. If I lived in Launceston I would be down there as often as my budget would allow. I certainly won't be passing up another breakfast opportunity there.

Where: 226 Charles Street, Launceston

www.tantpourtant.com.au